The debasement of the truth as a commodity in political discourse and commentary is eroding our freedom and our capacity to make rational decisions as citizen voters.

A Prime Minister who asked for our trust has just taken us to war. Some of us believed him, even if only just. His key point was that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, and these could be deployed at short notice. It now appears the PM overstated his case on the interpretation of secret intelligence.

As a rational man, I must conclude that either the PM was deluding himself or he set out to delude me. If Blair was kidding himself, my country has been taken to war by mistake or misjudgement, and I need to know why?

In domestic matters, my position as an intelligent citizen-voter is just as bad.

Spin doctors and the press are locked in a cycle of deliberate obfuscation. Alastair Campbell is just another exponent, but nothing he says commands my belief any longer. I can no longer vote for the party that values him.

My perception of political events is so distorted by the spin doctor/press machine that I am largely unable to form any judgement of events based on unimpeachable 'facts'.

The current spin about 'delivery' is a case in point. I know I'm being mugged.

So then, I don't believe what the PM and his ministers actually say, I don't believe what their press opponents report them as having said, and I don't believe that Her Majesty's Opposition would behave any differently in office.

A political/press nexus that values manipulation over rational debate, to win votes and sell papers, has steadily debased the one little power I have - to exercise my vote intelligently.

Is there any incentive for politicians to change their behaviour? If not, I doubt we will be properly able to call ourselves a democracy much longer.

Phil Probert, Harbour Drive, Colwall.