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SO, GORDON Brown wants the nation to believe he shares our concerns on the economy. Well, so he should. He caused them.

If Mr Brown cares, here are ten points to get him started: 1) Abolish accounting standard FRS 17 and reintroduce dividend tax credits to enable companies to continue offering final salary pensions schemes.

2) Cut the 75 per cent tax take on petrol until the price of oil comes down.

3) Increase personal allowances in line with the true rate of inflation backdated to his first budget in 1997.

4) Start quoting the true rate of inflation using goods that people buy, and increase benefits and pensions accordingly.

5) Abolish student tuition fees and stop conning people into believing a university degree means you will earn £400,000 more than people without one.

6) Give the people a referendum on the European Constitution - even EU membership itself.

7) Provide free care for the elderly and free prescriptions.

8) Come clean about the state of Britain's finances and the amount of "off balance sheet" borrowing (the so called PFI initiative) which our grandchildren will still be paying long after our generation is gone.

9) Scrap the 2012 Olympics - Britain can't afford to waste the likely £20 billion cost for two weeks of mindless sport.

10) Come clean about first-time house buyers. Mr. Brown reminds us that interest rates are lower than under the Tories. This is due to his lying about the true rate of inflation and has fuelled a debt-ridden society. If you were a first-time house buyer, what would you prefer: a £50,000 mortgage at 16 per cent or a £200,000 mortgage at four percent? They are the same with one exception. With the latter you have to repay £200,000 capital as well as the interest rather than £50,000 capital. Brown's mismanagement of the economy has destroyed a generation.

Tony Taylor, Grassholme, Woodthorpe, York.

8:50am Wednesday 7th May 2008

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