I MUST admit I do rather like the concept of Red Jumbo.

However like most others I feel that spending money on such frippery that is so needed elsewhere is a rather arrogant idea.

So what can we do to make ourselves heard?

This week some 40,000 of us (my estimate for convenience) will have our council tax demands, once again being asked to pay more for less.

Expenditure of £200,000 on Red Jumbo therefore equates to £5 each.

Why not deduct the £5 from your bill?

When Colchester Council comes asking for it simply write back and say that you would be pleased to pay if given an assurance the money goes to keeping our libraries open, the street lights on and the roads mended.

But this is not democracy, it's civil disobedience, even blackmail. Consider our local democracy.

Most attain office on something like a 35 per cent electoral turnout; 40 per cent is considered good, 50 per cent unheard of.

Most are elected therefore on a very small percentage of those enfranchised to vote.

Little wonder then that those elected quickly fall into the self belief that they know what is best for us and the expectation that we will endlessly fund their ideas be they good or bad.

Changing the dynamic to vote on an issue rather than an ideology, as in June 2016, has in itself caused problems of its own but the shockwaves from its result has served as a sting to the political establishment whatever the final outcome will be.

Enough, let us hope, to deny the trend that "however I vote will make no difference".

Our vote is really all we have.

We have sleepwalked into local democratic apathy and we have, therefore, what we voted for.

Locally Red Jumbo looms over it all.

David Butcher

Church Road, Copford Green