AS the dust settles after the General Election, I feel there were only two people who stood for real democracy in Redditch - myself and George Flynn.

The mainstream parties lost a significant number of votes.

Liberal Democrat Mike Ashall with 3,808 could not hold up what his predecessor in 1997 polled, which was 4,935

Conservative Karen Lumley with 14,415 could not get what her predecessor, Anthea McIntyre, got in 1997 - 16,155.

And Jacqui Smith has significantly lost votes from four years ago, from 22,280 to 16,899.

This is not a true reflection of the whole town she is supposedly said to represent.

If a ward like Winyates has about 5,000 votes, it looks like Jacqui only represents three wards.

How can she possibly hold her head up, representing the equivalent of three wards?

Real democracy is not first past the post.

My Green Party votes were not much different from the Euro Election votes - and they were real votes - not a load of postal/proxy or "granny farming" votes.

Some people in authority and position asked me: "Do you possibly think you can win?"

But, as one councillor put it, it's not about winning, it's about what you're standing for.

Some of us are standing for truth and democracy, not lies, deceit and sleaze that the mainstream parties know all about.

The mainstream parties will carry on losing votes as people see the light.

Then, when they have taken off their rose-coloured glasses, they will vote for truth and real democracy.

Proportional representation is on its way - it's only a matter of time before it comes.

If people really want a world their children can grow up in, where they don't end up dying of cancer etc because the mainstream parties have ignored the warnings of global warming, where there isn't flooding across the country and people's health suffering, they must stop voting red and blue.

Past governments have proved they are only half-hearted about green issues because they're frightened of big businesses and multinational companies/corporations, the real people in power.

The cost will be heavy before people realise.

Richard K Armstrong

Redditch Green Party

Linton Close

Winyates