Boris Johnson scandals justify electoral reform – Yorkshire Post Letters

ONE only has to look at the present situation, and in particular the Elections Bill, to see clearly what the ‘first past the post’ voting system, in the hands of a clique of ideologues, can produce.

‘In the name of God, go’: Why David Davis was right to demand Boris Johnson’s resignation as ‘red wall’ MP defects – The Yorkshire Post says

The Government regards Parliamentary scrutiny as an hindrance to decisive leadership. So, with the protection of an 80-seat majority, kneejerk laws are hurriedly rushed through Parliament to deflect attention from an ailing Prime Minister.

And then the gauntlet is thrown down about the future of the BBC by people who regard objective reporting as biased if it reflects any criticism of the Government.

We live in dangerous divisive times crying out for consensus and cross-party agreement on so many issues. Only proportional representation can deliver true democracy.

From: John Cole, Oakroyd Terrace, Baildon, Shipley.

THERE is huge concern as to whether Boris Johnson knew about the social nature of the gathering on May 20, 2020. Did Dominic Cummings warn him of the illegal nature of any drinks event? Does Cummings have documentary evidence to substantiate his claim that he warned his boss and that Johnson subsequently lied to the Commons?

These are all questions of some seriousness and lying to the House, if proved, is a resignation issue. However, all the above pale into insignificance if we consider Johnson’s culpability for excess Covid deaths.

In their book Failures of State – The Inside Story of Britain’s Battle with Coronavirus, the investigative journalists Jonathan Calvert and George Arbuthnott do an excellent job in assessing how effective – or rather, ineffective – Johnson has been in dealing with the pandemic.

To make a mistake is understandable. However, to repeat the same mistake (locking down too late and too leniently) two further times is unforgivable. Johnson has presided over a government that has been responsible for over 60,000 excess deaths.

If negligence on this scale had happened in the commercial world, there would be charges of corporate manslaughter with a high probability of conviction.

From: Roger Backhouse, Orchard Road, Upper Poppleton.

I MUST correct correspondent JA King’s assertion in a letter that “fraud is rife in elections”. As a former Polling Station Presiding Officer at elections, I can assure him that it is simply not the case.

A few localised cases of voter fraud were rightly prosecuted but fraud is a rarity. There is no justification for the Government insisting on photo ID except to try to reduce the number voting for their imagined electoral gain.

It involves extra paperwork and administration to cope with the many people who don’t have driving licences or other photo ID. I thought Conservatives claimed to be against extra bureaucracy. Clearly not when they think it suits them.

It will put some people off from voting and so is an attack on democracy. What the Conservatives forget is that in most general elections Labour does better on lower turnouts. This pointless change may yet backfire on the Conservatives.

From: Allen Jenkinson, Lipscomb Street, Milnsbridge.

RE your headline “Johnson to ease virus restrictions” (The Yorkshire Post, January 19). If these are the ones that he imposed, someone is going have to explain to him what they were.

From: Terry Morrell, Willerby.

BERNARD Ingham (The Yorkshire Post, January 19) sums up the situation perfectly. The only omission is ‘his solution to the problem’. This is a pity because there doesn’t appear to be any other hope on the political horizon.

From: Christine McDade, Morton on Swale.

HAS our Prime Minister joined the short-staffed NHS? Every day in the newspapers and on TV, Boris is seen with his sleeves rolled up in some hospital or other pretending to be a hard-working member of the NHS. Does he ever do any real work in Number 10?

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