Letter: Listen to the Lords

Sir: If Tony Blair is adamant that the House of Lords' rejection of a "closed list" electoral system for the European elections is an "affront to democracy" why didn't he allow the House of Commons a free vote to decide the matter (report, 19 November)?

By imposing party discipline in the Commons vote, Tony Blair has shown that his insistence on a "closed list" has nothing to do with democracy and everything to do with the Stalinist control freaks in the Labour Party leadership.

JAMES G FLUSS

London NW4