The likes of Hove's J West and R G Jenkins seem forever time-warped in the obsolete world of 20th-Century party politics (Letters, April 25): "The present system of voting, for a party whose policies we agree with, has to be the best system available. Independents have little power and can rarely influence council decisions."

This is simply not good enough for the 21st Century if we want our humanity, first, to survive it and, then, thrive in it.

Surely we must not vote for a party we simply "agree with" - are we that stupid and ignorant about our future?

No, we are not.

We must vote for those we believe will try to make the best happen, locally on our behalf, to deal with the new realities for humanity in the 21st Century.

This will require courage, vision and the ability to seriously "kick ass".

Therefore Independents have a pivotal role to play in this new "politics for humanity".

This new politics is already beginning to take place - for example, Horsham District Council candidates for May 1 are as follows: 42 Conservative, 44 Liberal Democrats, 16 Labour and 10 Independents.

Independents are very small in a very big political arena but so is a very small mosquito once inside a very big mosquito net.

Both can be very effective and influential.

-Richard W Symonds Independent candidate for Ifield ward, Crawley Borough Council