IT IS with interest that I have just returned from exercising my democratic right (within the Christmas panic) to vote in the election of a new town councillor for Lydney and the weird sad soul that I am I was thinking about the number of other people who didn't vote.

It certainly appears that in recent years the number of residents voting, at any form of election, is decreasing significantly. Is this from apathy or for other reasons? Do people actually want a town, district and county council, or should all decisions be made by mandarins within Whitehall, London?

If the recent voting trends are anything to go by, over 50 per cent of the country are not bothered about who represents them and what they undertake in their name once elected.

However, there seems to be an even more important question which needs to be asked first. How many residents within Lydney knew about the election?

During the week of the election the atmosphere reached fever pitch and all thought of Christmas was ignored (Christmas 2002 to 2010 actually from recent advertising received for hampers etc, together with the savings plans put into place for the next nine Christmas's due to my daughter now realising the commercial aspects!)

I gratefully received a communication from one of the candidates, the other may or may not have been bothered, outlining when the election would take place, their interests and priorities. I however, received no poll card informing me of the date, time and place of voting.

Luckily I received the Review on the evening of December 12 and saw the public notice.

The public notice was very informative if you could remember your Register of Electors number, not something I retain personally unfortunately; am I OM, ON or OO area? Not a good start really, although I could have rung the District Council to enquire or made a journey to town to inspect the Register of Electors.

I took the risk of remembering where I voted last time and hoped I was right.

Others may not have been so daring! (I still have in my mind hoards of people descending on the three polling stations asking do I vote here?, then reality strikes and the peaceful environs of Lydney return to normal in the pre-Christmas free for all).

Democracy – is it dead or alive in Lydney or even the rest of the country? I don't know. To me personally it is, although would turkeys actually vote for Christmas if they were allowed!

I'll let you decide as only you, the reader, can answer that question. I would however certainly not have a referendum on the question because only the committed few would vote and you may not be lucky enough to be informed about it anyway and find out only by accident.

Anyway now that the election is over, back to the more important decisions – which relations do we impose ourselves upon this year for Christmas? And can I successfully (neatly) wrap all the presents this year and send them to the right people? (The heavy metal album should not have been sent to Granny). – Outsider, Lydney.