Richard,

I guess we all start from the point that we all count as one and no one. As soon as we start to aggregate we have to have some of what we want and some of what we might not. This is true for all "parties". I see all parties as machines for getting things done. The bigger the party the more I will have to accept other peoples wishes. When government is achieved day to day practicalities may mean I get more or less than what I wanted. When governments fall, parties have to reconsider and move on.

The time scale for this is years and years. As I believe Cho en Lie (poor spellin) said when asked what he thought about the French Revolution "It's too early to say".

Pressure groups like CND etc. have a role to play as do the Unions.

If cultures meet on some mythic level playing field maybe we can be equally sensitive. Generally one has much more power and does unfair things causing minorities to react. I too have a problem with how we treat religions - they have a lot of non-negotiable stuff. We also have the massive history of European colonialism which shapes so much of who we are and what we do.

Must close - one night in Windermere and a stumble around in the rain

Cheers

Lev