ERIC Walker wrote he could not decipher whether I favoured AV or not. The proposed Alterative Vote is complicated. Proportional representation would have been a popular option, although my view is the political elite governing the UK needs urgent reform.

Much of the UK's decline is linked to socialism, as the socialist agenda began with the 1945 election when Labour won a landslide victory. Elements within the civil service at that time were recruited from intellectuals' biased toward the communist philosophy, enabling a Marxist ideology to engrain parliamentary decision making for decades to come.

Socialist creeds are to blame for reducing the UK to a near-bankrupt satellite state of the bureaucratic EU. The gigantic public sector is the product of left-wing mind-sets with no consideration for finance or taxpayers.

The private sector will soon be ruined, through paying taxes to fund the state's huge wage and pension obligations. Armies of worthless quangos are responsible for wrecking commerce by drafting a plethora of crackpot diktats.

International socialists promoted globalisation and the free movement of labour, which flooded the UK with cheap imports and mass immigration, sounding the death knell for the England we once knew and loved.

Voter apathy is systemic, as "majority vote" allows political parties to have safe parliamentary seats, resulting in candidates being re-elected infinitum.

Constituents regularly crave change, but they remain apathetic, convinced their votes will not count! What really happens is their votes fail to displace the sitting MP.

MPs long for deeper integration with Europe, pledge billions for foreign aid and getting Africa out of poverty. The vast majority do not support those contentious policies.

Voting for AV should make our parliamentarians less autocratic and concentrate their minds on pleasing the citizens that elected them.

NIGEL J STARBUCK

Carnarvon Close

Bingham

I WISH to respond to the letters of Beth Jinks ("Claimants at a disadvantage", Your Views, April 2) and of D P Mace ("Claimants the usual winners", March 25). I do so from the viewpoint of a claimant, rather than solicitors in the case of Beth Jinks and defendants in D P Mace's case.

My injury occurred on a Nottingham City Transport bus on Christmas Eve 2007, when I was thrown about after the bus started off with a sudden jerk before I could reach a seat.

Although badly shaken by what happened, and feeling some pain, I did not report it immediately. I tried to do so some three days later but was thwarted by NCT's offices being closed for the Christmas period. It was eventually reported some weeks later when I fully realised the extent of the injury, a ruptured bicep tendon in my right arm.

I was able to prove what bus this had happened on and the bus company accepted this to be the case. They did not, however, accept any responsibility. My efforts to act for myself were failing badly and, through time, I had to appoint a solicitor.

NCT do not have independent insurers, but are a large enough organisation to be accepted as providing their own insurance. I suspect that from a claimant's viewpoint this makes the situation even more difficult. That is certainly how I found it, even though I had two independent witnesses.

It meant that in the end I had to obtain a solicitor, have a very costly independent medical examination, seek additional advice from a barrister because of the defence that NCT's solicitors put forward, pay for other medical reports from NHS sources and run up a bill of some £2,300.

It took two and a half years before an offer of compensation was made to me, by which time I was suffering from a serious illness. The pain will still be there, some times worse than others, for the rest of my life, and it is correct that money does not take this away.

With driver care the accident that caused my injury should not happen, but I am pleased to say that several people have reported to me that, because of what I would describe as the partial success of my claim and the publicity it received, more drivers seem to be taking greater care. I certainly hope so for the sake of all bus travellers.

I also have every sympathy with those who seek the help of "no win, no fee" lawyers who provide a valuable service for those in society who cannot afford to fund their own claims.

ROBERT F PATTISON

Gateford Close

Bramcote

I FEEL sad that two of our churches in Clifton – the Holy Trinity and St Francis – are to be pulled down. Another church may be built on one of the sites and houses on the other site.

The people of Clifton helped build St Francis by buying bricks. They just cannot afford to be kept open, so few people now attend.

Hearing about the large amount of money put in to save the D H Lawrence home in Eastwood inspired me to write this letter. Nothing seems able to be done to save our churches.

MRS J TAINTON

Manesty Crescent

Clifton

SEBASTIAN Soar is wrong to condemn the police commander for using the term "mindless yobs" to describe the behaviour by some of the individuals involved in the recent march against Government cuts ("Intellectual yobs driven by anger", March 30).

