I wonder whether J Calpin was alive or in this country during the Thatcher years (Letters, April 9).

Does he not remember for every thousand who enjoyed their "right to buy" their council homes, there were a thousand unable to afford to buy and who were homeless as a result of the loss of our nation's stock of council homes?

Does he not remember that for every 100 freed from the tyranny of "ruthless trade union barons", there were 10,000 alienated from or disenfranchised from respectable trades unions, who as a result had their terms and conditions slashed by greedy employers?

True, she may have defended a far-flung part of the empire from South American aggrandisement, but at what cost to the people involved and at what cost to our international reputation following the Belgrano incident?

In the meantime, she welcomed the increase in US bases on our home ground, the arrival of American cruise missiles and the growth of Fylingdales and Menwith Hill, which are such a potential threat to our safety.

Mrs Thatcher's legacy is the culture of greed, selfishness and lack of consideration for society and our fellow man.

John Jefferis,

Lynwood View,

Copmanthorpe, York.

...J CALPIN wants to get his facts right before praising Margaret Thatcher the milk snatcher. As regards freeing workers from the trade union leaders, these people are elected in a democratic manner by the workers themselves. Even Arthur Scargill was proved right when he was fighting pit closures which the Tories denied would happen.

Also regarding letting council tenants become homeowners, this was allowed years before Mrs Thatcher came to power - I started buying mine in 1970.

And she robbed the pensioners for years when she altered the annual rises from earning related to the inflation rate, which has not caught up yet to what we would have had.

Mr A Cockerill,

Boroughbridge Road, York.

Updated: 10:44 Monday, April 15, 2002