RE "Liberal agenda is to blame for crime wave" (Letters, July 19), Mr T L Entwistle's description of another person's letter as "complacent rubbish" aptly describes his own letter.

As a person who spent the years from 1979 to 1992 out of this country I can only sadly describe a few of the bad changes that had happened during that period.

The rates payable on the house I owned had multiplied to eight times what it was in 1978. This in an area that had been Conservative for 40 years.

Where we used to tell our children, "if you get lost, find a policeman" we now could not find one ourselves -- surely one of the reasons that crime had soared to unacceptable levels.

The criteria for borrowing in particular for housing had been lifted to allow borrowers to achieve loans with crippling payments. Tax relief on interest was almost completely gone and the 15 per cent interest rate and subsequent misery for so many borrowers was just ahead in 1993!

Then followed the poll tax fiasco and the resultant 2.5 per cent increase in VAT -- to make the community charges look acceptable.

Surely the only disappointment to date with the present Labour administration is in the areas where they have failed to reverse the damage done by the previous government.

J Flanagan, All Saints Road, St Annes.