WHEN I was a young, keen member of the Labour party, one of its central tenets was the notion of a more equitable distribution of wealth and income.

When taxed at the 2001 General Election concerning the widening gap between rich and poor, Tony Blair opined that he didn't mind what people earned so long as there was a safely net at the bottom! Gordon Brown muttered that he wanted to reward enterprise. Whose enterprise? The enterprise of the staff of essential public services? If firefighters had been given the same percentage increases in pay that MPs received over the last 25 years they would now be earning about £35,000 per annum.

A recent poll commissioned by the TUC showed that 73 per cent of those surveyed felt top directors should get pay rises at a similar rate to those given to the rest of the company's staff! A record number of company executives now earn more than half a million pounds per annum, not including bonuses and share options. The actual figures for this year are 487 individuals, at an average salary of £882,000 per annum. Over New Labour's period in office these people have seen their wages rise by 89 per cent!

The comparable figure for all full time employees is 28.7 per cent. What was that about a more equitable distribution of wealth and income?

Top people's pay and conditions are largely determined by "boardroom remuneration committees". Those of us at (or near) the bottom are not so lucky.

A J C EVANS, Highfields, Callow End.