STROUD has always been a Conservative town/constituency – each election since the 1940s has been a Conservative victory if there is a high enough turnout.

It is only when the electorate do not get out and vote that the Labour party manage to scrape in (check for yourself online Google/Wikipedia, no fake facts here).

To read the letters page you would think most voters in our district were either Green or Labour.

It is only every so often we can afford to vote Labour, then when the economy is in tatters, all the older wiser voters turn out and turf them out of office.

I have been interested to read the sometimes rants of political activists in this paper and have to wonder what their particular agenda is. In times past I would not know who they are or what their political affiliations would be, they hide behind the impression that they are just Joe Public (Josephine for the feminists).

Now in an age of social media I find myself putting their names into Google and finding that they are a present or expired local councillor or have put themselves forward and failed to get elected.

This always puts their views into perspective and it would be good for them to include their past affiliations at the start of the letter (or here in the middle when I tell you I have never belonged to any political party or pressure group). I am in fact Gordon Public.

Although I have been a guest in your country for many years I have been confused by arguments that start with a letter and a political view that although I may not agree with, it is still someone’s thought-out opinion (well at least thought-out enough to sit and write a letter) and in the next issue there is an opposing letter that not only has a different view but seems to want to make it personal and rubbish the author of the last letter criticising him or her (but usually him) by name.

This is foreign to me even though I am foreign, as if you feel strongly enough about something to write to a newspaper then it is up to the readers to decide if they agree or not.

When I have read letters going back and forth getting more and more personal, mentioning the letter writers by name and trying to convince me that their opinions are not valid, then they both loose the argument.

I would ask that if in future you write to the SNJ and you are a past, present or failed politician or political activist, then you let the readers know before you start your rant so we can put your argument into context and not have to Google after reading.

If you have been, thank you for reading.

Gordon Bennetti

Rodborough