WHEN the going gets tough for Labour they hide behind insults and accusations, but they certainly don't risk facing facts.

So it was with David Chaytor MP in last week's letters page.

A hysterical tirade of abuse and accusation failed to deal with the issues but, more worryingly, was unconvincing and hardly inspired confidence in the government's handling of the NHS crisis.

We have a local NHS trust with £28 million of debts, proposing to cut 250 beds across its hospitals, planning to get rid of up to 325 jobs (a staggering 7,000 nationally, say Unison) whilst facing "reconfiguration" of services and further privatisation of services.

And, on the very same day Mr Chaytor let fly his insults, on the front page of the same paper a reduction in coronary care beds is reported.

Add to this catalogue of woe, inadequate services for the mentally ill, practically non-existent NHS dental services and we have what I feel I accurately called a crisis.

The worst aspect of all this is that it is being inflicted on the NHS by Labour.

We could have half expected it from the Tories, but Labour? It would seem Brown and Blair are determined to plough their NHS reforms through, regardless of the affect on current service provision.

The trouble is this is not just reform but financial restructuring. Labour first introduced market forces into the NHS and now they are bringing in profit and loss accounts and balance sheets.

The current troubles at Pennine Acute and the NHS in general lie fair and square at the door of Brown and Blair and their insistence that NHS deficits are wiped out in one year.

The delivery of our health services should be based upon clinical priorities not financial crisis.

A crisis that even the new chief executive of the NHS confirmed when he stated that key hospital departments across England could be closed in the run-up to the next general election.

To add insult to injury, the Lib Dems recently discovered that £20 million has been spent by NHS trusts on public art over the past four years - funds desperately needed for frontline services.

Perhaps there is more hope for the Lowry painting after all. Messrs Chaytor, Lewis and co . . . it is time to get a grip and rediscover our priorities.

VIC D'ALBERT Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, Bury South