Did TUC try to halt hooligans?

MAY one inquire from whom advice was sought by Brendan Barber and his TUC colleagues and what steps were taken by them to identify and isolate vandals and hooligans (now termed activists) carrying heavy timbers, metal bars, pots of paint and other materials?

If there were no such fruitful steps taken ahead of the London rally, may one presume that the Trades Union Congress and its leaders are liable to pay in full to those various companies or bodies the costs of repairing all damage and defacement incurred on that day?

If not, why not?

Chasing the end of NHS rainbow

From: GC Wright, Fieldside Court, Tadcaster.

ONCE again, with the usual controversy, a Government with the best of intentions attempts to bring the NHS under control and provide a more effective service, free at the point of delivery for the populace.

What we as a nation will never admit is that we are chasing the end of the rainbow. This must be obvious to those in and out of the service, but no one dare attack the sacred cow the NHS has become.

Any attempt, in the near future, by a government to address the problems of the NHS will result in the kind of opprobrium similar to that in bringing the national finances into balance.

There are too many strident vested interests for a rational discussion.

Numbers game

From: GJC Reid, Mayfield Road, Whitby.

TO spend an extra £450 on VAT – I presume Mr Card (Yorkshire Post, March 26) is referring to the 2.5 per cent increase – I would have to spend an additional £18,000 on VAT-liable items. This is more than I get in pension, and very much less than likely.

By getting this figure so wrong, Mr Card puts the credibility of his argument in doubt.