I MUST agree with John O'Brien when he says the next MP for Leigh should be of local stock.

At the moment the people who fancy themselves to represent the town in Westminster either speak with a Preston squeal, or have a slight Geordie accent and are too much concerned with the Borough rather than the town.

I imagine neither attended St Peter's or Twelve Apostles schools and didn't work at David Brown's or Plank Lane pit or any of the mills that have long since disappeared.

I must assume these self-important 'Johnny Foreigners' have no reality of the Leigh people's situation regarding unemployment.

They have never had to face the real struggle to get benefits they are well entitled to, nor have they had to confront the stressful problems of working for a tyrannical employer who believes workers should be seen and not paid.

If it's up to the powers-that-be to choose a candidate, then on the strength of Leigh being 'a safe seat', perhaps a big-name cabinet minister should represent us.

Someone with personality, someone with drive who is not doing it to improve the wife's social status.

Someone to promote the town and give Leigh people the respect they deserve after years of supporting a party who hasn't lifted a finger to help the town's struggle against that place up the road's attempt at erasing our identity.

If Keith Cunliffe or Mark Hale want to prove how much they believe in Leigh they should forget the Borough and start doing something for the town.

They should begin with pushing for the proposed flats at the old Albion builder's yard to be scrapped and landscape the area. Then make it a scenic park where families can have picnics and feed the ducks.

Give the people of Leigh something THEY want and not something the Borough wants.

Remember local councillors, the people didn't vote you in, they just couldn't be bothered voting you out.

John Sumner

Platt Street

Leigh.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.