E. MORRISON
Whanganui East
STV elections fairer
This year we will continue to use the old, outdated and antiquated FPP (First Past the Post) voting system to elect our mayor and councillors, but we will continue to use STV (Single Transferable Vote) to elect our district health board members.
I say FPP is antiquated because, after a lifetime of studying electoral systems, I — and I suspect most political scientists — would consider STV a much fairer and superior electoral system. That is because FPP wastes too many votes and sometimes does not truly reflect the wishes of voters.
Consider this: Mayor Hamish McDouall was elected with only 38 per cent of the vote. Simple mathematics tells me he has no majority support because 62 per cent of voters voted for someone else to be mayor.
Under STV, McDouall may very well have still been our mayor because he may have been the second-ranked choice of those people who voted for someone else, but we will never know. Perhaps the second-placed candidate might have received more second or even third choice votes under STV and maybe he might have been the most "generally preferred" person for mayor. But we will never know that either.
However, this is exactly what happened in Wellington when Kerry Prendergast received more first choice votes under STV, but Celia Wade-Brown got more second or third choice votes and was elected Mayor of Wellington, because she was the most "generally preferred" candidate.
The trouble with FPP is that your last tick is just as valuable as your first when electing councillors and we all know that just isn't right. Under STV your No1 choice is far more valuable than your No12 choice.
While there is no "perfect" electoral system, I would encourage voters to support STV in the upcoming poll to decide which system we want to use in 2022. More info is available at www.votestv.co.nz
STEVE BARON
Whanganui
Credit ratings not needed
Fiona Donne (March 22) reminds us of the rising costs of power bills, food, home maintenance and emergencies — making life "very difficult for many people", concluding that "no one seems to have an answer".
A sad observation, as there are indeed practical, legal and ethical answers available right now, just needing the political will to implement them.
Pity our MPs still cling to the neo-liberal notion that sovereign governments need to balance the annual budget preferably posting a monetary surplus — this to please and placate the Wall St credit rating agencies. Actually, sovereign governments do not need credit ratings as they are empowered to fund government deficits with their own currencies.
So no need for rising taxes and rates as our essential public infrastructures (public health/education/railroads/ water supplies etc) can be Crown-funded without interest charges.
Sound like Social Credit? Sure does — but these views are being adopted and developed by several of the world's leading economic thinkers. The public is entitled to know.
HEATHER MARION SMITH
Castlecliff
Great piece of writing
Congratulations to journalist Jared Smith on a great piece of writing — "Police officers put their own lives on the line for us", Chronicle, March 22.
JAN KATENE
Whanganui
Send your letters to: The Editor, Whanganui Chronicle, 100 Guyton St, PO Box 433, Whanganui 4500; or email editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz
