Time to scrap List voting system

Some might say it’s just sour grapes, but if we have learnt anything from last week’s election it’s that the double system of constituency and list MSPs has got to change.

The principle was that parties who won thousands of votes but didn’t win any constituencies would have their support recognised with seats from the regional list.

I was a beneficiary of the system, as a Conservative list MSP because despite widespread support there was not enough in any one constituency to land a seat.

Gaming the system by not standing constituency candidates was not envisaged and the Greens have proved adept at maximising their chances by only contesting six of the 73 constituencies, making it appear as if they are underrepresented.

I had no qualms about getting stuck into local casework, but I know list MSPs whose commitment to communities was, shall we say, less than enthusiastic, but they had plenty of time for party grandstanding. We are going to see a lot of that in Edinburgh over the next five years.

Every MSP should be responsible for a constituency and there should be no hiding place for laziness. It’s not perfect by any means, but the system used for councils, where there are three or four councillors in each ward, is worth looking at, not least because it reduces the impact of tactical voting.

And if there was no list there would be less chance of opportunism for politicians whose main interest is themselves. That’s reason enough to scrap this corruptible process.