Labour’s Shadow Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain, has called for a return to first-past-the-post voting system in the Welsh assembly elections and is meeting with Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan today to discuss the matter. The proposal is prompted by the reduction in the number of Welsh constituencies for Westminster elections from 40 to 30, which is likely to take effect at the next election. The Welsh Assembly currently has a top up system with FPTP elections for the current 40 Westminster seats, and 20 top-up seats for each of five regions. It seems all parties accept that there must be a change, since two different sets of constituencies don’t make sense (as experience in Scotland has shown, says Peter Hain). Continue reading →