THERE are times when I feel quite sorry for Cllr Cliff Morris and all my old friends and former colleagues in Bolton Council's Labour Group.

This time last year, when Labour, as the largest single party, formed a minority administration, your vociferous and indignant correspondents wrote in in considerable numbers to let the world know that they had not intended to give Labour any kind of mandate. Now, when the message from the electorate is, if anything, even more ambiguous, who can blame Labour for repeating what was said so loudly this time last year, concluding that indeed they do not have any kind of mandate, and going into opposition?

Then along comes your correspondent Mr Holmes (Bolton Evening News, July 6), to accuse Labour of "arrogance" for reaching that conclusion. I just don't get it.

There are many different ways of looking at the June election results. But my guess, for what it is worth, is that the electorate in general were saying to Labour, "it's not your go, any more. Time to give somebody else a chance to show what they can do". Just as they did to the Conservatives at the last all-out election in 1980.

But if they were saying that to Labour, what were they saying to the Conservatives? Now that's an interesting question and, if I were a Tory, I would be rather worried by it.

I shall watch with interest. To begin with, nobody in the Lib Dem administration has any previous experience of exercising political power, much less so in a hung administration, though their colleagues in other towns and cities may have helpful advice to offer.

And, so far as I know, only one member of the Labour Group has any previous experience of being in opposition, and since she is in the Mayor's chair, and politically neutral for the duration, that isn't going to be much help. But at least the Tories know something about being in opposition.

Peter Johnston

Kendal Road

Bolton