I agree wholeheartedly with Susan Weeks in her objection to the description of “safe seats”, but for quite different reasons.

I have twice been a Conservative Parliamentary candidate in “safe” Labour seats. I was elected to York City Council and gained a “safe” Liberal seat.

I am saddened when I read letters such as that from Mark Henderson who says democracy is damaged by “safe seats”. He is right – but Mr Henderson has the solution in his own hands.

In my election campaigns, I attacked the entire concept of “safe seats”, and received very big swings in votes as a result.

A seat is only “safe” because voters vote for one or other party out of habit, whether that party is right or wrong.

Parties do not own the votes of electors – electors do – and if electors were prepared to make the result of an election uncertain, then the parties would no longer take that seat for granted.

In 1977, I produced a report showing the Labour Government was directing funds and initiatives to marginal seats in order to “buy” the votes of those voters who were prepared to make elections uncertain, and ignoring those voters in “safe seats” that they could take for granted. In 30 years nothing much has changed.

Acting out of pure self-interest, the best any voter in a “safe” Labour seat can do is to vote to become a marginal. In York Central that means voting for any party but Labour (except the BNP of course, for quite different reasons). There are more positive reasons for casting a vote – but that is a different issue.

Peter Brown, Grange Lane, Acomb, York.