SIR - Peter Alcock asks why Mike Foster seemed blind to the obvious problems looming when our new hospital was being planned. It's for the same reason Mike Foster has discovered a desire to introduce the quaint notion of democracy into local politics by disbanding Worcester City Council and having smaller wards with accountable councillors.

Remember Tony Blair toying with PR? Of course his Yankee bosses couldn't allow that. America has had two main political parties for years - and you couldn't get a fag paper between their policies once they are in government.

Does that seem a familiar scenario to you, Mr Alcock? Mike Foster and "our" councillors have to answer to political parties. After all, their membership of those parties was the reason they got into power at all.

In turn these national political parties answer largely to America and frankly grow more contemptuous of British public opinion by the day.

What polices of Tony Blair or Margaret Thatcher were truly based on the desires of British electors? Selling off our industry to further free trade? Wrecking our pension funds? Meddling in the Middle East? Supporting American wars? Wrecking the EU to suit American foreign policy? Mad doctrinaire privatisation and secret privatisation? All barmy American ideas.

While our politicians serve others and have no real investment in Worcester this will not change - and my belief is that Peter Alcock or Jim Evans couldn't do any better if they were in office - its just the way British and American `democracy' functions. That's why nobody votes any more - there's no point!

JIM EVANS,

Worcester.