LETTER: Who do these politicians think they are?

THE Coalition Government tells us the massive debt left by the Labour Government means public spending has to be cut by more than £6 bn. straightaway. To aid this target, services and financial support has to be cut in a wide number of areas, and VAT needed to be raised to 20 %. OK, if that’s what it takes.

The Prime Minister David Cameron then announces overseas aid is to be increased to more than £12.5 bn. Hold on! The Coalition is already borrowing more money than the outrageous Labour government.

The published figure for the official poverty line is around £178 a week for a single person. In a deliberate insult to our pensioners, the pension for a single person was raised to £140 a week. However, not for those already in retirement. The figures were given before the increase in VAT and the increase in food and food costs.

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To add insult to this disgrace, the winter fuel allowance is to be reduced for most pensioners by up to £100 from this winter. This puts the lives of many pensioners at risk. Figures already show as many as one in five pensioners are skipping meals to save money on food, while two in five are struggling to afford essential items, such as clothes etc.

The UK has the worst state pension in Europe and the highest retirement rate.

Add to this the Government figures also show as many as four million children in the UK are living below the poverty line.

Let’s get a couple of things straight. The country does not have a President. David Cameron is Prime Minister (meaning simply, first minister) of a coalition government, a position he attained by negotiation. As such, he does not have the right to make an arbitrary decision on any policy.

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I make no apology for asking “Just who do these people think they act for?” I remind all politicians, including Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle, there is a constitutional requirement that Parliament must reflect the will of the people.

JOHN WIGNALL

BROWNHILL AVENUE

BURNLEY