letter to the editor from Richard Corbett MEP |
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24 January 2008 |
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The Independent |
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Dear Editor, Alex Folkes is wrong to say that in European elections "the parties pick who is elected" (letter, 22 January). Parties propose candidates, as in all elections, and the electorate decides. The only difference is that parties must put up a team of several candidates instead of a team of one, as they do for Westminster constituencies. They must also put them in a ranking order, so the electorate can see in advance which members of their team will be elected if they win one, two, or three seats. Being first on the list for a major party is akin to being candidate in a "safe" seat for Westminster, but that is the only sense in which parties, in both systems, can "choose" who will be elected, subject to confirmation by voters. Yours, Richard Corbett Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
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