[Margaret Pilkington]

Also, maybe apathy would be countered if the local and national politicians LISTENED........I mean, really listened to the views of the electorate...and once in a while acted on those views.

I'm also fairly sure that if there was a system of proportional representation then parliament would show the true voting power of the people.
The current government were NOT voted into power by the majority of people in this country. The number of parties dilutes their ability to be elected and make a difference in the political face of the country.

None of the major parties has a leader that can be trusted....and so there is a temptation to vote for a radical or extreme party in an attempt to register a 'protest' vote.....to draw away from the main political parties.