REFERENCE Dr Richard House’s robust reply to previous pro-Tory letter from Gordon Bennetti.

Both writers must be commended on holding firm views in support of their respective parties.

But they seem to have gone off on a tangent of minutia in expressing their opinions.

Both Conservatives and Labour increased their percentage and actual vote in last election.

Richard has forecast that Jeremy Corbyn will be our next PM.

However, there is an alternate opinion that the 2017 election could be Labour’s high point and they face decades of diminishing returns.

They did well this year in large part to a personality cult that surrounded Corbyn but will that increase of support disappear with Corbyn’s retirement as it has for Ukip and departure of Nigel Farage.

Another more worrying threat to Labour’s future is that its unexpected successes will allow hard left Marxist supporters to take over party forcing moderate left wing voters to support alternate parties.

Labour must also be concerned that they failed to win election against a Tory government that produced probably the most inept election campaign in history.

The Conservatives will almost surely up their game at next election whenever it comes.

Overall the youth votes increased, mostly to Labour.

However when young people join the real world of work, their idealistic opinions very often alter.

It would be surprising if Labour can hold on to them all.

This youth generation were incentivised to vote purely because of Brexit.

To the next youth generation Brexit will be a distant memory and voting less meaningful.

Labour were perhaps alone in getting their message across on social media but be sure other parties will have learnt lessons and respond accordingly.

As an aside I will remind Richard that for the past many years he claimed all the press and TV were right wing.

The BBC election coverage completely sunk that opinion with an overwhelming (five sevenths) support for left wing parties.

That will never be allowed to happen again in the future.

Stroud was about 40th in Labour’s hit list of constituencies they needed to reclaim for chance of government.

Two years ago SLP appeared to pump in a lot of money in support of Mr Drew with huge posters across the area.

This time it seemed a lot less high profile but more hard work by Labour activists.

In view of my comments above it will be interesting to contemplate whether he retains seat at next election.

Tom Newman

Stroud