I EXTEND my gratitude to the 362 voters in Blackburn who backed my campaign to take politics out of government.

I would also like to point out that an additional 30,000 voters also offered me their support by being so sick of politicians that they abstained from voting at all.

If we now add this figure to my votes and then subtract the votes of the 'winning' candidate it shows a 5,000-vote majority for those who are sick of politicians.

As a result, I challenge Jack Straw to explain how he can, with a clear conscience, go to Westminster to represent the views of the Blackburn seat?

So much for democracy.

JOHN BATCHELOR, (Common Sense Sick of Politicians Party), Revidge Road, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.