LAST week marked a century since women gained the right to vote.

It is rightly a cause for celebration.

However it should be noted that nearly a century later, 68 per cent of votes cast in the 2017 general election had no impact on the final result.

Against this backdrop, activists from Make Votes Matter and senior political figures such as Baroness Sal Brinton of the Liberal Democrats, Labour’s Stephen Kinnock and the Green Party’s Natalie Bennett took part in a 24-hunger strike to highlight the injustice.

Britain’s ‘first past the post’ electoral system has never made any sense to me, except to perpetuate the interests of people in the two main parties.

Because many voices are not heard, the consequences very often are policies that do not have majority support.

Plus, MPs and councillors are often elected as a result of uncompetitive elections in safe parliamentary constituencies and council wards, knowing that they are in effect more accountable to their local party’s branch, rather than the electorate.

A big well done from me to all who took part – the fight for a fairer democracy will be won.

ANDY WATSON Bewsey