THE Government has published plans for a temporary Commons Chamber to house our MPs during the £4 billion refurbishment of the Houses of Parliament.

The existing House of Commons is fake Gothic, designed for two parties to face off two swords lengths apart. But it was built only 150 years ago: long after anyone carried swords. We’re lucky the parking isn’t restricted to chariots. It seats 450 although we elect 650 MPs; nearly a third cannot sit down.

In last week’s elections only 56 per cent of votes went to Labour or Conservative; the two party system is a dead duck.

The Houses of Parliament waste a fortune in public money.

Lacking double-glazing and thermal insulation, with archaic heating systems and no renewable energy generation, the energy waste is breathtaking.

Happy to lecture others, MPs refuse to lead by example.

What does the new temporary chamber look like, you ask?

They want a £1.4 billion replica of the fake Gothic chamber! So they can carry on playing musical chairs and carrying invisible swords.

By what right are MPs seeking to keep our democracy in the 19th century instead of building a modern parliament fit for our time?

No wonder we’re in a mess.

Christian Vassie,

Blake Court,

Wheldrake, York

Many councillors lost seats due to Brexit

IT is unfortunate that local government is so associated with national affairs: local councillors with relevant life experience, local knowledge, interests and responsibilities are tied to national politicians who generally have little experience or interests outside politics.

In the recent local elections a lot of perfectly competent councillors lost their seats as a result of the mess their national colleagues have made of Brexit.

Formerly a Conservative, when I ran out of Independents I gritted my teeth and chose a Lib Dem.

I sincerely hope that I have not voted for members of York for Europe who appear to believe that the money that York receives from Brussels is actually created there.

It is, of course, our own tax money returned after paying the salaries and pensions of 40,000 to 50,000 bureaucrats and the pet schemes of Euro politicians better at playing the system than ours.

A V Martin,

Westfield Close,

Wigginton, York

Another two-day week for our MPs

I HAVE just seen a snippet of news about the parliamentary debates on the Thursday after the May Day holiday.

There were only about 40 MPs in the chamber: so that’s another two-day week for the vast majority. Yet the House of Lords was full, maybe because of the lucrative £305 daily attendance allowance?

I wonder whether, if there was a Thursday debate on a proposal to pay MPs their salary on an attendance basis only, it would be standing room only in the chamber?

Geoff Robb,

Hunters Close,

Dunnington, York

Independence would ruin Scots’ economy

Theresa May has an obvious affinity with the weather forecast. Showery, lacking warmth, creates high pressure, occasionally frosty and recklessly ignores rising temperatures, with long periods of gloom and cloudy horizons. Sunny periods are a forlorn hope.

SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon, in her pursuit of Scottish Independence plus membership of the EU, is comparable with Theresa May - she openly deludes her electorate. Were Scotland to become ‘independent’ millions of pounds of subsidy from England would cease. Overnight they would become a financial basket case.

When applying to join the EU, even Brussels is not daft enough to accept a new member as near to bankruptcy as existing members Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France.

Peter Rickaby,

West Park,

Selby