Sir, – Much has been spoken about before the general election in the United Kingdom about the democratic voice of its people, but if anything is clearly exposed in these elections is how undemocratic the elections in the UK are!
The Green Party secured a million votes, approximately 4 per cent of the vote, yet they retain their only MP, Caroline Lucas. Ukip got over 12 per cent of the vote and only one MP. The Liberal Democrats secured around 8 per cent of the vote. Yet in total these three parties have less than a dozen seats on 20 per cent of the vote. This is not democracy as the Irish electorate knows it. Time for change! – Yours, etc,
PAUL DORAN,
Dublin 22.
A chara, – The United Kingdom is as far from united as it has ever been – a simple look at the results north and south of the English-Scottish border illustrates this. This result, coupled with the near-miss referendum on Scottish independence, makes Scotland’s secession look almost inevitable. Scotland will achieve what Ireland achieved almost 100 years earlier, using means not available to Ireland at the time.
But where does this leave Northern Ireland? Yes, there is a stronger sense of Northern Irish identity than previously but an independent Northern Ireland cannot be the answer to Northern Ireland’s problems; such a state would be economically too weak to survive alone.
The United Kingdom is changing and as Finchley becomes less British and more English, Northern Ireland’s future lies in becoming more Irish and less British. This is not a threat to those who see themselves as both British and Irish – this sense of identity must be accorded the respect and validity it deserves – but it is a call to these fellow Irishmen and women to recognise and embrace this Irish element of their identity and play an active role in shaping the united Ireland which will result from the impending dissolution of the United Kingdom. Time for Ulster to say Yes! – Is mise,
JONATHAN BLAKE,
Frankfurt, Germany.
Sir, – Shadow chancellor of the exchequer loses seat; shadow foreign secretary loses seat; party leader in Scotland loses seat. A Game of Thrones "Red Wedding" moment for Labour. – Yours, etc,
JOHN KENNEDY,
Dublin 14.
Sir,– Exit polls spoil a good night’s real-life drama! What could have been an entertaining night’s viewing was all over by 10pm when the exit poll gave away the result before the counting game even began. We didn’t even have serious competing polls for number nerds to quibble over because most TV organisations and polling companies ganged up to present a single mega-poll. Was anyone still watching by 4am? – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL ANDERSON,
Dublin 13.
Sir, – So it’s official; David Cameron is the first Conservative two nations prime minister. – Yours, etc,
DAVID CLARKE,
Edinburgh.
Sir, – It has become clear that the British people want a choice on Europe and the Scottish nationalists will use their gains as a platform for a second independence referendum.
The election story and in particular the fate of the Labour Party has yet again proved that opinion polls, while very important, can mislead us at times. The Conservative Party was grossly underestimated and this will dramatically change the way we look at polls in the future. The result will be watched very closely by us in Ireland as it could set trends that will likely be repeated at our own election next year. – Yours, etc,
CIAN BYRNE,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – Two weeks ago, I joined in the standing ovation at the end of a screening of the Russell Brand/Michael Winterbottom film The Emperor's New Clothes. Brand had made an articulate and principled argument against voting. I have never needed convincing that abstention is a vital part of the democratic process. But just days later Brand was damaged goods by holing himself below the waterline in allowing himself to be seduced by Miliband's folly in being the only major party leader to climb the stairs to his loft. By advocating we vote for Labour, Brand lost many fans like myself. But more importantly, such is the hatred Middle England has for him, he caused those still undecided to vote Tory in their droves. It woz Russell Brand wot did for Miliband.– Yours, etc,
DAI WOOSNAM,
Grimsby, England.
Sir, – Hello Tories, bye-bye EU? – Yours, etc,
PATRICIA O’RIORDAN,
Dublin 8.
Sir, – Yet another unrepresentative House of Commons, with Greens also under-represented and Conservatives, Labour and SNP over-represented. No wonder the United Kingdom is in crisis mode. Is it not time for the British to invest in democracy? – Yours, etc,
Dr GERALD MORGAN,
Dublin 2.