LETTER: Democracy died some time ago

We live in a supposed Conservative ‘safe seat’ area, both at the local level and national level. It makes our Conservative district and county councillors along with our Members of Parliament, arrogant, condescending and uncaring of their electorate – until election time. They know that no matter what they do, what they say or how they behave they will be re-elected by Conservative voters who, unthinkingly, vote Conservative because… ‘they always vote Conservative!’. It is said that putting a blue rosette on a donkey will get it elected here.

It is this, ‘always vote Conservative’, attitude that allows Philip Circus, chairman of the council, to shut down any open discussion and pull ‘rank’ as the chairman.

This is to punish a Conservative councillor who has tried to be open, honest and represent the people who elected him.

The Conservative Party no longer wants people who are open, honest and think for themselves, they want people who will toe the Party line no matter what their conscience tells them.

This should show all Conservative voters that, ‘always voting Conservative’, is not the way to maintain democracy.

Genuine, honest and free thinking voters, who always vote Conservative, are usually voting Conservative because their parents always did and because they are voting for a Conservative Party that died out about ten or 12 years ago.

It is time the true blue voter actually looked at the elitist, arrogant and bullying Social Democrat Party they are now voting for.

Our Members of Parliament and our councillors do not listen to us, the voters, any more because they know better than we do; they know what is good for us.

If we try and discuss anything that runs counter to Party diktat they get angry and hectoring, if not downright condescending. Not only do they consider anyone with a mind of their own as, ‘mad, swivel-eyed loons’, they believe we are too stupid to know better.

Your comment, ‘The day democracy died in Horsham’, is incorrect in that it is the day we were all shown that democracy has died. I am afraid real democracy actually died some time ago.

At every election, both local and national, the Conservatives win the election with a low percentage of the total number of potential voters, because so many people do not bother to vote.

If everyone voted, who is entitled to vote, the Conservatives would have to work hard, listen to their electorate and become democratic again.

I urge everyone who does not bother to vote to register and vote. Everyone who wants to change the current, ‘safe Conservative seat’, must register and vote.

I would also ask every Conservative voter to really look at the people and policies they are voting for, rather than ‘sleep-walking’ into a bullying, undemocratic Social Democracy. Every voter must look at the policies of the other candidates, in every election, and vote for the ‘right’ candidate rather than just the Conservative candidate - again.

PETER GRACE

Chanctonbury, Ashington