Frankly, the whole First Past the Post system is a shambles. Time for a rethink.

It truly does baffle me how we continue with a system that so consistently underrepresents vast swathes of the electorate. I spent years in education, trying to teach young people about democracy, and yet I had to explain that their vote might literally count for nothing in half the country. It’s like tending an allotment where half the seeds just never sprout, no matter how much you water them. The sheer waste of political energy and genuine opinion is disheartening.

We need to move towards a form of proportional representation. Nothing too radical, mind you. Perhaps something akin to the Additional Member System we see in devolved assemblies. It would at least ensure that parties with significant but geographically dispersed support get a fair crack of the whip. It’s about giving people a reason to feel invested in the outcome, rather than just resigned to it.