Tony Bennett

SIR – In response to David Barlow’s letter:

Recent polls:

● English people would vote to leave Europe. (71 per cent).

● English people want an English Parliament. (68 per cent).

● English people want an independent nation. (58 per cent).

● English people would rather not pay vast amounts of money to keep the Scots, Welsh and Irish to a better standard than themselves. (60 per cent).

● English people would stop immigration. (84 per cent).

The three main parties quite obviously oppose the majority view, it would therefore appear naïve to trust the three main parties’ judgement or motives.

If they were trustworthy, honest or had the interests of our people at heart they would honour their electors wishes. They don’t because it is not the interests of the people they represent.

I am afraid that you too Mr Barlow have been taken in by the BBC. The three main parties thrive because of people like you.

FRED BISHOP, Lower Moor, near Pershore.

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Your Say

Paul Griffiths, Worcester-in-Spirit says...
12:04pm Wed 8 Oct 08

If English people want to leave the EU, get an English Parliament or halt immigration, they can vote for the UK Independence Party, the English Democrats or the British National Party respectively.

But Mr Bishop has no time for such democratic niceties. He wants the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats to enact these policies even though they don’t agree with them, merely on the basis of some opinion polls.

REST SNIPPED

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Northumbrian

Interesting point. While opinion polls confirm what people want, they don't say how much people want them.

Fred

This is the remainder of Paul Griffiths reply (the rest snipped bit)

The definitive response to this notion was given by Edmund Burke back in 1774:

“Certainly, gentlemen, it ought to be the happiness and glory of a representative to live in the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents.
Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion, high respect; their business, unremitted attention.
It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own.
But his unbiased opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. …
Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”

And Fred's reply to that-----

Mr Burke by the way was------------------------MP for Bristol (no self interest there then!)

Surely, Mr Griffiths cannot be this naïve and surely he is not suggesting that the current political cartel observe the niceties of democracy?
If they did perhaps they would support an English referendum with the same enthusiasm that they reserve for the self-determination of Scots, Irish and Welsh or is following the wishes of the electorate a reserved matter.

Perhaps there were such things as honest politicians in 1774 but evolution has ensured that the laws of survival of the fittest has provided generations of pack animals that believe not so much in love thy fellow man as in feeding off him.

I am afraid that every ‘HIS’ in the above quote has now been changed to read ‘THE PARTY’S’ and the party represents their sponsors, which in turn uses the self interest of MPs to ensure that they do not follow the well meaning spirit of Mr Burke’s opinion.

Is he trying to tell me that the honesty, integrity , wisdom and good intent of our honourable MPs has led to the current mess that this country now finds itself?
If so and this is the best that they can do, we have elected a pretty dumb set of politicians.

He has just tried to justify total dismissal of public opinion in the interests of party politics.
This is exactly what the three main parties and the EU are doing and is why we are degenerating into social and economic meltdown and why perhaps the public should follow his recommendation and vote English Democrat, BNP or UKIP.