MY thanks to Geoffrey Cox for replying (Letters, October 9) to my letter two weeks ago. Whilst it would be good to take a closer look at all his statements the result would be a letter too long for publication so I will focus on two main points.
As has been clearly stated by the Lib Dems, tax increases would only affect the highest earners. Where replacing the unfair Council Tax system with a Local Income Tax is concerned, only those earning over £45,000pa would pay more.
For mainstream Income Tax it is only those earning over £100,000pa who would be paying more. The highly paid would be hit, not those like me who make up the bulk of the people in this constituency.
Perhaps Mr Cox has yet to actually take a look at how little most of us round here earn in a year for working so hard? We can only dream of those sums.
Restoring pensions to average earnings? An easy statement to agree with, but look at the small print, admitted by The Conservatives' front bench team, that it would only be for four years under a Tory Government.
And does Mr Cox really need me to remind him it was his party that broke the link in the first place, or encouraged workers out of decent works pensions into the private sector that has so spectacularly collapsed since?
It's easy to spout long lists of meaningless soundbites for everyone to agree with and rubbish others' solutions in the same way. Much harder to provide the detail behind his party's own policies, especially when there aren't any details!
Perhaps, Mr Cox, that fiver would be better spent on you and I going out for fish and chips one evening to talk through the difference between empty promises and workable policies? Or are you too busy bickering over what's his name's leadership to actually spend time talking to ordinary people about how they have to live their lives on much lower incomes?
Dave Goodwin
Cleave Cottage
Sticklepath