THE comments from Mr Adam Symons, Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman, (Times, October 14) need a reply on two issues. 

Firstly, who exactly is he going to stand up to? It's his party that is taking an active (some might say hyperactive) part in the Coalition Government's attempts to change the whole face of social society in the UK. 

Is he going to tell his leaders that they are wrong or unfair? I very much doubt it. Or is he going to get Cameron and co to think again before it is too late, but, again, how can he when they are his partners?  No, his fine words to 'stand up for those that need a voice' have no meaning if all he really means is 'I'll tell them (the Government) that you think it is unfair, but I agree with them really'.                             

Secondly, why is it that the supporters of these extreme measures always say 'the previous Government left a financial mess', and 'we all have to take the pain of paying back this debt'. 

Well, excuse me, but I always thought that it was the bankers and their financial skulduggery that got us into this mess, and that the previous Government's very heavy borrowing was to stop the UK's finances from collapsing. It must also be said that the vast majority of World Governments agreed with the view of the UK Government and took similar action. 

So, yes, we have a huge debt to be repaid, but the people/organisations that caused it should be repaying more of it than us ordinary 'John Doe's', and no it wasn't caused by the previous Government so let's stop trying to make silly party political points by assuming that the British public don't know the true story, and concentrate instead on persuading your own leaders to support ordinary working families by hitting the high financiers who caused the mess in the first place.        

Bryan Podmore

Redmoor Close

Tavistock

I KNOW we are in difficult economic times, but there is one easy decision that could spare a lot of the 'tough ones'.  

A tax on the banks could raise £20-billion in the UK to help those hit by the financial crisis in this country and around the world.  For every cut I hear the Government announce I keep asking: could a tax on the banks have paid for that?

The situation we find ourselves in started in the financial sector and we spent £1.4-trillion bailing them out.

We are all paying for a party we weren't quite invited to.  I want to see my MP and leaders start fighting for a tax that would make Robin Hood proud.

Rachel Sturman

Okehampton

LET'S get cuts in perspective. With all this talk of spending cuts, I remembered some facts that I had recently read: 'If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world.  If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in the dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation . . . you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'

Something to think about?

Wendy Greig

Station Road

Horrabridge