I COULD make many responses to Edmund Romilly’s dismissal of Molly Scot-Cato’s letter calling for a system of proportional representation, but I would like to make just one. 

In dismissing her work as ‘embarrassing’ due to having “gained a mere 11 per cent plus of the vote” he is also dismissing the views of the 11 per cent of people who voted for her and their right to have their views represented in the European Parliament.

I fully accept that, at last year’s General Election, the Conservative Party rightly gained the largest number of elected politicians because they gained the largest number of votes. But they only gained 42.4 per cent of the popular vote.

In Dorset West, Oliver Letwin gained 55 per cent of the vote – but who represents the views of the other 45 per cent of West Dorset’s voters in Parliament? 

I can state with a very high degree of certainty that my ‘representative’ in Parliament does not represent my views – views that are therefore not expressed in parliamentary debates, and, therefore, views are not taken into account by Parliament when making decisions on my behalf. Is this democratic?

In the two local council by-elections held in Bridport last week approximately 10 per cent of the vote went to the Green Party.

I fully accept that if the majority of people vote for the Conservative Party then they should have the majority of councillors and effectively control the council – but does that mean that the views of one in 10 of voters should be totally ignored? Unless the minority view is expressed in council debates nothing will ever change!

Dr Kelvin Clayton
Bridport Town Councillor
Chair West & South Dorset Green Party