This morning my voting card arrived for the mayoral election in May.

No candidates have bothered to come to my door, so I may not bother to vote. On January 24 I wrote to Secretary of State Sajid Javid, via my MP Ms Lucy Frazer, pointing out that the decision to have devolution and a mayor was taken on the basis of only 3,800-4,200 opinions out of over 800,000 souls.

Not one person I have asked knew anything about the proposed devolution, other than a local councillor.

Ms Fraser wrote and failed to address the point of my letter about the lack of democracy, she was more interested in the short term financial benefits.

I was appalled and put pressure on her office to ensure that my letter was passed to Mr Javid’s department. To date there has been no response. Many loathed Mrs Thatcher, but I say to them this: under her all letters I wrote to ministers and herself were always answered.

I am not so stupid as to think they actually did the responding, but at least they signed the letters. I got a law brought in under her government and a visit from the lady herself to my place of work.

That was democracy, but since Mr Tony Blair held office, it seems as if democracy has died.

They are paid by us to serve us, to listen to us and to remember the lives that were sacrificed and put on the line for democracy. That includes the police officer who lost his life protecting them last week.

D DONALD Via email