April 21: Election boundary changes built in unfair advantage for the Left

THE main contender political parties have unveiled their manifestoes recently and reports of the Lib Dem promises were delivered by party leader Nick Clegg (The Yorkshire Post, April 16). I noted in his TV presentation that a particular word “fairness” was repeatedly used in every sentence, often more than once.

However, if we take a look into their manifesto document around page 131, the subject is the boundary changes report in the middle of the next Parliament. The Lib Dems say they will cancel the report and refuse publication.

In the national political spectrum, the Left have a distinct and unfair advantage over the Right to the degree of six per cent.

This came about under the Blair government when they used the massive overall majority to steam-roller through boundary changes in their favour. The task was undertaken by Robin Cook, who set about stitching up the Conservative Party as far into the future as possible.

Clegg’s Lib Dems are set on continuing this very unfair set- up, to the clear advantage of the Left. His party displays complete political hypocrisy.

From: John Lowcock, Sheffield.

MEMBERS of Ukip often marvel at the way the party has evolved. Fifteen years ago, it was an odd mix of left-wing Old Labour and Tory Right and everything in between. Although united against the EU it was obvious that this diversity could never survive all in one place (note how the BNP et al were banned from Ukip at a pretty early stage).

As the years rolled by, here in the North, members tended to be ordinary ex-Labour and Lib Dems but very few Tories. Whereas, further South – most members were ex-Tories.

About five years ago, at The Radisson in Leeds, Nigel Farage stated that the party would first target Tory voters and then all others – and so it has worked out.

The third – and probably final stage – was to target the non-Tory, centre right (most Ukip members don’t like the Conservative party at all).

This brought in floods of voters but it finally became clear that this would develop into a clear, neither-right-nor-left populism (which explains why the party is hated so much by the undemocratic old-style parties)

No party has a range of policies which can compete with the direct democracy Ukip offers.

I believe that Ukip has now found its permanent niché in British politics.