I suggest to Mr Halden (Evening Advertiser, October 25) that he believes his mum when she told him that gambling was the way to ruin.

In the same week that we are told by the Government that we will be working until we drop due to the pensions crisis the Government in its wisdom decides that we can all go out make matters far worse by gambling away what little spare money we have left each month.

As to Mr Halden's comment that "the Labour party acts for the best interests of the working man" I would respond "not ina long time". A party that squanders so much taxpayers' money on pointless bureaucracy, regulation, and ill-conceived causes and then expects the taxpayer to foot the bill cannot be helping the working man when that is precisely where the majority of those taxes come from.

(Coun) Roderick Bluh

Clifton Street