Charles Kennedy ("Why our destiny must lie in the direction of the F-word", The Herald, July 24) reminds me of some football matches in which a team, which has provided no more than some nice touches for 89 minutes, scores a goal from nowhere in the very last minute.

It certainly took Mr Kennedy long enough before he slipped in the "federal" word.

While there are sections of his piece that are cogent, his solution lacks sufficient validity to the case for real democracy. As with all the options before us it is, at heart, all about who governs whom. Why is it that politicians and would-be politicians believe that we need to be governed and that they are the ones who should rule us?

Sovereignty should lie with each one of us and, where there is a need to work together to make things happen over a wider area, we can enter into a co-operative body for that purpose. No-one should be empowered to tell another how to live beyond the need to maintain mutual respect.

The requirement for national issues to be resolved should be limited to such as defence, foreign affairs and as few areas as possible beyond that where cohesion is necessary. I am sure it would be possible to create such if it were pursued by us all. Politicians would, I suspect, be the least supportive of change.

This is the 21st century. Are we not grown up enough to take responsibility for our own lives or do we really need someone to be constantly taking charge of us?

Martin Cowie,

4 Main Street, Dunshalt, Fife.