Stability in action

Published on Monday 29 June 2009 20:49

So Lord George Foulkes wants a return to first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting for Scottish councils, so that "stability" can be restored (Letters, 29 June). Maybe that was the stability we saw in Glasgow, when Labour won 94 per cent of the seats in 1999 with 49.6 per cent of the votes, and 90 per cent of the seats in 2003 with 46 per cent of the votes.

Or perhaps it was Midlothian he had in mind, where Labour won 17 of the 18 seats in 1999 with 47 per cent of the votes and 15 of the 18 seats in 2003 with 38 per cent.

Lord Foulkes's original plea for first-past-the-post was for elections to Westminster. In 2001 Labour won 55 of the then 72 Scottish seats (76 per cent) for 43 per cent of the votes, and in 2005 Labour won 41 of the 59 seats (70 per cent) for 39.5 per cent of the votes. That's "stability" – of a sort. And it's not too difficult to see why that kind of "stability" might appeal to George Foulkes.

The original Platform piece was about holding MPs to account. If you want to get rid of a "bad apple" who represents your party, first-past-the post gives you no option but to vote against that party. In contrast, STV-PR would allow you real choice, so you could still vote for your party's other candidates and see the "bad apple" unseated. STV-PR would, of course, also give fair representation of all the voters.

JAMES GILMOUR

East Parkside

Edinburgh

Lord George Foulkes advocates first past the post voting, rather than the single transferable vote, in the interests of "order, stability and accountability".

I suspect most ordinary folk in Scotland are rather pleased that our councils are no longer one-party states and would be happy to see fairer and more democratic voting systems at all levels of government Of the Scottish, UK and European elections, the UK ballot is the only one still using first past the post. Whether it produces order and stability we may find out at the next UK election. It has hardly been seen as a model of accountability recently.

For order and stability perhaps a dictatorship would best satisfy Lord Foulkes. Who would be his preferred dictator?

DAVID STEVENSON

Blacket Place

Edinburgh