I HAVE been accused of writing bile and prejudice concerning New Labour in the past, so look away now if you are so inclined.

The seasonal message from Hugh Bayley: “Is to do what I can to protect York people from the economic downturn.”

Doesn’t Mr Bayley mean recession – you know the one, no more boom and bust, but get a New Labour slump free?

We are only heading into this ill wind of economic misfortune due to the inability of politicians to think out of their boxes.

The £12.5 billion VAT reduction could, for example, have paid the energy bills for one year of the poorest ten million homes in the UK.

Alternatively, council tax reduced for one year by £35 a month on 30 million properties, or 250,000 to one million empty homes renovated.

Even huge sales aren’t saving businesses, so, in addition, the personal tax threshold could be raised permanently to £10,000 and VAT raised to compensate.

Mr Bayley can make a difference in 2009 by demanding an end to all home evictions, with these troubled mortgages transferred to a new national mortgage bank.

He could plead for adequate state pensions of 60 per cent average earnings offset by a higher earnings tax.

Any of these initiatives would have directly helped the poor and boosted the economy by increasing cashflow and expendable income. Not likely to happen, as New Labour apparently lack vision and compassion.

Perhaps a hung Parliament could do better in 2010, unless they fight like ferrets in a sack.

Mind you, Hartlepool has twice elected a monkey as mayor. Imagine a Parliament full of monkeys... nah, that’s just too silly.

T Scaife, Manor Drive, York.