WITH the recent elections behind us it is again apparent that more and more people simply don’t involve themselves in the democratic process – ie, they do not vote.

Indeed, during TV coverage of the elections, a young woman was asked her voting intentions and the proud response was that she “never voted”.

Yet a century ago the country was in the middle of the suffragette campaign which had the aim of gaining the vote for women. Many of the suffragettes were imprisoned for their actions and while inside prison they were then subjected to the humiliating procedure of force-feeding. In some cases, many, many times.

While there can be no doubt that the suffragettes suffered for their cause, it looks from the perspective of 2009 that they may have suffered in vain.

Of course, they could not have anticipated the meltdown in prestige applying to both the House of Commons and its inmates during recent times.

This means that for many, voting has changed from a right to a chore which can be easily put aside.

Martin Birtle, Billingham.