Government of Wales Bill

No. That would make the situation even more complicated and people would not understand what on earth was going on—they fail to understand the situation at the moment. As my right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy) said, list Members should be elected on a properly proportional second vote. In the same way in which people do not understand how losers become winners, they do not understand how a party can top a poll yet not get any of its candidates elected. In the 2003 election, for example, Plaid topped the poll in mid and west Wales. It received 51,000 votes on the second vote and received one additional list Member. Labour came second with 46,000 votes, but got no additional list Members. The Tories were back on 35,000 votes—19 per cent. of the vote—and got three additional list Members. The Lib Dems were not far behind the Tories, but got no additional list Members. A party that got less than a fifth of the second vote got three quarters of the seats. That is obviously a very democratic system—[Interruption.] The system is fundamentally flawed. I used to support proportional representation but, like an ex-smoker, I have seen the light and discovered the problems that it throws up.