ABOUT three weeks ago the geography textbooks had to be rewritten, as the huge Larsen B ice shelf collapsed releasing 500 billion tonnes of ice into the Southern oceans.

If the rest of Antarctica thaws as rapidly, York and other UK towns are soon going to be just a distant memory.

Closer to home, York's MP Hugh Bayley talks of the "inevitable" use of incineration to get rid of domestic waste, instead of pressing the chemical companies to come up with environmentally-friendly plastics or methods to recycle them.

The continued degradation of the world which we will bequeath to our children demands serious commitment and resources.

It is therefore instructive to note the priorities of our political leaders.

Both Tony Blair and the even more extreme Ian Duncan Smith are committed to spending billions of taxpayers' money on buying into the US missile defence system, of which Fylingdales and Menwith Hill will play key roles.

Marines are dispatched to Afghanistan in what could well be an endless civil war, and Jack Straw hints at the use of nuclear weapons on Iraq.

Government advisors talk about the advantages of the new "imperialism and colonialism".

Perhaps, instead of all this killing and re-arming, our leaders should make their priorities closer to the issues at home.

Perhaps the crumbling railways and education system just aren't glamorous enough issues.

It seems the only hope for Labour is to get a new leader because the present one has betrayed his party's heritage. I certainly do not want the Tories to come back to power.

Chris Clayton,

Hempland Drive,

York.

Updated: 10:58 Tuesday, April 02, 2002