UK - Andove Advertiser letter

Democracy v tyranny in fluoride issue
THE fluoridation battle took an interesting turn when Hampshire Against Fluoridation took its 15,348 signatures from protesters to Westminster on 9 June.
They were joined by two more MPs, this time not because either objected to fluoridation, but because they value democracy more, believing that fluoridation should not be imposed on a public who clearly do not want it.
This is no longer a battle between dentists and the public, or between dentists and chemists, toxicologists, etc, it is also between democracy and tyranny.
If fluoridation is imposed on Hampshire, let us be quite clear who will be responsible. The 12 unelected members of the Strategic Health Authority; a Government who were elected by a very small number of the electorate, led by an unelected Prime Minister (who was voted in as an MP by the Scots, who have their own parliament now), and who are now distrusted and despised by the electorate, and a Minister for Health who, at the time of his appointment, was vice-president of
the British Fluoridation Society, a Government-funded propaganda organisation (not listed in the Register of Members' Interests), whose Early Day Motion contributed to the SHA's present powers, and who has described fluoride opponents as "the flat earth society"!
Since it was suggested to him that he might be seen as in a position of conflict of interest, he agreed to resign from the BFS, on last reports.
The Chief Dental Officer has said that the beauty of fluoridation is that it requires no coercion. How else could the enforcement-of fluoridation over majority public opinions be described?
So, democracy or tyranny? You are the voters. It will be your money. At the next election you will be able to show if the Government's contempt for you (except as a provider of John Lewis comforts, of course) is equalled by yours for them.
Vote for those who put democracy first.
Margaret Reichlin,
MacCallum Road,
Upper Enham.