Letter: Why I didn't vote

Sir: As a politically concerned citizen who did not vote in Thursday's European elections, I reject the charge of apathy, and the interpretation put out by Labour's spin-doctors that the electorate were so contented with Labour's performance that they didn't bother to vote.

The abysmal turnout was an illustration of what happens when a party carries on with its own affairs and treats the electorate as an irrelevance. In the past six months, three events have convinced the public that the Labour party thinks it can ignore them.

Over the scandal of the corrupt European commissioners, the Socialists in the European Parliament first tried to save their skins, then, when the pressure became too great, insisted on their resignations. Those same commissioners are still at their posts, picking up large salaries and negotiating hefty pay-offs when they do finally leave.

There has been no official information campaign about European monetary union and the practicalities of the euro. We are promised a referendum, but not, of course, until the Government is sure it will get the result it wants.

Finally, the introduction, without any public consultation, of a PR voting system based on closed lists made many people feel that European politics is a game for politicians that the rest of us should keep our noses out of (until, of course, our vote is required).

COLIN JORDAN

London W4