The ghost that haunts the pending election is the ghost of 1983. As Martin Kettle avers (Journal, 26 September), with the opposition deeply split, our antediluvian electoral system could easily lead to an extreme rightwing Tory victory, with devastating consequences. In 1983 Thatcher won 42% of the vote, while Labour and the Alliance jointly won 53%, and the rest is history. The 1983 election was not lost by the longest suicide note in history but by a split opposition. All those opposed to this increasingly undemocratic and autocratic Tory party need urgently to come together, set aside petty differences, replace the present incumbent and arrange a binding second referendum prior to calling a general election, preferably after legislating for a proportional electoral system. That could be our last defence against the very real threat of an overweening executive.
Roy Boffy
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
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