Madam, – Following Brian Cowen’s refusal to set down a date for any of the byelections, I think this issue raises a broader matter of byelections.
Given that byelections are currently held at a time convenient for the ruling party and therefore the constituency concerned is at the mercy of the integrity of the government, would it be wiser to have a certain time limit for which byelections should be held following a vacation of a seat? This would solve several problems. First, it would ensure that the constituency is fully represented as soon as possible after the seat becomes available and secondly, would reduce gerrymandering and anti-democratic acts such as refusing to hold a byelection or delaying one due to potential losses. – Yours, etc,