IT is a truth, universally acknowledged, that councillors are always right. So, I must heartily thank Councillor John Byrne for empathising with my plight as a parent whose local school is under threat of closure.

He kindly addressed me (Your Letters, Nov 1) as "a single-issue crusader" who misrepresents people. Yet I cannot take all the credit, for our councillors seem quite capable of misrepresenting themselves. But Coun Byrne is certainly free, within civil and legal constraints, to address me as he so desires, hopefully in an entertaining fashion.

However, I must clarify two issues. He asks whether the members of the Schools Organisation Committee (SOC), by no means all, who decided to close Affetside School were politically-biased. Well, he may suggest that: I couldn't possibly comment. May I perhaps suggest instead that they were badly advised and that the process was flawed? This view has been publicly apparent from our Petition to the Secretary of State, and application for Judicial Review.

A "single-issue crusader"? The idea of crusading appeals, despite requiring organisational skills far beyond my capabilities. And while my maternal concerns about my children's education can indeed reduce me to a state of high emotion, if there is a "single issue" at stake here then it is not simply about one small, rural village school but rather the steady erosion of democracy in Bury, of which Affetside is becoming a symbol.

In Bury we enjoy a particularly patronising form of 19th century paternalism which oozes forth whenever a councillor of the ruling party speaks or acts. The electorate appear useful for voting purposes alone. The powerful attempt to restrict their freedom in their supposed own best interests. It is a traditional approach previously used by the ruling classes to keep the workers in their place, and by men to subordinate women.

One may be able to tolerate this if there was evidence of one's welfare truly at heart, some semblance of transparency, some pretence at dialogue, some negotiation and an acceptance that perhaps, just perhaps, the Master occasionally gets it wrong. But no, in Bury we have an increasingly despotic ruling group who have an unfailing belief that they are right: even when the courts tell them they are not. Most people, surely, would pause to think a little if, week after week, they were being severely criticised by the people they represent. But perhaps such self-reflection is a 21st century notion?

For Coun Byrne and his colleagues to continue governing in such a fashion is either politically brave or foolish, as the Bury Times Letters page regularly attests. I would prefer to see sense than combat: but there's little chance of that. So, with my honourable reputation as a crusader to defend, rest assured, dear councillors, that the fight will go on!

DAWN ROBINSON-WALSH