Here are this week’s issues people have been writing in about…..

Compulsory voting is good for democracy

IN SOME countries, even those within the EU, voting is compulsory.

In Australia for example under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 it states: ‘It shall be the duty of every elector to vote at each election’. It is not enough to just turn up at the polling station but it is ‘the actual duty of the elector is to attend a polling place, have their name marked off the certified list, receive a ballot paper and take it to an individual voting booth, mark it, fold the ballot paper and place it in the ballot box’.

Since voting is legally compulsory ‘electors are given a number of ways to cast their vote including postal voting, pre-poll voting, absent voting, voting at Australian overseas missions and voting at mobile teams at hospitals and nursing homes and in remote localities, as well as ordinary voting at ‘a polling place in their electorate’. So all options are covered.

Our usual gap between national elections is four years so is it really a strain on national liberties to have a mandatory national voting system?

Consider the compulsory National Census. Every ten years the nation is legally bound to complete a census form which makes us give out a great deal of personal information to a government agency.

There is no dodging the compulsory part of the form and no hiatus results from the civil liberties activists every ten years.

We are on the verge of another election which will no doubt see results from a minority turn out in many cases where party political pressure groups will encourage the so-called ‘floating voter’ to join their cause.

So when less than 50 per cent of a constituency votes the democratic process fails.

You may say how will compulsory voting help democratic improvement in the system?

Well, like it or not, the Brexit referendum brought a massive 72 per cent turnout for a one-off decision given directly to the voter.

The result is not what I question, it is the process that obtained it where the choice was actually given directly to the voters.

It is essential to consider, if statutory voting were implemented, the rights of voters who have no interest in any of the candidates or indeed in the whole of the voting process and politics.

If statutory voting applied then so should the ‘None Of The Above Rule’ so that a voter has been recognised as a legal voter in the turnout but not in agreement with any of the candidates on the voting paper.

Compared to the census thus, every four years, we would also have evidence democratically obtained of the political views of the entire nation which have been truly recognised in such a system and low turnouts – currently making a mockery of the democratic parliamentary system – would be abolished.

Graham Dallas,

Bromsgrove

Tenants let down by Tories’ broken pledge

THE CONSERVATIVES promised to ban no-fault evictions for tenants in April 2019 – yet almost five years on the practice is still legal.

This news leaves Wychavon’s 7,700 renters without the protection they were promised and thousands of renters across Wychavon without protection from arbitrary, so-called ‘Section 21 evictions’ at any moment at the whim of a greedy landlord.

This is a staggering betrayal of Wychavon’s renters.

Families in Wychavon need the protection they were promised – yet Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives seem too weak to stand up to the vested interests blocking reform, which includes many Conservative MPs who are also landlords.

That leaves around 77,000 households who privately rent in Wychavon with the threat of having their lives thrown upside down through no-fault of their own, at a time when rental property at affordable rents is alarmingly scarce.

Analysis from Droitwich and Evesham Labour – based on figures published by the Ministry of Justice – reveals there are now 59 local families which have faced proceedings to eject them from their home in the years since the Tories promised to ban the practice in April 2019.

Across the country, it is 90,000 households and growing.

No-fault evictions allow landlords to order tenants to leave with a minimum of only two months’ warning, without having to prove the tenant is in any way at fault.

The figures quoted are based on the number of no-fault eviction letters that have been followed up with a possession claim in the courts. The true scale of the problem could be far worse, as not all Section 21 notices will necessarily reach this stage.

Labour has called for real action to support renters, including a Renters’ Charter to provide new certainty for renters, ending ‘no-fault’ evictions and introducing mandatory four-month notice periods for landlords.

Alex Knudsen,

Chair of Droitwich and Evesham Labour Party

PCC should consider position after report

I HAVE no sympathy with the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) disappointment, as reported by the Bromsgrove Standard, in the ‘inadequate’ rating as a consequence of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in finding his area of policing is inadequate in serious and organised crime.

It should be recognised the PCC role is to be the voice of the people and hold police to account.

