Things to consider before voting

Dear Sir,

Now that we know that there will be a general election on 12th December, your readers will start thinking about who to give their vote.

They only have one under our antiquated system, so it becomes even more important to choose wisely.

The obvious - though not the only criteria - is which candidate best refl ects their views on the important issues.

Discovering this is often not easy and hustings give an ideal opportunity to quiz each candidate about their favourite issue.

Representatives take their constituents' views, gathered from their inboxes, surgeries and contacts into account to a varying degree.

People could also visit a website that tallies their views with the Parties and informs them of the best match.

They could also take into consideration each candidate's character, personality and likelihood to toe their Party's line.

They might choose someone who they deem to have their own mind and is not afraid to offend their Party's whip, though this has its own risks.

We elect representatives who decide how to vote on specifi c issues, taking these different criteria into account to varying degrees that probably change depending on the topic and circumstances.

They might also want to consider the effect of their vote on the outcome in their constituency and thus not necessarily vote for the candidate who they would prefer to be their representative.

Whatever their fi nal verdict, I hope they remember to vote because we live in a democracy and high turnouts give greater credibility to the whole process, imperfect that it is.

Yours faithfully,

(DR) PETER HIRST

Chair,

Congleton Liberal Democrats