Sir, Whilst Mr Jeremy Davies’s sentiment — that people should vote according to their convictions and not tactically — is admirable (letter, April 25), he is unfortunately mistaken when he claims that “votes are never wasted”.

More than 100,000 votes for Labour in Surrey at the last election failed to produce any MPs, and a similar number of Tory votes had nil effect in Liverpool. Under our first-past-the-post system, the outcomes in many constituencies are foregone conclusions, a great many votes are wasted, and perhaps less than 2 per cent of the population will actually have a decisive input.

This is not a healthy democracy; it is a climate that encourages tactical voting if people want any influence. Until there are significant advances in electoral reform (as promised by Labour in its 1997 manifesto), votes will continue to be wasted, people will remain inadequately represented, and government will remain unaccountable.

Yours faithfully,
BEN RAWLINGS,
76 Huntingdon Road,
Cambridge CB3 0HH.
b.c.rawlings.01@cantab.net
April 25.

From Mr Derek Storkey

Sir, Recent correspondents (April 25) have derided tactical voters and those who do not vote according to their convictions.

I have a number of passionately held convictions, all espoused by different parties, including more investment in education, lower taxes, a more efficient and smaller public sector, huge investment in renewable energy sources, integration in Europe but with more transparency, a new form of electoral system, no wars when not directly threatened, and hospitals which are clean enough that superbugs cannot thrive (how can this be political?).

Rather than decrying those who vote tactically, we need a new model of democracy. We are surrounded by important issues but it is unrealistic to assume that they will all fall neatly into traditional left/right pigeonholes. We need a government that controls the overall economy but with specific decisions taken by referendum, and we need a voting system that makes everyone feel that their vote will count.

Yours faithfully,
DEREK STORKEY,
26 Chalky Copse,
Hook, Hampshire RG27 9PX.
April 29.

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