JOHN Bladen exposed the farce of postal voting by telling us that more than 10,000 votes were cast in this way at the recent by-election in Wythenshawe and Sale East. (SAM March 20).

A few weeks ago, top judge Richard Mawrey, who sits in judgement on election fraud cases, warned that Britain's electoral system is vulnerable to 'industrial scale' fraud and said postal voting should be scapped.

Judge Mawrey presided over a notorious ballot-rigging case in Birmingham 10 years ago which he said would 'disgrace a banana republic'.

What concerns me, apart from the vote rigging, is the expense involved.

First we have printing costs, two stamps, one to send the voters their ballot paper and a reply paid envelope.

Using second class post this would cost £1 at least for each voter.

So those idle people who couldn't be bothered to get off their couches cost more than £10,000 but, I ask, who pays for this?

Is it council tax payers? Why should those fit enough to walk to the polling station be mollycoddled at great expense to the public purse?

If political parties had to pay for these postal voters it would soon be scrapped, so come on you politicians, why should WE council taxpayers subsidise your votes?

Except for those ill or away on business I say scrap the rip-off postal vote system now.

After all if people in Africa can queue for hours, sometimes days, to cast their vote why can't we?

James Byrnes, Altrincham