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Lots to consider

THE Green Party will stand down in the Chippenham constituency in order to give the Lib-Dem ‘remain’ candidate a free run (Lib-Dem pact in bid to beat Tories, Wiltshire Times, Nov 8).

In my view, such magnanimous behaviour by the Greens (and in Wales by Plaid Cymru) is the result of a desire to put country before party. Whilst I am no fan of ‘pacts’, in this case I feel that the arrangement should be welcomed as the selfless act it is and evidence that not all politicians are ‘in it for themselves’. However, this week there comes more ‘game-changing’ news: the Brexit Party is to cut its number of candidates by more than 50%. The party has pledged not to stand in areas with a Conservative MP in the previous parliament.

Tory MP Michelle Donelan told the WT that ‘the public won’t be manipulated by a pact and tactical voting’. Sorry, Michelle, but that is exactly what we are now faced with in Wiltshire. If this election is indeed defined by Europe then voters will have to seriously consider their regular affiliations. If you are a Conservative Brexiteer you are presumably now even clearer than you were last week where you will put your cross. But Tory pro-Europeans, and there are lots, will have to think carefully about a tactical Lib-Dem vote.

In my opinion, Labour voters will face an even bigger quandary. The choice as to whom they ultimately support will depend on just how much they think that Mr Corbyn will fight to stay in the EU, after a political lifetime spent opposing Brussels. In short, Labour is split from top to bottom on Europe. Do you vote for them if you ‘want out’ or ‘want in’? Again, many Labour voters, recognising that their party is unlikely to win, may have to hold their noses and vote tactically for either the Conservatives or LibDems.

When all is said and done one thing becomes clear. Pacts and tactical voting now seem the order of the day precisely because the two-party system is breaking down, whether Ms Donelan likes it or not. A way round what she describes as this ‘undemocratic’ situation would be to introduce a proportional voting system. Neither of the two major parties backs this, but surely the day is approaching when we can vote for - and get - the representation we want without studying ‘tactics’ for weeks prior to polling day.

Bob Gledhill, Middle Lane, Trowbridge

50p is ‘a symbol’

I DON’T belong to any political party but have been a fascinated observer of the developing political situation.

The Brexit 50p coin meltdown is symbolic of the gradual Brexit meltdown itself as reality and disillusion hit home.

Leading pro-Brexit national newspapers have been impacted.

Daily Telegraph pre-tax profits fell by 94% last year, Daily Express, sold to the Trinity Mirror Group and the former extreme Brexit Daily Mail editor moved away from its news pages.

There was a massive difference between over a million anti-Brexit marchers converging on London recently and the series of damp squib pro-Brexit protests at missing the October 31 deadline.

No one turned up at all to the “huge” one in Doncaster.

UKIP have just lost their sixth leader since the 2016 Referendum.

Arguably it is the entrenched differing views of extreme Eurosceptics fighting over the shape Brexit should take that underlies this meltdown.

The opportunists like Boris Johnson seeking to exploit the situation, reduce workers’ rights, reduce environmental protection and using the NHS as a bargaining chip in post-Brexit trade negotiations with Trump, add to the general disillusion and discontent.

Andrew Milroy, Bellefield Crescent, Trowbridge

Let’s vote to care

DURING this election campaign, I am concerned with who will represent my constituency in the next parliament.

As a supporter of Catholic aid agency CAFOD, I hope that candidates of all parties will look beyond Brexit to ensure that critical global issues don’t fall off the agenda.

We must fight for an outward looking, interconnected society.

I am proud of the difference that UK aid makes, and we must ensure that it continues to be spent on tackling poverty and the needs of the most vulnerable over UK interests.

We are also the last generation that can tackle the global climate crisis. Britain must make this a priority and urgently put in place policies to achieve net zero emissions. By doing so we can create a world of cleaner water, fresher air and a safer home for all of us to enjoy.

Evaristo Mayemba, Trowbridge