Why do I get the impression politicians have the idea money grows on trees and they can keep forcing people to pay higher taxes while refusing to give people a chance to have decent salaries?

The official rate of inflation is, or so they say, less than three per cent. Well then, there is no justification at all in raising council tax by more than 22 per cent.

We are too patient. They want to have their cake and eat it. I am sure Councillor Wheelan supports the Conservative Party and their aim to cut taxes, or does he?

In May 2003, we are going to have elections. All voters should remember the broken promises of the traditional political parties and give their support to other parties. We need more representatives of the so-called minority parties because the so called mainstream parties have been letting us down for quite a long time.

In Lambeth, formerly governed by the Labour Party, there is

an unnatural alliance made up of Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, while in other parts of the country there are alliances between the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats.

Now, you tell me what the whole thing is about. Those of you who voted for the Conservative Party, did you want to support Liberal Democrat policies? Would you have voted for the Conservative Party if you had known about what was going to happen next? It seems like another case of "read my lips". These alliances are not about democracy. They are merely voting arrangements to keep themselves in power and do whatever they want regardless of the will of the voters.

This is why in the last general election only 59 per cent of the people registered to vote actually bothered to vote. We do not want any more circuses and we know that circuses are the only thing we are going to get if we keep voting for the Labour Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Conservative Party.

CARLOS CORTIGLIA

Lavengro Road

West Norwood

April 30, 2003 11:00