SIR - Pub conversation conversation turned to quantum physics. The quantum theory was simplified for me in the form of the Copenhagen interpretation versus Schrödinger’s Cat’ explanation.

The Copenhagen reading states that an object in a physical system can simultaneously exist in all possible configurations, but observing this system forces the system to collapse into just one of those possible states and that object just becomes one.        

Schrodinger disagreed and said this was wholly impossible with large objects and his example was that we were to imagine a cat in a sealed box. Also in the box was some poison.

Now this poison can only be activated if the box is broken open and once this activation had taken place the cat would be dead.

However, until someone actually opened up the box and observed the system, it was impossible to predict the cat’s demise or existence or whether the cat and the poison had collapsed into one configuration and existed as one or being both dead and alive.

This just further blew my mind so I tried to further simplify and added this to the conversation. If our main political parties were all in that big house in the smoke and they all had different European views but they were all the same views and interests. i.e. the main political parties and its MPs wanted to stay in Europe despite the vote or will of democracy, then they would all eventually become one party.  Perhaps they already have.

All of us outside the box (that big house) would not be able see this evolution occurring until a European or general election lifted the lid to expose the almost zombie-state of our MP s and whether they are dead or alive or become one.

The recent European elections have undoubtedly given us an insight that we as voters view our individual parties as becoming one and I wonder are we entering a new political era of ‘quantum politics’?         

Cliff Slade

Tenbury Wells