GIDEON Amos and his colleagues are quite correct to highlight the potential affect of proposed changes to constituency boundaries (‘Are boundary changes just a power grab?’, Postbag, July 8).

Calculations by a number of organisations show that under our current electoral system, even quite minor changes to boundaries can result in dramatically different outcomes.

The current government enjoys a majority of 80 seats, which gives them over 56% of available constituencies; but only 43% of the total votes cast throughout the country were actually for the Conservative party.

In 67 seats, the difference between the candidate elected and second place was less than 5% - and 12 seats had a margin of under 1%. The movement of a boundary could easily change the result a given election.

At the last General Election, the parties did as follows:
Scottish National Party 1 MP for 25,882 votes Conservatives 1 MP for 38,300 votes.
Plaid Cymru 1 MP for 38,316 votes 
Labour 1 MP per 50,817 votes
Liberal Democrats 1 MP for 334,122 votes
Greens with 1 MP for 864,743 votes

By any measure, this is grossly unfair; and there are many people that feel they are not being adequately represented as a result.

READ MORE: How proposed MP boundary changes will affect Somerset

No doubt, the government would argue that MPs are there to represent all of their constituents. This may be true in theory, but as many will know, it is far from the case in practice.

We are still using a system of ‘First Past The Post’ voting that has been rejected by most other democratic societies in favour of more equitable Proportional Representation. 

It is surely time that we too joined the modern world, and ensured that our MPs really do reflect the views of the population at large.

TONY SUTCLIFFE 
Taunton