Without a voting shake-up, the right is safe in the UK

‘The system in the UK does not require a majority vote for a candidate to be elected.’ Photograph: House of Commons/PA

I wish that Gaby Hinsliff’s optimism about the possible demise of populism in the UK was grounded in more than hope (Australia has shown how quickly the right can crumble. Boris Johnson, be warned, 23 May). Australia’s electoral system involves the transfer of votes cast where a candidate does not have a clear majority in a constituency contest. The transfer of votes is what did for Scott Morrison. Alas, the system in the UK does not require a majority vote for a candidate to be elected. Millions of votes are wasted in each and every election. Votes are not transferred. Protest votes against the right mean nothing. The UK’s rotten populist government is safe from an Australian-style ousting. I fear that the right is in power in perpetuity in the UK now.
Stephen Farrer
Sydney, Australia