The furore over the allowances and expenses paid to politicians is a diversion from the real issue.

Not one of them has spoken out against the trick of phoney money and the Great Myth' that Western Governments and their central banks have conquered inflation.

Nor have they denounced inflation figures that bear no relation to most peoples' cost of living.

As the price of goods in the shops went down (because production was transferred to the Far East and the growth in the power of supermarkets over suppliers) politicians seized this opportunity to take a greater amount of money directly from our pockets.

They did this by increasing the cost of providing public services, safe in the knowledge that they could deceive us through inflation figures that are reliable (accurate) but invalid (measure the wrong things).

This game is ending, and the day of reckoning is now fast approaching.

Many workers in East Lancashire have seen their wages stagnate in real terms (unless they are fortunate enough to work for the NHS, the fire service, or are in teaching).

Although they might be earning a bit more, the price of most things is now a lot more; thus a pound buys far less than it did before.

Most politicians are not yet aware that the game has changed, but when reality dawns on them they'll be terrified witless.

Those citizens who are clued-up can take steps (and probably have been for some time) to prevent politicians taking an ever-larger share of their hard earned money whilst simultaneously destroying the value of the bit that is left in your pocket.

As I tell my children: "Politicians will rarely help you, but when they do it will be only after they've helped themselves.

You'd better smarten-up so that you can be one step ahead of them."

Name and address supplied.