March 4 Election 2015 Letters Special: The right to vote for ‘none of the above’

I MUST agree with your correspondent Ian Smith (The Yorkshire Post, February 27), that anyone “not happy to select any listed candidate... should return the paper unmarked,­ the equivalent of voting for none of the above”. I do think, though, providing the latter option explicitly on the ballot paper would be far better.

If this were done, there is no reason why voting should not be made compulsory, so long as a postal vote was always available and there were safeguards in place for those unable to vote because of factors beyond their control such as illness or having to go overseas at short notice.

Far more importantly, should “none of the above” attract more votes than any individual candidate, a re-run should be required from which the previous candidates would all be debarred from standing. Also they should automatically lose their deposits – which would also discourage frivolous “parties” from standing in the first place.

However, I do not hold out much hope for such an improvement to the democratic process. As Mr Smith so sagaciously observes: “The political class don’t like rejection.” They would find innumerable “reasons” why such a measure could not be implemented.

From: Mr G Marsden, Buxton Avenue, Heanor, Derby.

ALMOST every day there is a letter referring to the inept MPs sitting in Parliament and how they are, or seem to be, out of touch with the general public probably because they may have been born with a silver spoon in their mouth and never had to live in the real world.

Is it their fault they are sitting in the House of Commons? I would suggest the answer is no and the reason is simple.

They gave themselves the opportunity to get elected and were initially chosen by a select band for the role of candidate, even though they may not be indigenous to the constituency.

A prime example recently is a candidate who has relinquished the nomination for Bradford to stand against George Galloway, using the excuse that she lives in London and needs to be with her family. Why has a person dwelling in London been chosen to represent Bradford?

Any out-of-touch, inept MP is blameless. It is the selection committee who are to be blamed for not choosing someone with the acumen to hopefully be their representative in Parliament, who was born and bred and living in the area, and who is over the age of 40.

From: Trev Bromby, Sculcoates Lane, Hull.

REPORTS imply MPs declared £7.4m in outside earnings. If, as we are led to believe, in the cases of Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw, they are also working outside the system (though strictly within their own contrived rules), what could the real figure be?

One MP described his colleagues as thieves, vipers and money grabbers – William Wilberforce, 300 years ago. Nowt changes.

From: Tim Mickleburgh, Boulevard Avenue, Grimsby.

CRITICISM is being made about the SNP entering into a possible post-election pact with Labour. But Scotland remains very much part of the United Kingdom, having clearly rejected independence in last year’s referendum. So the SNP have every right to support Ed Miliband’s party if they choose to.

After all, a precedent was set years ago when the Conservatives styled themselves as the Conservative and Unionist Party and had the automatic backing of the Unionist parties in Northern Ireland.

This, remember, was when the province had its own Parliament, Stormont.

From: David Craggs, Goldthorpe, Rotherham.

LAST October, I wrote to the leaders of the four main political parties concerning what I considered to be an unfairness in the income tax system for married couples and those in civil partnerships who are pensioners.

I did not expect an early reply, and I certainly did not get one.

In fact I didn’t get a reply at all from Mr Miliband’s office, and only a brief joint acknowledgement from the office of Messrs Cameron and Clegg.

Only Ukip replied in a meaningful and helpful way, expressing that my concern was well founded, and suggested how I could pursue that concern with the appropriate government department.

I thought that your fair-minded readers would be interested in my experience. One would have thought, indeed hoped, that since the main three parties would be seeking my vote in May, they’d have made a greater effort to address my concern... but apparently not.

From: David H Rhodes, Keble Park North, Bishopthorpe, York.

GENERAL elections have their own characteristics and the forthcoming one will be no different. It is recognised that after a coalition government the junior party then goes to the wall thus reducing any enthusiasm to join up with either of the two major parties.

The two parties that may hold any sway are Ukip and the SNP and I believe that their best offer will be to cherry pick policies to support while retaining their independence.

My conclusion is that we will be left with a minority Tory or Labour government, resulting in another general election 12 months down the line.

From: Dave Asher, Pickard Crescent, Sheffield.

BEFORE the 2010 election, Mr Cameron said: “If we don’t deliver, vote us out in five years’ time.”

Well, to all voters – you heard the man!

By the way, I have not forgotten Labour’s wretched overspends combined with letting the bankers off the leash, Gordon Brown selling off our nation’s gold at a knockdown price and the raids on pensions.

The Lib Dems are associated with the Tories and the Green Party manifesto is a terrifying document.

Little wonder that all these “loser politicians” are maliciously defaming Ukip and turning molehills into mountains.