Letter: Labour vote

In what is perhaps the oldest democracy how can it be right that the Labour leadership election can allow those who are eligible to vote up to a maximum of something like seven votes each? Most can muster around four each through membership of affiliated organisations. How can that be fair or remotely acceptable to the hierarchy of the Labour Party today?

After removing the union block vote in 1993 - which gave a vote to each union member before that union went for one candidate, though they still did have a second Labour Party membership vote - I would have thought anything other than one man one vote would simply not be allowable or legal these days. How can we criticise other "democracies" when we have such a flawed system operating in one of our own major and potential government-forming parties?

John Maclean

Main Road

Dirleton, East Lothian