HOWARD Roper-Smythe ,"Its time for a change", 5 July Citizen, is not the first to question the state of our democracy. Yet nothing has changed. No central government in this country has ever been elected by either a majority of those entitled to vote or a majority of those voting. In local government the position is even worse. This time it only looks worse because the number of non-voters in a general election increased to an all time high. There are very few individual members elected by the majority of those voting and even fewer gain the votes of the majority of those entitled to vote.
There are few marginal constituencies where our blood might race in anticipation of our vote making a difference. Imagine being Hilton Dawson and waking up to victory by the intervention of a loony, Luddite fringe party? And is Lancaster and Wyre better served because of that intervention? Would an out of town, newby representing an opposition party have served them better?
But is the alternative to this flawed system worse? PR sounds attractive; and I am tempted by it; but do we really want party sycophants and self-servers forced upon us through party lists? This happened in the last European elections; and notably in St Helens South in the general election. I want someone I can vote for; or against; not a party and a list of people of their choice. I know there are other systems of PR but none offer the immediacy and intimacy of first past the post.
Political parties don't care if only 5per cent of us vote, as long as a majority votes for their candidates. We elect them to the most exclusive club in the land, pay their subscriptions and give them lots of spending money. In the past they offered us sweeties in return, but now they fight to see who can take the least from us and offer the least in return.
The tax burden, rather than public services, has become the new rock and roll.
The politician's virility is tested upon how little they take from us rather than the provision of services we need. If they can pass the burden of cost onto someone else, be it by privatisation, PPP, PFI or whatever the latest flavour of the month happens to be, then they will. We will pay more for less in the end but politicians don't care as long as they can bleat about the little they have taken from us.
The same is happening in local government. Public service has been lost in the pursuit of fiscal prudence.
And that's why politicians are all the same. There are few that have the wit and nerve to dare to be different.
Leopards have become lambs in the Labour Party and the Tory right has become a degree left footed such that it keeps tripping itself up.
The Lib-Dems meanwhile seek out the virtues of fiscal hypothecation (money again you see) whilst losing sight of their radical past.
The answer lies in the electronic age. Even now a new; web-based pressure group is being proposed within the Labour Party to seek a return to some of their traditional values.
The same kind of thing will happen within the Conservative Party as the values of immediacy and anonymity are explored. Let's learn to use this technology to bombard elected representatives with our views and feelings with the immediacy and urgency those views deserve.
And it doesn't matter whether you voted or not. Let's all learn to use the power at our fingertips such that it really doesn't matter who got elected as long as they hear from us, constantly!
Barry Bell
Croft Avenue
Lancaster
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