The Editor
Scotland on Sunday
Edinburgh, Scotland EHs 8AS

Sir,

I like your article in Spectrum on The Poll Tax - memories about the community charge conflict.

With great hindsight I’d say that Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Tory MP, in not pretending that the Poll Tax was other than a mistake, makes such a thought process, a dominating, disservice on behalf of our country today.

His mistake was in NOT insisting in having a test run carried out in Scotland, outwith England, without insuring that stringent, contingency plans were in hand to combat any Tommy Sheridan protest Labour actions from ever taking place – whatever likely to be were the reasons.

In place of The Poll Tax, we are now £ Billions in debt on the ideas of, one; that an Identity Card should replace it simply for immigration controls, and two; that a smooth windblown poll-tax Sailing Ship gets scuttled, replacing it with a Council Tax and, economic depression, caused by cack-handed governance trying hopelessly to operate, sound capitalism, against its principal socialistic values, thus leading us to over-the-top painful destruction of private enterprise, and a long lasting depression.

You have been warned, but it is not too late.

Yours sincerely,
Ian King, Kings Jazz Review, Inverness, Scotland IV3 5NH

Sunday the 29th of March 2009