Let’s promote problem-solving cooperation

Getting parties to work together to find solutions to problems is more likely to come from a change to a fairer, proportional, voting system, said Slough Lib Dem Chair, Matthew Taylor in the Slough Express on Friday 15 Oct.

Matthew explained how it was the current electoral system that gave Prime Minister Johnson a large majority of seats in Parliament, but with well under 50% of the votes.

This creates the situation in which, "As Prime Minister Johnson closed the Tory Party conference with a series of so-called jokes he offered no real solutions to the many problems facing our country...At the same time as he saw fit to joke, millions of citizens and their children are facing cuts of £20 a week in their Universal Credit, and most public sector workers like the police, care staff and teachers will have zero pay rise. Everyone is facing massive increases in energy prices which are already in the pipelines".

Matthew Taylor continued to explain that tragically this national picture was mirrored in Slough where the same voting system has led to "one-party rule of Slough Council by Slough Labour Party who have created such a financial crisis that councillors recently had to vote to 'stop funding many services.'"

Matthew set out a better approach: "Under proportional representation all voters would be treated equally, and each party would receive a share of seats in Parliament that much more accurately reflects the proportion of the votes they receive." Under proportional representation it would be a similar fairer picture at the local council level.

"Such a system usually means one party does not have complete power, but instead parties have to work together to find solutions to problems."

Matthew's full letter can be read here: Time for a change to a better, fairer system