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Dear Sir,

Your columnist Mr. Larry Burchall has enjoyed much space to express his views on leadership. May I have a little to express mine?

First of all, Dr. Brown is less the problem than the "system".

The P.L.P. made much ado about "one man one vote, one vote of equal value". Then they turn around and give one individual all the power, even the power to tell other MPs what they can and cannot do - clearly our votes do not have equal value!

All MPs should have an equal right to take on a leadership role in the area of their interest or skill, depending on the approval of a majority of the other MPs.

Dr. Brown would still have had an opportunity to exercise leadership in areas of his many talents. The whole concept of a few in Cabinet, secrecy and the "whip" is absurd, undemocratic and corrupting - and no less so because it is done elsewhere!

We are responsible for some of our problems because we accepted a system simply because it exists elsewhere.

Mr. Burchall identified various MPs and their potential for leadership. All of them should have an equal opportunity to exercise that potential in their area of interest and skill.

Mr Burchall acknowledged the hope that many of us had because of Dr. Brown's obvious talents. But then we gave him absolute power and absolute power corrupts and it will corrupt any one of the others unless we change the system.

Eva N. Hodgson, Hamilton Parish[[In-content Ad]]

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