14 AUGUST 1971, Page 22

Vote-shifters

Sir: Is the great British public fooled by the union's comic charade of card voting? Last week, Mr Clive Jenkins said, "The miners, the post office workers and the transport staff alone would have shifted 545,000 votes from one column to another thus more than reversing the majority. But they did not."

Half a million people do not really change their allegiance when their elected representative holds up a card. No doubt there is some purpose in letting some union representatives be more equal than others. But MPs have to make do with only one vote. What then are the rules of the political game? Beverley J. Pyke, ARIBA 43 Ship Street, Brighton, Sussex,