IT may strike people as bizarre that two East Lancashire Labour MPs are telling hundreds of electors that they would rather do without their votes.

This strange situation involving Blackburn's Jack Straw and Darwen and Rossendale's Janet Anderson comes about because neither wants the newly-created council ward of Fernhurst to be part of their constituency.

The Boundary Commission, reviewing Lancashire's parliamentary seats and seeking an average of 67,000 voters in each, suggests that Fernhurst -- comprising Earcroft, Lower Darwen and parts of Ewood -- be added to Darwen and Rossendale. No, thanks -- it should be in neighbouring Blackburn, says Mrs Anderson. No thanks, replies Mr Straw. It is not uncommon for bits of one constituency to be added to another to maintain a balance of voters. But why has Fernhurst become a hot potato?

Answer -- it's home to mainly middle-class voters whose numbers have been increased by the building of hundreds of new executive houses.

Yet, if party chiefs apparently regard them more likely to vote against Labour and, so, are anxious not to be saddled with them, what does this say of the set-up?

Does it not suggest that holding on to power rather than the privilege of representing people has political priority?

This sort of cynical pragmatism can only add weight to calls for the scrapping of the first-past-the-post electoral system that encourages such manoeuvrings.