NOW that the dust has settled on the election results, it is worth looking at the colours on the new political map of the UK. The Conservatives have largely captured south England, while Labour dominates the rest of England and most of Scotland until the River Tay, beyond which Scotland is SNP. Yes, there are smatterings of LibDemism throughout, but they are too few and far between to mark out any genuine regional pattern. The UK is now more polarised in geographical terms than at any time in our history, resulting in a vote for the Conservatives in the north of England and most of Scotland being as meaningless as a Labour vote in much of Scotland north of Dundee.

It is surely time to revisit the pledge that Tony Blair made before 1997 to engage in a debate and subsequent referendum on voting reform and, hopefully, then move to a system of single transferable vote. Last Thursday, many of us voted knowing our preferred choice would not be elected but did so out of principle anyway. Others opted for the lesser of two evils and others stayed at home. In a reformed electoral system, all the above would be given the chance to participate in a ballot, knowing that their genuine first choice would make a difference.

Gavin Fleming, 517 Webster's Land, Grassmarket, Edinburgh.