SIR – When Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the recent referendum in Crimea as undemocratic or illegal, perhaps he needs a reality check on the situation nearer to home. Because when did the people of England ever get a vote on anything that really matters in recent years?

For example ‘devolution’ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland or Scottish ‘independence’ giving them superior terms and conditions, eg free NHS prescriptions or university tuition fees etc, was never put to the vote in England. We just pay for it all.

Does anyone get a vote who goes in the House of Lords, or when those ennobled become government ministers without facing the electorate, the answer is no.

Also, when are we the people ever consulted on who becomes an EU commissioner or who becomes its president or foreign affairs representative? The answer again is never.

Just as the people here were never consulted about the invasion of Iraq or bombing of Libya and lots more besides, which makes our so-called Parliamentary democracy a mockery, especially when our much-vaunted ‘constitution’ unlike those of every other Western democracy does not exist in written form that could be challenged by us, and the executive held to account when it frequently gets it wrong.

Our message to William Hague, David Cameron, Nick Clegg et al should be “put your own house in order” before interfering in the affairs of others.

Many in England would wish that we had a strong leader like Mr Putin instead of the wishy-washy lot at Westminster today, beholden to the presidents of the US and EU as they seem to be.

D S Boyes, Upper Rodley Lane, Leeds