RECESSION? It could have been a depression.

Last week's letter that it was all Gordon Brown's fault because of the debt is nonsense. He said he caused boom and bust. We did not have boom and bust because when you have boom and bust, interest rates are 10 to 15 per cent and inflation is high at 10 per cent.

In fact, interest rates for the last two years have only been about 0.5 per cent - the lowest they have ever been, and low inflation as well.

What you had is a worldwide recession, which could have led to a depression had Gordon Brown not lowered VAT from 17.5 to 15 per cent for a year and brought in a car scrappage scheme and saved thousand of houses from being repossessed and stopped the banks from collapsing and stopped rising unemployment.

He was then praised all around the world for his handling of the economy; he did save the world and was master of the universe.

And now what have you instead? VAT up to 20 per cent; fuel prices rising; unemployment rising; inflation rising; tuition fees rising; bankers' bonuses rising.

More cuts are on the way. This government can take us back into recession. What we need is another Gordon Brown.

T LISTON Ealing