AS SOMEONE who has probably seen half my 50 years as a voter being amongst the tens of millions who, thanks to the undemocratic first-past-the-post system, have, in effect been disenfranchised, our opinions ignored, I can at least still enjoy some small consolation that in 1992 my vote helped kick out the awful Chris Chope as Southampton MP.

But, if they aren’t elevated by their Tory pals to the House of Lords, dinosaurs like him can always find another Tory safe-seat to survive in – sadly too many of the electorate vote simply because someone is wearing a blue rosette. No surprise that Chope is another hardline Brexit supporter. Such people are totally indifferent to real life, the 21st century or the real “will of the people” (rather than the deceived 37%). For them Brexit is not about economics or rational arguments, indeed, they often prefer not even to try and justify their rationale (as with our MP with his “overwhelming” majority of just 11), Brexit being really a matter of faith rather than logic or reality.

They are like the Creationists or members of the Flat Earth Society, and live in the same nostalgic fantasy world.

This is 2018 and we face some of the greatest dangers ever. It really is time we rooted out these backward-looking dinosaurs from public life (both Tory and Labour, Mr Corbyn), and probably the only way to do that is for a truly progressive alliance at the ballot box.

Selective voting and for real issues, rather then this or that political party! This is not 1956 or 1913. Let’s dump the likes of Rees-Mogg, Bill Cash, Redwood, Boris, Chope, Fox, Davies, Gove, May, etc, and actually have younger, articulate, intelligent people representing us, and in a more democratic fashion.

Garth Groombridge

Southampton