It seems the qualification needed to be a politician is membership of the Magic Circle.

Note the aplomb with which Ken Bodfish draws out of the air, with the skill of a conjurer producing a rabbit from a hat, the projected profit figures for if and ever Brighton's West Pier is rebuilt.

Witness the figures Tony Blair suddenly dreams up when interviewed about asylum-seekers - a reduction of 37 per cent in six months and 50 per cent in 12 months.

Then, suddenly, Tony makes a school essay from a student into the genuine reason for attacking Iraq - wonderful sleight of hand.

Another clever trick was the Victoria Climbi report. Fifteen months to come up with, it announced what anyone could have told them the day after - that, in spite of 75 visits by so-called experts, nobody got their finger out and insisted something be done.

The result - a coat of whitewash, a new name and still the incompetent people in their fat-salaried jobs.

To cap it all, the prize must go to the civil servant who decided somebody who has lived in this country for 50 years, since she was two years old, must be deported. Where do they get these people?

-Barrie Cook, Elm Drive, Hove