ITV ought to be heartily congratulated for its recent expos of the endless fiddling that is rampant throughout that most expensive talking shop, the European Parliament.

This wretched organisation is a mirror of the other larger thieves' kitchen, the United Nations, which is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

The European Parliament ought never to have been set up in the first place.

Its aims are twofold: to destroy every individual nation state whose taxpayers subscribe to its horrendous costs and to maintain the millionaire lifestyles of its members.

Any private sector organisation allowing such a regime of wholesale corruption to flourish would be bankrupt in double quick time.

And no wonder when profligate spending on luxury travel, first-class hotels, etc. is the norm and accountability almost non-existent.

The sad fact is that this state of affairs will continue. One can only hope that a modern-day Guy Fawkes will emerge and achieve the success that his predecessor did not.

J K FIELDING, St Cecilia Street, Great Harwood.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.