Letter: Local elections: only a period of re-evaluation in the wilderness can save the Conservatives

Sir: Raymond Burgess (letter, 5 May) denigrates those of us who are 'too lazy or apathetic to walk down the road to their polling station' by comparing us to the millions of South Africans who queued for days to vote.

Undoubtedly the South African voters queued and voted in such large numbers because they knew they could bring about change by doing so. As someone who has only ever been of voting age under Conservative Party rule and who finds it difficult to support any of the wretched bodies that call themselves political parties, I feel, at the age of 24, too cynical and wary of them all to vote at all. (After all, it doesn't matter who you vote for: the government always gets in.)

Yours faithfully,

STAN BLACKLEY

Edinburgh

5 May