LURKING behind the Labour's reshuffle, and the ritualistic blood- letting in which the Tories are now routinely involved, one stark fact.

The politicians have once again treated the democratic will of we, the people, with contempt. Democracy has once again lost out to naked lust for power.

Labour has no democratic right to govern our nation. The majority of those that did go to the polls voted against New Labour (14,822,536 voted against New Labour, while just 10,740,168 supported New Labour).

That those voting figures have given Labour a massive majority in the House of Commons serves to demonstrate how corrupt the Mother of Parliaments has become.

It no longer reflects the will of the people. The only thing it now reflects is the ability of politicians to cling to an outmoded and grossly undemocratic institution that guarantees both major parties turns on the merry-go-round of power.

Indeed, those who did vote for New Labour were outnumbered by those who demonstrated their contempt for such a so-called ballot, by refusing to take part, in what has now become an obscene parody of "democracy".

There are 652 seats in the House of Commons. Had the will of the people been accurately reflected, by proportional representation, then the House of Commons would now comprise Labour 269, Conservative 209, Liberal 121, Scottish Nationalist 12, Plaid Cymru five, and others including the United Kingdom Independence Party, 36.

These figures demonstrate how perverted, dishonest and warped our first-past-the-post system of government has become.

N TAYLOR, Worcester.