THERE may come a time when British Aerospace employee Mr R Fisher (Letters, September 27), is eternally grateful to John Major. Before he slags anyone off, he should look at the true picture.

Why has BAe excellent labour relations? Simple - because it is rather benevolent with the taxpayers' money.

Why have 12,000 jobs in the industry gone? Does Mr Fisher expect the taxpayer to finance the building of masses of unwanted warplanes, for no other purpose than keeping them employed?

Mr Major, in his wisdom, chose to back the Eurofighter because it was made in Britain. He could have chosen the cheaper option and bought overseas, saving thousands of millions of pounds which could have been spent on Mr Fisher's complaints. But, alas, if that had happened, he would have been just another dole statistic. Should John Major not form the next government, if I was Mr Fisher, I would be very concerned. He may have not been around when the TSR2 was being built at Samlesbury. But this was a revolutionary fighter-bomber, leading the world in concept in the Sixties.

Yet, it was unceremoniously scrapped by the newly-elected Labour Government.

History has a habit of repeating itself - New Labour: no plane. No plane, no job, Mr Fisher.

The choice is yours. John's your best bet.

WALT MEADOWS, Whalley New Road, Blackburn.

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