The funding of political parties for General Elections has received much media attention over recent years but the public view has also been compounded by the lack of trust of politicians to address the needs of the entire electorate.

Spending £30m on advertising by the political parties in 1997 was indeed an example of money wasted for it produced the lowest turnout since 1935. The only party that benefited was the Apathy Party which grows and grows, reflecting the loss of trust of politicians and the inadequate system of advancing the political manifesto.

Surely it is now time for changes to General Elections in the interests of democracy.

Firstly, as in other countries, why not have a fixed term for parliament rather than it be in the gift of the Prime Minister?

Further, instead of the tedious daily speeches months and months before the election date, why not, at a fixed date, publish each party's manifesto.

Finally, there should be one TV political question and answer session with the main party leaders, chaired by the likes of Paxman, Dimbleby
and Humphrys.

Change is certainly needed.


Community knows little about proposed retirement village


From: David Craggs, Sand-Le-Mere, Tunstall, East Yorkshire.

SO there was an opinion at the Labour Party Conference that David Miliband should be Gordon Brown's "heir apparent", was there?

Well, I for one don't share that view. When I watched him being interviewed, and during his conference speech, I saw little more than a sixth former giving a talk to the school debating society (Yorkshire Post, September 23).

And I cannot see him improving with age. Regarding his comment that he did not want to do a "Heseltine", I hope he wasn't in any way comparing himself with, debatably, the greatest post-war Prime Minister that this country never had.

So who do I see as a future leader of the Labour Party and possibly a future Prime Minister? My dark horse is Hilary Benn. He undoubtedly has the right pedigree, impresses me every time I see him interviewed and isn't at the moment interested in pushing himself forward, preferring instead to quietly get on with the job in hand. Just watch this space – but not just yet. There's no vacancy and there won't be for some time.

Unwanted changes

From: Samantha Lloyd-Jeffries, Water Royd Crescent, Mirfield,
West Yorkshire.

MY sons have come home from school with a booklet about the proposed changes to secondary schooling in Mirfield. On reading it, I am very concerned and unhappy about my children's future schooling here and the future of our little town.

Mirfield has always been proud and well-known for its good schooling. Castle Hall, where I was intending to send my two boys, is one of the
top performers in Kirklees so why I ask is there a need to change this?

I, and many other Mirfield parents, are very, very concerned about this. I do not think it is a good move for the people of Mirfield; in fact, it's very worrying for the future of our little town.

Closing an excellent school and extending the other is
not the answer. Big is not better; in fact, quite the opposite.
It has been proven that children learn better in a smaller environment.

Mirfield children thrive in our schools and we do not want or need change. Bringing in more pupils from outside Mirfield will create problems.

I have lived in Mirfield all my life and I know things change but I find it sad that what used to be such a peaceful, pleasant place to
live is so rapidly changing for all the wrong reasons.

Condemned to gridlock

From: Paul Whitaker, Apperley Lane, Rawdon, Leeds.

SITTING comfortably on the ferry returning from a brief business trip to the Isle of Man last week, I was brought back to reality with the thought that I would be landing in Liverpool smack in the middle of the
rush hour.

And, as I left the boat at 5.25pm, sure enough everyone was heading for home.

So how long did it take me to get to the M62 from the docks? Not quite half-an-hour.

Because Liverpool's definition of the rush hour is exactly that. In fact, I was moving so fast along multi-lane roads with synchronised traffic light direction I didn't think to check the exact distance – but it's a fair way out from the centre and out along their ring road.

No bus lanes, no cycle lanes, no pedestrians-walking-their-dog lanes. And one roundabout that held me up for, oh, a good three minutes.

Cut to last Wednesday as my London-Leeds train glided into City Station bang on time at 6.25p.m.

And the time from there to my Rawdon home, a journey which is the same distance from the ferry at Liverpool to the motorway?

One hour, 10 minutes.

When is someone going to stand up and tell us why Leeds seems to be permanently gridlocked and what, precisely, they intend to do about it?

Or are they going to do nothing, as usual, until companies – in our increasingly frenetic business arena – simply pack up and leave?