THE more I read Sue Cameron's book, the more I realised that, between "them" and "us" there is only a free press.

OK, so I am biased, having earned my living in the newspaper industry for more than 30 years, but, as Miss Cameron shows, when you cannot rely on the lawyers -- who are often one of 'The Cheating Classes' themselves -- there is only the press left.

Cameron is a newspaper lady herself. As well as BBC2's Newsnight she has worked for a number of newspapers.

Her book is a simple indictment of 'the system', where local Government, lawyers, big business, the medical profession and Government agencies, cheat and bully their way through the lives of anyone and everyone.

And what's more, this cheating class is shown to be perfectly happy to turn cannibal.

A millionaire businessman is ruined by a local council and a police officer has his life all but destroyed by the Child Support Agency.

Hardly a day goes by without some part of the cheating classes -- usually rich, sometimes elected, most often lawyers, bureaucrats, bankers -- inflicting injustice, great or small on ordinary men and women.

Decisions that affect our lives are taken, often arbitrarily and against which there is no appeal.

When they are found out, or some poor misguided fool tries to fight back, the cheating classes close ranks and back each other up.

Cameron illustrates each point with case studies which take up most of her book.

These stories are at once heartbreaking and anger inducing. You feel the victims' frustrations and think, continuously, "something should be done". In some of the cases in the book justice did prevail -- many years after the event and sometimes too late.

In others the battle is still being fought.

However, if we accept, as we must, that this is just the tip of the iceberg then the cheating classes are getting away with it on a daily basis.

My biggest frustration on reading this book and working for the Bolton Evening News is that in a number of cases I was convinced that, had the victim taken the case to the local newspaper much earlier, a great deal could have been achieved.

The cheating classes fear very little -- but what they really ARE afraid of is negative publicity.

Published by Simon and Schuster. Price £17.99.

Rating: ***