MIDWEEK made much jest of the number of Labour county councillors but 13,0280 residents of High Wycombe still put their faith in Labour. This is still a big voice and cannot be forgotten about or steamrollered.

Many more naturally Labour voters felt, as many of us do, horrified by the Iraq war and withheld their support from Labour this time. They were repaid with four more years of an ineffective, makeweight Conservative MP. If just 7,052 voters had decided not to vote Liberal Democrat and vote Labour, Wycombe would have had its first Labour MP since 1950.

It is an unfortunate quirk of our voting system that in this constituency, because Labour is in second place, voting Liberal Democrat for a change and giving them a chance only results in voting for the Conservatives.

Stranger still by kicking the Labour Government, the voters strengthened the Conservative grip on the county council. Tragically this further entrenched the Conservative members of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee who failed to refer the hospital closures to Dr John Reid.

Marlow is now cast off from the Wycombe constituency to join the shores of a bluer constituency. Bill Purdie might reflect that after a lifelong devotion to Labour his last-minute switch may have denied Marlow its best chance of having a Labour MP.

As we move into 2010 and the next election, and the 60th anniversary of the last non-Conservative MP for Wycombe I would encourage those 7,052 voters to take the next step and join the Labour Party.

Kiern Moran (Labour county council candidate) Naphill