I NEVER had Dorothy Waters as a great writer of satire, but evidence of her most recent letter reveals hidden talent.

To say that she wants a return to a Conservative Government in order to be tough on crime, and that William Hague sticks by his principles, either shows Mrs Waters to be pure genius or just the opposite.

Firstly, crime doubled under the Tories and, as latest figures show, is falling under Labour. Yes, there is much to be done, but I feel that by tackling the yob and vandal problems the Government will address the one form of crime which appals most law abiding citizens. Car crime and burglaries are falling dramatically. Secondly, what principles does William Hague stick to? The ones in last week's newspapers or this week's?

The one concrete thing we can all say about Mr Hague is that being hostage to the extremists, he has been good at jumping on the nearest bandwagon. Unfortunately for him, he overdid it and poll after poll (including ones among Conservative supporters) do not find him a credible leader of this country. Please Mrs Waters, tell me you were joking. No-one can be that daft can they?

P Osbourne

Loxham Street

Moses Gate, Bolton