GEORGE Osborne and Mark Harper between them have effectively disenfranchised me because you can't vote for someone you don't trust.

Osborne with his granny tax has hit thousands of pensioners like me by stopping the inflation increase on our tax allowance. I know we are getting a reasonable increase in the state pension next month (after years of low increases) but many have scrimped and saved for years to provide a little extra for our retirement but have had ludicrous interest ever since the base rate dropped to .5 per cent.

Harper is another who is not up front. I wrote to him a couple of weeks ago and asked where he stood on the 'gay marriage' question. I did not state what my own views are so he had only a 50-50 chance of coming up with the right answer. He has not bothered to reply so cutting out the risk of getting it wrong.

In over 60 years I always pick an independent at local elections as I feel party politics have no place there. However, in national elections I have voted Conservative. I don't trust Labour with money – I have memories of 22 per cent inflation during one of their spells in office – and the Lib Dems are too inclined to accept everything which comes out of Europe for my liking. This leaves UKIP and what chance do they really have ? As I said, I am effectively disenfranchised.

– B.C. Baker, Allastone Road, Lydney.