‘The inadequacies of first-past-the-post (FPTP) are not connected with party politics’

• YOUR Comment (Homeless highlight our outdated democratic system, February 10) ingeniously and, in my view, correctly conflates the benefits of proportional representation with the deeply unsatisfactory living conditions and insecure tenures faced by many who rent their homes from private landlords.

The inadequacies of first-past-the-post (FPTP) are not connected with party politics.

The constituencies which have returned MPs of particular political parties with large majorities for many years effectively grant their MPs jobs for life.

This means votes of electors who vote for losing candidates are disregarded and many argue that there is little incentive for such MPs to work effectively for their constituents.

Examples include home counties shire constituencies which have returned Conservative MPs for decades and solid Labour seats such as Islington North, Hackney North and Peckham and Camberwell.

The acute lack of social housing can and must be resolved by the largest programme of housebuilding in 100 years.

Again, this is not a party political matter, with the Conservative prime ministers Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill and Harold Macmillan being as equally assiduous in appreciating the importance of affordable and secure council homes as were Labour stalwarts such as Clement Attlee and Hugh Gaitskell.

Sadly the turnout at the 2011 referendum as to whether to adopt the AV, alternative vote, system was lamentably low.

A public education campaign is needed regarding the benefits of PR.

KJ CAVENDISH, SE21