However, the PCC is responsible for the totality of policing.

The PCC‘s further role is to secure an efficient and effective policing for their area of responsibility.

It is clear the re-elected PCC, John Campion, is failing in his duty to the people and should therefore consider his position as PCC.

Mike Marshall MIHSCM DHSM,

Rock Hill

Let’s appraise the Conservative government over the past 14 years

Annual appraisals are now an everyday feature of life for all employees in UK eusinesses, so lets apply this

Procedure to the past 14 years of Conservative Government with five Prime Ministers.

a) 10 years of David Cameron’s austerity changed nothing, despite the root cause being the banks gambling with our money.

b) Liz Truss attempt at Voodoo Economics forced up Interest rates for millions of home mortgage holders.

c) Boris Johnson and his ilk partied all the way through Covid, while the rest of us were Instructed to stay Home and Indoors.

But that is insignificant compared to Boris Johnson’s lies which brought about an enormous Strategic Mistake in 2016.

When he lied through his teeth and said………

‘My Oven Ready Brexit means you can have your cake and eat it.’ (So said by Boris Johnson Live on TV in 2016).

‘Brexit will be a walk in the park with no downside whatsoever.’ (Boris Johnson MP said on TV)

‘Brexit will not affect freedom of movement of goods nor services to and from UK to EU after we leave.’ (Bojo MP)

‘The UK Govt will have 49 Trade Deals signed and in-place by Friday, March 29, 2019.’ (Said by Bojo MP on TV)

‘Turkey wants to join the EU, so we will have yet another 62million immigrants coming to UK.’ (Said on Nigel Farage poster)

‘The Northern Irish Border with the Republic of Ireland will not be affected by Brexit.’ (Said by Bojo MP on TV)

‘They (the EU) need us more than we (the UK) need them, so they will easily agree to us having Tariff free access to EU Markets.’

‘European Convention on Human Rights is yet another example of EU Law.’ (said by Nigel Farage on TV)

(Factually Incorrect, as ECHR was signed by Winston Churchill in 1950 more than 8yrs before the formation of EU in 1958)

‘Brexit will give the UK all the financial benefits of EU Membership, without any of the costs.’ (Said by Bojo MP)

‘UK cannot deport Criminals under European Law.’ (Factually Incorrect) and said by Bojo live on TV.

d) The effect of these lies is the decline of UK as an Economic powerhouse with the loss of our Manufacturing base such as Honda Car factory in Swindon lost after 36 years, Ryder plc lost after 51 years and GEC Transformers lost after 104 years in Stafford.

e) Plus the criminal Prosecution of 752 innocent men and women from the Post Office’s Fujitsu computer system.

f) And the return of long visa wueues stamped in passports at border ports, even for British Army Paratroopers on D-day – June 6, 2024.

To summarise, the lies by Conservative Government Ministers in 2016 has led to an enormous increase in the volume of cross-border documentation needed for post-Brexit export of UK goods including seafood products to the EU, with the example of 34 pages below for 1 x 16t load. The reason being that Brexit was based on Bojo’s lies and led to a strategic mistake all of which was repeated by Tory MPs Steve Baker MP, Mark Francois MP and Liam Fox et al in 2016.

The effect of which has ostracised our EU neighbours and become an Economic Disaster for the UK in the European Marketplace?

The forthcoming election now offers us the opportunity to consign 14 years of Tory misrule to the dustbin of history as this Conservative government cannot be trusted with our collective future.

Micheal J Ponsonby

EDITOR’S COMMENT

THERE has been great news for both Bromsgrove and Droitwich town centres this week.

The parking changes in Bromsgrove – the free 30 minutes and free parking for disabled blue badge holders – will hopefully increase footfall and encourage more people to come to the town centre which boasts some fantastic independent businesses.

And Droitwich, Waitrose – one of the town’s ‘anchor’ stores – committing to another ten years is also great news.

Hopefully after shopping there, people will wander out and support other businesses in the town.