TONY Blair's war in Iraq was to replace the despotic Saddam Hussain with a democratically elected government. What's the point ?.

In the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election, his representative won the seat with what equates to 12 per cent of the electorate.

Do we really have a model democracy in this country which should be imposed on the Arab world?

Apathy will rule the next election, unless we have the chance to vote for "none of the above candidates".

Paul Hodgson,

Landalewood Road,

Clifton Moor,

York.

...FIRST Tony Blair told us that he did not know that the 45-minute claim referred to battlefield weapons.

Now he tells us he did not know that a large part of the evidence he had used to persuade the House of Commons to vote for war has subsequently been withdrawn by the security services.

He is either a liar or he is incompetent. I do not think he is incompetent.

B. Emmerson,

Charles Street,

Selby.

...WITH regard to the recent BBC investigation into the British National Party, I would say racism comes in many forms.

The BNP is just a form that is more explicit than that of the Bush/Blair neo-Christian crusade into the Middle East.

Stephen Fox,

Walmgate,

York.

...I WONDER if Tony Blair will now reconsider his wish to abolish the House of Lords when he has had to rely on two of them to get him out of the proverbial?

Ken Holmes,

Cliffe Common,

Selby.

Updated: 09:46 Tuesday, July 20, 2004