NO doubt, later this year, the news channels and the media will bore the British people to death by reporting on the Liberal Democrat Party's leadership contest.

Personally, I don't see the point of holding the contest at all. After all, under Paddy Ashdown the party has become so close to the Labour Party that they might as well go all the way and merge.

That, at least, would be the honest thing to do. Instead, the Liberals masquerade themselves as an Opposition party, which now they most certainly are not.

Tony Blair has the Liberals in his pocket and he knows it. To vote Liberal now is a waste of time because you may as well vote for the Labour Party.

A RICH (Miss), Kelvin Street, Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.