I was a Labour activist for nearly 30 years – but I’ll be supporting the Lib Dems in the European elections

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After nearly 30 years as a Labour activist and the last few as a Labour councillor, I have with a heavy heart decided I will be voting for the Liberal Democrats in the European Elections on Thursday.

A study of the regional and national polls makes for grim reading and I find it impossible to see how voting Labour can stop Nigel Farage’s party winning two seats in the northeast.

The Labour Party’s vote is collapsing. Neither Leavers nor Remainers believe them. Party loyalty will only deliver them enough votes to come second. This means Labour can only win one seat and the third northeast seat will be a battle between Lib Dems and the Brexit Party.

I believe it is essential that we do not allow the Brexit Party to win a second seat in the region and allow it to misrepresent us in Europe.

The northeast is a great region full of wonderful people who deserve better than acolytes of Farage who will be just as lazy as he is in delivering what is best for the northeast. I am truly sorry for the current Labour MEPs who have served this region well but their party leadership has let them down badly. It has lost them votes that should have returned them comfortably.

If I am wrong – and I want to be – then Labour will come top and the battle for the third seat will be between Labour and the Lib Dems. To be honest, I would be happy with either Paul Brannen or Fiona Hall over any Brexit Party candidate.

I believe that only a vote for Liberal Democrats can stop the Brexit Party winning two seats in the northeast. As a lifelong Labour voter, this is hard to admit but the Labour leadership only has itself to blame for this. I am aware that many of my former Labour colleagues are joining me in voting tactically for the Liberal Democrats on Thursday. I urge fellow Remain-minded voters to unite in tactical support for the Lib Dems to stop Farage getting a second MEP in the northeast.

David Hardman
Address supplied

Remainers, stop quoting that figure

I am tired of Remainers claiming that the result of the EU referendum doesn’t count because “only” 37 per cent voted to leave. They were still a majority of those who voted. Those on the electoral roll who didn’t vote will have included some who had died since registering, but also many who didn’t know or care or were happy to leave the decision to others.

If voting results are legitimate only if the winning side gets more than 50 per cent of the total potential vote, then few MPs deserve their seats.

And I have not heard any proponents of a second referendum apply the same “logic” and accept that to be binding any decision would need to be backed by 50 per cent or more of the total electorate.

Michael Clarke
Portishead, Somerset

Why we heart BoJo

I agree that Boris has a lot of negatives. But Boris Johnson is the nearest thing the Tory party has to a Farage, and he’ll deliver Brexit, so, for now, we love him.

Roger Salt
Address supplied

How does Boris Johnson sleep at night?

I do worry how Boris Johnson is sleeping these days. He must wake up in a cold sweat because of the tight corner in which he finds himself.

His adoring Tory member supporters expect him to lead them to the promised land of a no-deal Brexit. He knows, inter alia, that this would be an economic disaster.

He knows that parliament has voted down a no-deal Brexit. He knows that his premiership or no deal will split his party and that will be his legacy. He knows negotiating a limited Canada-style trade deal with the EU will be difficult and protracted.

Perhaps it’s time for a pros and cons list for “Do I” versus “Don’t I”. Might it be better to forgo this great opportunity again, to spend more time with the family?

Maurizio Moore
Brentwood, Essex

Food waste is a growing scandal

It is a really scandalous situation that so much food is allowed to go to waste. We could feed thousands of hungry men, women and children instead of sending food down the drain. Not only is it a waste of resources, but also money. The problem lies in overstocking of food and failure to consume produce by their sell by dates. Fruits and vegetables have the highest wastage rates of any food – with roots and tubers not far behind.

In the UK alone, 8.4 million people in the UK struggle to afford a meal, according to the UN’s FAO – despite the UK wasting billions through food waste every year, according to food waste charity Wrap.

It estimates that 1.9 million tons of food is wasted by the food industry every year in the UK alone and claims that at least 400,000 tons of this could be redistributed to those in need.

Food waste also has an environmental impact (primarily in the form of greenhouse gas emissions and water use) and links with social issues such as food poverty.

To tackle this problem we need to put in place food management and recycling of food. To plan and store to avoid waste, recycle food waste, use it for composting, make fermented foods with leftovers and connect with food banks using these new apps, to save food that otherwise goes to waste.

Baldev Sharma
Harrow

The Brexit delay

Here’s a joke doing the rounds in India:

Why is everyone so surprised that Brexit is taking forever? The British have always had a hard time leaving other people’s countries alone.

It’s karma.

David Rose
Sutton Coldfield