THOSE who attack the USA as an evil, imperialistic power need to observe the contrast in values between Eastern and Western Europe.

The countries of Eastern Europe know far more about imperialism than the arrogant, high-minded countries of Western Europe. These countries have suffered too long under communist domination.

Hence, they can see past shallow anti-Americanism and embrace those libertarian values of democracy, the free market and national self-determination.

These are the values that the Conservative Party stands for. While Mr Blair must be commended for moving his government towards a libertarian ideology, his government is still bound by Euro-socialist statism.

The tragedy for those Eastern European countries, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, is that they are too quickly signing away their hard-won freedoms over to the bureaucratic Brussels paper-curtain.

MATTHEW A CLARKE,

Hallow, Worcester.