Protecting education is best way of helping poor to improve

YOU have to laugh. First it’s Ed Miliband declaring his love of “One Nation” politics. Then a host of horrified Tories declare themselves to be One Nation politicians.

This overused phrase has been cast aside, particularly by the Conservatives, and ignored for many decades. None of the three main parties can claim it, especially now.

One Nation politics emerged with Benjamin Disraeli, who was concerned with the divergence between rich and poor. His policies aimed to improve the lot of the poor. Today, there are still rich and poor. What has changed is the Government’s ability to help the poorest in an environment of declining finance.

Yet one core aspect remains, that of opportunity for all. If any Government is serious about improving the lot of the poorest, then it must, at all costs, protect those areas that enable the poorest to improve themselves. The greatest of these is education.

It is therefore a failed test for any of the party politicians to declare themselves “One Nation”, when they introduced tuition fees and support their continued existence. It is a heavy weight upon self-improvement, an insidious cancerous attack on hope and a perpetuation of the social divide.

From: Terry Palmer, South Lea Avenue, Hoyland, Barnsley.

DAVID Cameron keeps telling us that the country had almost been made bankrupt, all blame laid at the door of the last Labour government.

Two weeks ago he told us all that a further £16bn black hole in the economy had appeared, caused I would suggest by the “nasty party’s” non-policies during their almost three years in government.

Yet, when challenged regarding the £14bn giveaway of taxpayers’ money in foreign aid, his excuse on TV was that we are a rich country and can afford it especially to vaccinate Third World children. Which is it?

From: Alan Carcas, Cornmill Lane, Liversedge.

AS in 1963, the Tory party conference has again shown that it has the innate ability to take leave of its senses.

Then it was the hysteria for Lord Hailsham, Quintin Hogg, to stand as leader of the party when Harold Macmillan announced his resignation in the middle of conference. Even quite staid members of the party paraded themselves with home-made “I’m a Q man” badges.

Hailsham gave up his title, yet didn’t become leader. And Lord Home picked up the pieces, saving the party from itself.

The simple facts are, that London, our most important city, needs Boris Johnson, and the Tory party needs Boris Johnson – to keep Ken Livingstone out of County Hall. Can you think of another Tory who could do that? I can’t.

From: Tim Mickleburgh, Boulevard Avenue, Grimsby.

THE more I hear the Tories speak of welfare, the more I realise they fail to understand what life is like away from London. For the North isn’t so thriving, while the jobless haven’t got an excellent public transport network to take them to whatever work is available.

Meanwhile, those on low pay will see their minimum wage go up by under two per cent (no rise at all for those under 25) while getting approximately 25 per cent less in council tax benefit. So rather than seeking to make work pay, it seems the coalition have got a downer on both the working and non-working poor.

From: RC Dales, Church View, Brompton, Northallerton.

WHEN a statement by someone important is followed by another who contradicts the statement, the former is negatived and it is likely that the latter will linger in the minds of the public. One of the greatest influence on public opinion has been the BBC radio news and their commentaries and interviews. But the BBC did not follow this tactic during the Labour Conference. There was no shortage of contradictions – you printed an article by Charlie Elphicke which earned the headline: “Big spender Balls makes Labour unelectable” (Yorkshire Post, October 5).

Will the BBC go back to their old tactic and have Ministerial statements contradicted by Labour? If they do would there be a necessity for the Government to conduct an inquiry into the political leanings within the BBC?

From: RB Holroyd, Headlands, Liversedge.

AFTER their party conference, perhaps Labour now realise that two Eds are not necessarily better than one.