HAD I been asked a few years ago if I supported or was opposed to the principle of fracking, I may have said I was a bit on the fence.

I did however recognise that a common theme of objections to fracking proposals was local residents.

What is happening in Lancashire could also happen in Cheshire.

A proposed development in Ellesmere Port has been rejected by residents and the council.

Yet the company involved at Ellesmere Port has been able to launch an appeal to force a public enquiry in January 2019.

So with Fracking clearly not supported by the majority of voters, why are the fracking operating companies not being sent packing?

It isn’t just because the current Conservative Government at Westminster is supportive of fracking, but ultimately because the UK conducts its elections by the First Past The Post (FPTP) electoral system.

FPTP exaggerates the support of the winning party, thus creates false majority governments.

On the whole, countries and devolved areas of the UK like Scotland and Wales which use systems of proportional representation (PR) tend not to permit fracking.

This is in part because the political culture is transformed into one of consensus, rather than the tribal winner takes all culture of FPTP.

ANDY WATSON

Bewsey