All power to David Smith for his sensible suggestions about democratic accountability within the new Dorset-wide Authority (Put Country First, Letters, March 6), especially his advocacy of replacing First Past the Post for elections with the Single Transferable Vote.

Unfortunately, in our slow moving political culture with features of it like our unelected House of Lords remaining apparently still set in stone after decades of cries for reform, saying reform doesn’t make it happen.

Self evidently the Conservative Party won’t support it. Why should they? First Past the Post guarantees them mathematically huge majorities at County Hall and Bournemouth Borough. The tired old proverb of turkeys and Christmas springs to mind.

As Mr Smith briefly touched on it will be entirely up to the ‘progressive parties’ to make the case for change in advance of next year’s elections. The best possible scenario would be for Labour, the Greens and Liberal Democrats in Dorset to agree a conference/workshop to determine a joint approach as to how the elections should be run and then present it to the Electoral Commission as an agreed position, for possible implementation in 2018.

This process is so urgent that it cannot afford to indulge inter party tribalism or long-winded, technical debates about ‘best system’.

There are over 30 PR systems to chose from, but like Mr Smith I favour STV because it maximises voter choice by allowing electors to choose between candidates within parties as well as between parties. First Past the Post is if you like the Key Stage 1 system, whilst STV allows well informed, political judgement to be exercised and is as simple as filling in a football pools coupon.

I’m hoping this letter generates action between the progressive political parties in Dorset, whilst there’s still time. If people want to discuss it in more detail they can email richardd-w@outlook.com.

If First Past the Post goes through ‘on the nod’ for next year’s new Dorset Authority elections, like everything else in this country it and its unaccountability will be there for a very long time and some very good Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat candidates will never bring their skill and enthusiasm to the local government table.

RICHARD DENTON-WHITE

Portland