RICHARD Buttrey is critical of proportional representation because one of the ten North West MEPs offers him a blunt reply to his paranoid views. He should write to the other nine and see if they even bother to reply to him. If the Fylde Coast was a four MP constituency elected by fair voting, the care homes issue for example would have been so different.

There would have been all four MPs claiming to be fighting hard and loud to save the homes. Instead we had two M. Jack and H. Dawson silent, even though there are plenty of staff and relatives of residents living in their constituencies. We had weeks of confusion regarding Blackpool MPs Joan Humble and Gordon Marsden. Staff who lived in Blackpool North but worked in a care home in Blackpool South sent letters and made calls to the wrong MP. I received dozens of calls from relatives and staff asking which MP and councillor they should write to.

Hundreds of those involved in the care homes issue now realise how poor the present system is. They are even more disgusted when I inform them about the recent local council elections. Few Blackpool people understand that the combined Labour vote was lower than the combined Conservative vote.

If we had a fair election system Blackpool Council would be run by two or all three groups working together. The plan to cut by £100 per week spending on each care home resident would not have got off the drawing board.

Steven Bate,

Chairman, Blackpool & Fleetwood Liberal Democrats,

Ashfield Rd,

Blackpool.