Government of Wales Bill

That takes us to list Members as opposed to constituency Members, who represent constituencies of a manageable size. If the people who elect constituency Members do not like them, they can get rid of them. The problem with the STV system is that it is difficult to get rid of a particular Member whom the electorate think is underperforming or with whom they disagree politically. The STV system breaks the fundamental principle at the heart of our parliamentary system—the link between the elected Member and their constituency—which still forms the base for our devolved legislatures. If we compare our experience in the United Kingdom with that across the rest of the European Union, it is interesting to consider the close links between Members and constituencies in the UK. Those links increase democratic accountability between hon. Members and Members of the devolved legislatures and their electorates, which is a point that does not apply in vast multi-Member constituencies and still less in list systems.