I READ that more and more people are severely stressed and doctors are worried about the quantities of anti-depressants being consumed.

I've noticed in your letters columns that correspondents are now accusing each other of being members of a particular political party as a substitute for arguing rationally about things they believe in or disagree with.

Far too often, they label one another in a derogatory manner accusing them of exhibiting political traits.

The media is constantly propagandising in favour of one political party or another. Slurs are manufactured at will and magnified beyond reason.

We all do it and it's unpleasantly divisive.

Currently, there is a pronounced outbreak of dissatisfaction with our political system and all but one of the national political parties are arguing for reform to Proportional Representation.

This would mean that when we put a cross on a voting slip, it actually means something!

My theory is that until Westminster (and our badly performing autocratic West Dorset District Council) are obliged to fairly reflect the differing views of their electorates, nothing much will change.

Political parties will continue to put their party cronyism and futile search for absolute power before their duty to the country as a whole and we will be the worse for it.

Surely, it's better for us all to be satisfied 60 per cent of the time than 75 per cent of us dissatisfied all of the time?

We could relegate arguments to where they belong; in assemblies for that purpose, indulged in by representatives we pay to argue on our behalf?

We could then enjoy the peace and quiet and be more loving towards one another; enjoying life feeling safer instead of fighting among ourselves.

Mike Joslin Garfield Avenue Dorchester