He must be aware that many peaceful marches are infiltrated by unscrupulous factions whose agenda differs from the mainstream purpose of the march.

If Sebastian Soar truly believes that those involved in such behaviour "were the most intellectual and intelligent amongst us who attended the finest academic institutions this country has to offer", then the authorities need to look seriously at the subject matters being taught at our colleges and universities.

On reflection, I suppose we should be thankful they were not the "mindless yobs" the police commander referred too.

M BAMFORD

Grange Close

Lambley

NOT very distinguished, our being bottom of the level two league table for 19-year-olds ("City's exams result shame may hit jobs", Post, April 7).

Councillor Graham Chapman tries to put a gloss on it, saying there have been big improvements over the last few years. But the fact remains we are still bottom. City economic director John Yarham has a go too, saying the council is now more closely involved in getting post-16 placements. But we have not moved up the league at all.

I suspect that Professor Roger Murphy is likely nearer to the truth: poor academic performance results from deprivation. Even our smoking and teenage pregnancy rates are among the highest in the UK. We all know the Broxtowes, the Cliftons, the Bulwells, the Bestwoods etc. Why can other cities get on top of this while we do not? Our academic results suggest we are merely adding to the pool of the ill-equipped.

PATRICK K DONOHOE

Main Road

Gedling

I WOULD like to congratulate Robert Massey on his letter ("Sport of kings is a cruel spectacle", April 5).

A racehorse is half a ton of highly trained muscle controlled by a brain the size of a hen's egg. It has been bred and inter bred purely to win races helped by jockeys to guide them round corners and thrash them with whips to keep them in a straight line and run to their maximum speed.

In its natural state a horse will eat when it's hungry, drink when it's thirsty and run when frightened, usually in a straight line. It is not very well balanced and is a timid, placid, grazing animal. A horse will go round an obstacle rather than jump over it.

A lot of us would like to know what happens to racehorses when they have outlived their usefulness or not made the grade. Will they end up like Grand National winner Aldaniti? Neglected in a field suffering from rain scald, or perhaps on a French dinner table?

These horses are too highly strung and highly trained to do anything else but race, so what does happen to them at the end of their racing life?

P STAGWOOD

Winrow Gardens

Basford

I AGREE with David Tobias("Royal wedding a waste of time", April 9). I've only just got rid of my last tea towel from the 1982 sham and if Diana hadn't been on it I would have binned it many years ago. At least with William, we can presume there will only be two people involved in his marriage.. His father and Camilla were largely responsible for making a lovely young girl very unhappy. She was just used and then discarded when she'd served her purpose.

David asks "Can anyone see them (MPs) offer a referendum on the monarchy?". Well, I'm sure they wouldn't dare take the risk, for obvious reasons. How can we respect people like Charles and Camilla? And correct me if I'm wrong, but did the Queen only show respect for Diana's memory because the public demanded it?.As far as I'm concerned she had already shown her true feelings and attitude towards Diana, so her compulsory token gesture was worthless!

Anyway, with regard to William's wedding, I wish him and his wife all the best for the future. But we really don't need the completely obsessive media circus and hype, and neither do we need the over-the-top pomp and ceremony of another royal wedding, or the horrendous cost of it. Apart from entertaining people for a few hours on one day, it serves no useful purpose whatsoever..

A bit like the Royal family itself.

NEIL UNWIN

George Street

Hucknall

FOR the last few years Eric Goodyer has consistently said how good immigration is for the UK and its economy and if it had been controlled over the years I would agree with him. However, it all went wrong in 2004 when Tony Blair allowed unlimited immigration without considering housing, social, crime or health service problems which would follow.

If anybody at the time said anything about immigrants coming into the country and taking jobs and houses they were accused of racism and xenophobia.

Now, in 2011, various bodies and committees across all three main political parties are saying that too many immigrants have been allowed in and taken jobs that British people should be doing and have got accommodation that British people should have.

So where do you stand on that, Eric?

Once again you've been proved wrong.

BARRY MORRISON

Hanley Avenue

Bramcote