The Tories and Lib Dems are still taking every opportunity to blame the last government for “The mess they left us in”.

But some, such as Lord Oakshott, Lib-Dem Treasury spokesman, tell the truth: “The banks brought this country to its knees two years ago.”

George Osborne claimed on TV “We saved the banks”. So Gordon Brown did nothing? Apart from nationalising Northern Rock, plus RBS and others, as well as persuading the countries in the euro zone to refinance their banks, and having the governor of the Bank of England along with Alastair Darling going to the USA to persuade Obama to do the same.

It is not difficult to find comparisons for the situation today with previous Tory administrations, especially for we who went through it.

They reduced the numbers of police then and they nearly doubled crime, they also broke the link with earnings established by the previous government.

Now we find people starving in York at Christmas time; no one can live on three meals a week.

The banks do not help by putting mortgages out of reach; not building enough social housing is a laugh when they are sold on the cheap, making waiting lists longer.

Now there is talk of the banks ending free banking as it affects competition.

According to Lord Turner and John Varley of Barclays, free banking is idiosyncratic.

Cameron’s big society has always existed among the poor in society.

Dennis Barton, Acorn Way, Woodthorpe, York.