SIR At a time when Charles Kennedy is being strong-armed out of office by our American controlled national media for standing against the Iraq war, let's face some facts about our independent 'democracy' in Britain. It's dead.

As Blair's American capitalist puppet regime is increasingly ridiculed in Europe and across the globe, we are saddled with international agreements (like EU enlargement) which we can't afford.

All this is because Blair's American bosses want control of the territory and resources of Eastern Europe and Turkey. Meanwhile, we pick up the tab and try to provide homes, education and health care for millions of their unemployed citizens, something we increasingly fail to do for our own people.

Let's face it. Britain is now like the Marcos regime and our once proud national media and political parties have long ago become servants of American culture and slaves of American capitalism - Tory and Labour. Perhaps it's time to tell people like Andrew Neil at the BBC and Messrs Blair and Brown of 'New' Labour that Charles Kennedy will do nicely thank you and they can clear off to America to live on their CIA pensions.

JIM EVANS,

Worcester.