I HAVE indeed taken note of the comments by Russ Clayton (Advertiser, May 25).

It is said that manners maketh the man. His reply to my letter of May 11 certainly presents a stark self-portrait. It is good that he has spoken so plainly and cleared all doubt.

His own admission that Catshill 'is lacking ... but no more so than other areas' both supports and widens my argument about the lack of services and facilities for youngsters. Of course, his 'I'm not responsible, let's raise taxes' reaction is straight out of the Labour text book.

Does his ilk have no concept at all of government acting in such a way as to both enable and stimulate private enterprise to provide the services and amenities required by the community? In so doing taxes can be reduced while services improve.

However, I preach to the converted. The voters of Bromsgrove have already decided which path they prefer.

Sadly, the country as a whole is a different matter. We have just had a General Election in which Labour won 35 per cent of the vote but gained 55 per cent of the seats in parliament.

Why, because the boundary set-up favours that party. Meanwhile the power-hungry incumbent of 10 Downing Street is busy stuffing the upper chamber with like-minded cronies so that he can get his way all the time in all things without opposition. Robert Mugabe has the identical philosophy.

Be warned. This nation has just four short years to take a stand and fight to reclaim civil rights and responsible government, or face a peril greater than that of 1939. The time to act is now.

Arthur Bridle, Goodwood Road, Catshill