Sir, – The article by Theresa Reidy and David Farrell ("Government needs to act on promise of electoral commission", Opinion & Analysis, August 10th) is particularly apposite in the aftermath of the inconclusive result of the recent general election and the protracted efforts to form a government.
Our system of proportional representation through the single transferable vote (operated only by Malta and ourselves and a legacy of past colonialism!) produces vagarious results and should be replaced.
Two efforts to do so in the past failed largely due, rightly or wrongly, to a perception that they were an effort by the then-government to perpetuate themselves in office.
The electoral commission proposed in the 2020 programme for government is an opportunity to take an objective, independent and unbiased look at all aspects of our system and should not be put on the long finger. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN O’DONNELL,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.