'I might be 80 but I'm not daft.'

On the eve of The Great Election 2010, I thought I would give just one quick nod to it all. The following is a letter which was published in our local newspaper, The Buxton Advertiser, a couple of weeks ago. I have only just read it, but I thought it a particularly well-constructed one, and worthy of an airing here.

Over the last few weeks there have been quite a number of letters from a handful of Labour supporters in the Advertiser.

May I, through your kind auspices, try to correct the balance?

We have seen the effects of thirteen or more years of Labour policies and can anyone honestly say they like what they see?

They ruined direct grant and grammar schools, they took us to war in Iraq on false pretences and the effects of that are the almost weekly parades of coffins through Wooton Bassett and the appalling suffering of those who return injured and jobless.

Our economy is in a mess with companies closing, ending their pension funds and struggling with increased red tape whilst industrial activity has virtually ended in this country and moved to China etc.

Crime, drugs, the expenses scandal, the treatment of the desperately sick by NICE who will not authorise the drugs that will help the sufferers because the governement will not pay the price, and the appallingly mean increase in the state pension, are all the result of Labour policies.

They now accuse Conservatives of being 'toffs', yet government seems to be run by an 'elite' who award each other peerages.

It is reported that John Prescott's wife wants to be known as Lady Prescott. You only have to ask, love. Yet is was Prescott who punched a constituent in the face, played croquet whilst Rome burned, and had false Tudor beams put on his home at taxpayers' expenses. All things worthy of a peerage.

We thought all the spin, hype and the secrecy that evolved under Blair (who courted millionaires and is now paid thousands to open his mouth) would change with Brown, who promised transparency and open government. What a hope.

Even Alistair Campbell is still around spinning his way behind the scenes.

Our trust and faith in New Labour has been destroyed.

They are no longer the party of the people. Can we bear to think of another five years of this?

I might be 80 but I'm not daft.

Edith Bennett, Broad Walk, Buxton

The High Peak is a marginal constituency - and Derbyshire a key vote for the country. Conservatives lost to Labour by a narrow margin last time round. Tom Levitt, our retiring Labour MP and former teacher, has not covered himself in glory, particularly with regard to rural education (not to mention personal expenses...ahem). One of our friends is standing for UKIP in another Derbyshire constituency. He's had an interesting few weeks. Tomorrow night his wife will be offering him moral support on the political stage and I am looking after their children for them. It will be a long and interesting night.