Democracy

Press, 15 July 1982, Page 16

Democracy

Sir.—l wonder if Communist apologists like Susan Taylor (June 12) and M. Creel (June 13), can tell us why the Soviet football team’ playing in Spain did not have its band of flagwaving supporters there to help them along. After all every other country, including Poland allowed supporters to travel to Spain. Perhaps it has something to do with communist type democracy. — Yours, etc., A. R. WARD. July 13, 1982. Sir,—My dictionaries are Chambers and the Pocket Oxford. They do not mention rule by the majority. The Oxford says all citizens have equal political rights. This excludes Russia where power is vested in the Communist Party; about one tenth of the adult population. Here every citizen has a vote. Our last election' accurately reflected the country’s inability to make

up its mind between conflicting interests. Labour wanted to obtain office but with approximately 39 per cent of the vote it failed. National (39 per cent) hoped to maintain its representation in Parliament but failed. Social Credit (21 per cent) sought to hold the balance of power but failed. Under strict proportionate representation they would have done so but not necessarily with the single transferrable vote. We should not complain if our party does not achieve its objective but try harder next time. The result .was preferable to a 99 per cent one-party vote under a dictatorship, capitalist or communist.—Yours, etc., H. F. NEWMAN. July 11. 1982.

Sir,'—ln their attack on H. F. Newman, B. Roberts, L. J. Robinson and K. Fea all dedicate themselves to the fallacy that democracy requires a government supported by a majority of the people. The main advantage of democracy is that it permits changes of government without violence and bloodshed. No-one could argue successfully that majority rule is itself a good thing. The proportional representation which some countries have is a recipe for perpetual deadlock, a system which I. personally, fear and loathe. The kind of democracy which New Zealand and Britain have involves some risks, but it also makes it possible to hope, to hope that a government can be , elected with enough power to carry out radical and needed reforms. That happened in New Zealand in the 1890 s, it happened in 1935 and it will happen again if those who want to end our form of government can be defeated.—Yours, etc., MARK D. SADLER. July 12. 1982.

Sir,—ln support of the Communist countries Susan Taylor (July 13) says “The current Soviet Union five-year plan was publicly debated." Sure it was but of what significance? The Communist Party may allow the public inside the courtyard but what is discussed inside the Kremlin Citadel is the real issue. Susan Taylor would have to be a fly on the wall to know that. Some time ago Aleksandr Solzenitsyn, the Russian Nobel Prize winner, gave a warning to a passive world, and said in one of his speeches, “Awake! I have been in the red burning belly of the dragon. He was not able to digest me, he threw me up, I come to you as a witness to

what it was like there" — a reign of terror to millions of innocent people. The present fearsome super-Power . arms race build-up was originated on Russian soil after World War ll—Yours, etc., A. DELHANTY. July 13, 1982.