NICOLE Haydock knows perfectly well that the problems of Bury and all other local authorities stem from the disingenuous funding policies of the current government that hates elected councils and has so "democratically" both capped local rights to set rates and cut central grants to local councils ­— over £70 million from Bury in particular.

This is not the first time that Conservative Westminster governments have done us down. Thatcher and Major forced Bury into closing the Bury branch libraries and no doubt others. Meanwhile, while the loss of the Central Library book stock is regrettable, we still have something including the property ­— or is the Green Party selling that to developers?

Given politics is about taking practical decisions in a financial straight jacket, the form of governance is a bit academic.

A "not strong" leadership would probably have just seen the decisions delayed or fudged. The complaints against Charles I, Louis XVI and Nicholas II (who..."might have made colonel of a county regiment ") are precisely that they were weak and not accountable to votes.

Council leaders are accountable to their colleagues' votes.

The current problem with Green politics is an excess of Puritanical killjoy attitudes not to fly nor drive or much else.

They have not built on the green jobs numbers nor even on plain patriotism. If we go over to alternative energy ­— tidal, wind, insulation ­— we can tell the petro-sheikhs and mediaeval ayatollahs where to get off and even the 500 US transnationals that are 80 per cent of international trade.

All this work would rebuild our skilled workforce and as there is more than enough off-peak wind and tide to bottle liquid air to run our diesels instead of oils.

A practical Green manifesto with jobs and kilowatts figures could also clean up our atmosphere.

Frank Adam

Hartley Avenue

Prestwich