IN the dispute about the firefighters' worth, some correspondents, especially David Sumner, have made the necessary comparison with those in office who help themselves to obscene increases in wages and perks, year after year, without bothering about inflation, performance or the "dear taxpayer" who is forced to pay in their cases anyway.

Brian Derbyshire offers us nothing of this, although, unfortunately for him, on the day his letter was published we learned about a £378,000 golden handshake to a Bury health boss. Nor does he mention the billions regularly squandered by governments, planned or accidentally, and that the Chancellor may be putting aside significant amounts to finance yet another crusade where working class people are being sent abroad to fight working class.

What Brian does offer us is the myth of a "strong economy based on low inflation", like the 20 per cent rise in house prices this year alone. This bubbling economy owes its volatile existence to huge debts and misleading statistics.

This is certainly quite all right for some, but, for the multitudes, reality looks more like this: a major percentage of employment is part-time; millions of unemployed are hidden in "disability" statistics; many main providers cannot earn enough to sustain a family properly; mortgage commitments are precariously high; many pensions and other lifelong savings have partly disappeared; child poverty is widespread; old people keep dying from hypothermia; there is still homelessness. Yes, life in flourishing 21st century Britain can be very hard where amenities remain "subject to status".

If you want decent wages, says "lifelong Trade Unionist and ex-shop steward", work even more hours. Well, those who still can, work already the longest hours in Europe, but still the debts keep rising in many cases.

In my working days, they used to offer positions in management to shop stewards who could seriously influence people. Those who accepted talked miraculously, like true Conservatives, thereafter just like certain socialists once they find themselves in government. Though this does not apply to our Brian; he nevertheless sounds more like New Labour to me than he himself may be aware of.

Mrs B Stuart

Lord's Stile Lane

Bromley Cross, Bolton