Well Su, your comments about failures in the mechanics of 'democracy' are really only a tiny part in what is really a confidence trick. For all we are really doing by the grace of our five yearly 'elections' is validating one of two virtually identical self interested groups of criminals.

My personal bitterness aside, whoever takes the reins has to an increasing extent got tyrannical power for those five years. That might seem a little melodramatic but it was quite evident that no amount of democracy was going to stop Blair taking us to war.

Now, it seems that even at a local level democracy is malfunctioning. The number of stories in the local media with photographs of councillors wearing gags is absurd. New laws set by precedent earlier this year have basically made it impossible for councillors who live within three miles to comment or even vote on an issue. The net result is that anybody who wishes to represent his/her local community might as well forget about it.

So, this is how it works locally. A planning application from a large corporation is made with a borough council, the local population overwhelmingly oppose the plans and the councillors reflect this by unanimously rejecting the application. The decision is then referred to the county council who also reject it. But then the office of John Prescott (he having been 'democratically elected') overrule the decision.

Oh! I forgot to mention that the Cheif Executive of the borough council, who facilitated the original application and organised a nice little junket to America for a number of councillors who during their stay managed a short visit to a similar facility, implimented a cost cutting programme in which he and several other executives were made redundant. The council which has always maintained a healthy balance of accounts found that the only way to cover the severance costs was to sell off three prime assets. And it won't be surprising to learn that the cheif executive is now in the employ of the company who made the planning application.