SIR – One may knock a man for the opinion he holds but not for the right to have it, in football it’s very ungentlemanly to play man and ball.

Unfortunately, one has to take exception in certain circumstances.

Your correspondent D S Boyes regularly pronounces on all matters animal, vegetable and mineral. There is nothing safe from his roving eye and wit. From gravel-spreading on the roads to managing banks, improving schools, disinfecting hospitals, he pontificates.

Nothing wrong with that, except he always, without fail, manages to find a way to blame the last Labour government for any malpractice, shortcoming or mistake, past or present, even if it occurred after that government fell from power.

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that the Conservative-led coalition has been in power and held councils’ purse strings for the past four years, in his world Whitehall misspending, local government cash shortage, the teachers’ strike, inadequate numbers of police on the streets and bin collection frequencies not working are all put down to the last Labour government.

Stop it, DSB. You know, we know, it’s not true!

Arthur Waterhouse, Barmby Road, Undercliffe, Bradford