Sir – Dane Clouston claims that the dinosaurs, the wealthy, and the mystified said no to the alternative vote (Letters, May 12). As an unrepentant no voter I do not fit into any of those categories. I am not a dinosaur, not wealthy, and I am not certainly mystified.

I studied at this university electoral systems, researched and wrote about electoral systems, and spent 14 years teaching electoral systems.

In the latter capacity, my employers regularly congratulated me on my objective approach and my students were always fulsome in praise of my clarity and impartiality on this subject.

Having looked at all the other electoral systems in the world, and their effects I remain firmly of the view that the system we use, and will now continue to use, is the best electoral system in the world, and in fact is the most widely used.

During the campaign the no vote incorrectly pointed out that the AV system is only used in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. In fact it is not used in Australia, as it is compulsory for every preference to be used, unlike the system proposed in our referendum. In Fiji, it caused a military coup in 1987 when the non-Fijian minority exploited the AV system to take control of the Government. This was not resolved until 2001, when, after another military coup, a Fijian majority government was installed.

Any study of these PR systems reveals a constant pattern of electoral chaos. Belgium is but one current example of a country without a government nearly a year after the elections. We no’ers were not mystified. We were rational and part of a thumping majority and deserve credit for our foresight, not abuse.

John Power, Oxford