UNLESS G Bulmer (HAS, Nov 10) offers an alternative description of hypocrisy, then Tony Benn, the arch-socialist, has been found guilty as charged, another lefty name added to shameless list of similar lefty hypocrites.

Were I so financially disposed, I would see nothing wrong with legally arranging my monetary affairs in advance as to ensure any inheritance were taxed efficiently in favour of my family and not the Government of the day, but I believe in low taxation and smaller government. I would see it as my absolute duty to pay not one penny more in taxation than was deemed legal.

“Phoney” Benn, on the other hand, is a hypocrite without breaking the law, for he made it his business to patronisingly lecture the rest of us about his socialist ideology regarding unearned wealth and a litany of leftist rot designed primarily to keep us oiks in our place.

Benn is no different to the Marxist millionaires, the Miliband brothers, who were said to have arranged London property portfolios so as to be tax efficient.

Yes, yes, we know, millionaire socialist tax avoidance is okay, whereas legal capitalist tax avoidance is bad, socialist private education is “doing what is the best for your children”, while capitalist private education is deemed “elitist”.

Hands up all those local so-called socialists that in the past 30 years sold their houses and gave the profit to charity.

Yes, some people can afford to be socialists, the rest of us live in the real world.

Jim Tague, Bishop Auckland.