AS THE election results roll in we will see all sorts of spin from the various parties proclaiming them a success or not as bad as feared.

In reality they are a disaster for us all – a combination of the low turnout and the first past the post system in the council elections and the ineffectiveness of expensive MEPs further eroding the credibility of our electoral system.

We may all point the finger at the politicians but the reality is that we are all to blame to some degree or other – be it our apathy, our cynicism or our complicity.

Many people are quick to condemn our politicians and complain that our MPs are overpaid and have exploited the allowances and expenses system, but surely we want some of the most capable people in the country to be our MPs? If so we must be willing to cover their costs of running a parliamentary and constituency office and their remuneration must be competitive.

While the current MP’s salary of £65,000 may seem substantial, many pay a significant part of this towards the cost of running their political party and in context over 500,000 people in the UK earn £100,000 a year – don't we want to attract some of the country's most able people into Parliament? I'd say we haven't being doing so up to now.

Mark Bill, via e-mail

Erosion of justice

THE plans from Justice Secretary Jack Straw to pilot ‘virtual courts’ held in police stations beg the question how far this present Government intends to go in destroying our hard-fought right to liberty and justice.

We have come a long way since Magna Carta but now it appears that we are freewheeling back in every direction to autocratic state control of our lives.

Arrested by the police, if you are not then cautioned or let off with a fixed penalty which is the way of so many crimes today, you will be whisked into the interview room after a short telephone conversation with a duty solicitor many miles away and then sentenced on video link by magistrates equally far away.

What price justice? We will all be aware that plans like this which may fundamentally undermine the right to a fair trial are rarely debated in Parliament by our MPs. They are the brainchild of ministers eager to cash in on what they perceive to be vote catching legislation.

It is high time that matters of great constitutional importance like this are openly debated in full by independent representatives of the people. If we don’t act soon to curb these excessive exercises of power, the last vestiges of fairness and justice, which have made our country the template for democracy and freedom, will disappear.

David Kirwan, Prospective Independent MP for Wirral West

Drive for safety

I AM sure I’m not alone in getting increasingly worried about the speed at which people drive along some of our local roads. It has got so bad that I don’t always feel safe when I'm in a car – let alone as a pedestrian.

In fact, figures show that almost two-thirds of deaths are now on rural roads, while cycling on them is three times more dangerous than in urban areas. Out of 24 OECD countries, we have slipped to 5th on road deaths overall and shockingly are 17th in terms of child pedestrian deaths.

Recently, I noticed the Government is asking for people’s opinions on how it can make our roads the safest in the world. I think this must include making people feel safe using our roads without having to be protected by a metal chassis, so I decided to send in a letter. And I’d like to urge all your readers to do the same. The Campaign to Protect Rural England has a draft letter on its website which you can use: www.cpre.org.uk.

Ms Wendy Cocks, L12