It’s time to develop a winning strategy, Jan. 28

Let’s put to rest once and for all the notion, as expressed in the letter by Russell Pangborn that the Liberals and the NDP should just ignore their petty little differences and team up to slaughter the dreaded Conservatives at the polls.

Just ask all of us lifelong NDP-ers who voted for Trudeau’s Liberals in 2015 because he ran to the left of Thomas Mulcair whether we’re happy with our choice now. Uh, no, we’re not. Once a centre-rightist, always a centre-rightist. No matter how much they try to cosy up to progressives during an election cycle, they’re never truly progressive. Never again, needless to say.

There’s also the matter of attitude: Pangborn displays the typical attitude of Liberal supporters when he suggests that the two parties should unite under the Liberal banner in Ontario. That is to say, classic Liberal arrogance. Let’s see, now, Liberals, 7 seats, NDP, 40 seats and Official Opposition status. Let’s all you Dippers come join the Liberals! Right.

By the way, would everyone please stop using the term “decimate” incorrectly? If Wynne’s Liberals had been truly “decimated” (reduced by a tenth) in the last election, she’d have 52 seats now, rather than 7. She could only wish!

David Remski, Toronto

You cannot determine whether a districting arrangement favours one party over the other by shape, but only by outcome.

In an extreme case, a party with a little over 25 per cent of the vote could win a slim majority of the seats with only two parties and rectangular districts.

The real problem is that no winner-take-all system can reliably reflect voter preferences no matter how many parties you have.

Even if giving voters a real choice, rather than asking them to pick from a menu of two, was not important, if you want governments to reflect the way people voted, you need proportional representation.

Gary Dale, Toronto

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