Most readers will be aware that West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) now requires that 900 more houses be built in Okehampton by 2026.

Not so many of you will know that the borough council, members of which you elect every four years, has almost no say in how many new houses have to be built within its bounds.

Okehampton has the lion's share of new build because of its better access and topography when compared to Tavistock. The crucial housing figure is decided by the unelected Regional Assembly, many members of which are appointed, not elected. This is what passes for democracy in modern Britain.

To add insult to injury, any new infrastructure required may well be put in after the new houses have been built, because much of the cost will only be provided by the developers. Fair enough, you might say, but it does make one wonder what our taxes are for.

It is the same here in Crediton, where we have been told to find space for 700 more houses in a town which is already close to overflowing its natural geographical boundaries. We can talk to town, district and county councils until we're blue in the face, but they're powerless to act.

So if you want to change matters through the ballot box, you find you cannot, because the body making the important decisions is unaccountable, at least to you the voter. You can write and protest all you like, but you'll find it is like trying to nail jelly to a tree — nothing will stick.

However, you had better get used to this system, because it is how the European Union works. You can vote every five years for Members of the European Parliament, but this Parliament is really just a façade, to try to fool the voters that their views count.

In fact, in Brussels all important decisions are taken by the unelected Commission, usually rubber-stamped by our 'leaders' every six months. The Parliament is really a glorified (and horribly expensive) talking shop; and of course, as of last month, the Lisbon Constitutional Treaty has in effect turned the European Union into a single state, of which Britain is just a province.

I'm sorry to say that British governments of both left and right have allowed, indeed often encouraged, this deplorable state of affairs to develop ever since Heath took us into the 'Common Market' in 1973.

We will never recover any true democracy or genuine self-government until we extricate ourselves from the European Union, and I imagine only UKIP will be offering you this choice at the upcoming general election.

Bob Edwards

UK Independence Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Central Devon