16 JUNE 2007, Page 16

Money bags

Sir: In his article 'Hatred of the rich is back in fashion' (9 June) Ross Clark wondered 'What about the people who sew the £10,000 handbags together — surely the more that the wealthy spend on their handbags, the more they earn?' Does he really believe that the sewers of hyper-handbags earn more than those who sew the mundane totes of everywoman? They're sewn by the same people, for God's sake, and for the same pathetic pittance. Unintentionally, Clark actually makes the opposite point that he intended — the more £10,000 handbags that are purchased, the richer the wealthy become. The poor who sew the bags are unaffected because the difference is all in the margin.

Edward Collier Cheltenham, Gloucestershire