TOM Bromley’s “Massive Missive” (If Sting was still in The Police he’d be moved to Amesbury, Postbag, March 26) was simply a rant about the deficiencies of the Electoral System. The AV referendum seemed to show the public accepts these.

In it he ignored two facts. One is that many “Labour Voters” are really anti-Tory, not pro-Labour. Similarly many “Conservative Voters” are anti-Labour, not pro-Tory. This is the legacy of over 50 years of negative campaigning by both parties: “Hate Them? Vote Us!”

The other is that the Parliament is decided at constituency level. The overall vote is irrelevant.

Consider Chippenham: Had 2,500 anti-Tory electors voted Labour instead of Lib Dem they would have had a Conservative MP. The Lib-Con and Lab totals would have been the same. Repeat that in similar constituencies and there would have been a solely Conservative government. Statements by Tory MPs show that would have been more abhorrent to Mr Bromley.

Or Camborne & Redruth: Had 70 anti-Tory electors voted Lib Dem instead of Labour they would have had a Lib Dem MP. The Lib-Con total would have been the same but the Lib-Lab total would have been one larger. Repeat that in similar constituencies and the Lib-Lab total would have been large enough for Lib-Lab coalition to be practical.

Whether a Lib-Lab coalition would have been achieved in such circumstances depends on the attitude of the Labour leadership at the time. In 2010 they were more concerned about setting scores amongst themselves.

Outside of the Westminster Bubble, this did not come as a surprise. There is a wealth of coalition experience at council level. Practically half have been under no overall control at some point in the last 30 years. The 2010 GE coalition negotiations were a rerun of one county council’s coalition negotiations. There the Lib Dems were expecting Labour to join them but the Labour councillors were too busy fighting amongst themselves to think about such matters. Whilst the Lib Dems waited for Labour to sort itself out, the Conservatives approached them with a well-thought-out package taking into account the Lib Dem manifesto. The Lib Dems considered it and eventually accepted it as no alternative was forthcoming.

In contrast the Salisbury District Council 2007 coalition negotiations between Labour and Liberal Democrats were a model of propriety and subsequently the Liberal Democrats had practically no complaints about the actions of their Labour colleagues.

Polities is a people business. People vary.

Robert Steel

Salisbury