IT is most heartening to see democracy developing in Iraq with a large turn-out for the election.

How shameful that many of us here can't even bother to vote - even without death threats.

One therefore wonders why Mr Blair, who has put so much personal effort, huge amounts of our money and many of our soldiers precious lives into getting this democracy for Iraq, should be so enthusiastically giving away our own democracy to Brussels?

What is the man playing at?

You do not sign your country away to foreign rule, to preserve "home rule" and democracy. This is blatant "double-standards".

It is just on 60 years (and 25 years before that) we fought two very large "world" wars - solely for just that same purpose - to keep our democracy and freedom.

Has Mr Blair forgotten all this, or has he "lost the plot"?

I wonder if he lost any relatives in either of the world wars? I was lucky and didn't, but was old enough to understand the terrible suffering involved, when family members, women as well as men, were listed "missing in action", never to return.

I truly fear we may again have to literally fight our way out of the European Union, if the Government doesn't perform some fairly quick U-turns and tear up some recent silly agreements.

Stanley D. Parr,

Pershore.