7:26am Wednesday 12th September 2007
By Reader's letter
VIEWS on the doorsteps running up to the Heworth Without by-election were interesting, complex and ultimately frustrating.
Electors were blitzed with more election leaflets than in many general elections. It was asserted that one party put no fewer than 29 separate mailings through the letterboxes.
Many electors were disgusted at the overkill and waste, irrespective of it being on recycled paper.
A number shouted at representatives of the party concerned outside polling stations. Because May's election was so close, many said they would vote tactically in a number of ways, including Lib-Dem to keep the Tory out and Tory to keep the Lib-Dem out. I met two sets of Green Party supporters, including some friends, who intended to vote Lib-Dem.
Although the total of votes cast was up 12 per cent on May, both Greens and Labour suffered about a 25 per cent drop in votes, mostly, it seemed, from votes switching to the Lib-Dems as an anti-Tory vote.
Not only was this unfair on the Green Party and Labour, it was also unfair on the Conservatives.
The only major conclusion one could gain was that it was impossible to draw a conclusion as to the true political complexion of the ward.
This is sad and democracy is the poorer.
Although most people will have voted for the party that they wanted to win, I estimate that 30 per-cent-plus probably didn't.
There could be little clearer indication that a proportional representation system where everyone can simply vote for the party they believe in, is long overdue.
Charles Everett, Green Party candidate, Heworth Without by-election.
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