Self-serving politicians and spin to blame for our decline

HOW impressed I was, and pleased, to read Phyllis Capstick’s letter (Yorkshire Post, May 5).

The jobs for ordinary people which she mentions are not available because of the policies of the previous government, as she rightly states.

How often do we read of the huge sums of money being made available for interpreters and advisors for foreigners coming to this country (not always legally) to enable them to claim the benefits of our welfare state? Self-serving politicians are not only to be seen at national level either, the gravy train exists at all levels of politics.

How pompous some of our politicians appear when one watches them perform on TV whilst serving on endless boards of enquiry, and at what cost to the taxpayer?

No, politicians have, in my mind, lost credibility in recent years because of the countless scandals regarding expenses and tax return irregularities. This, one suspects, is merely the tip of the iceberg. While the real problems of the country, financial and immigration, to name but two, seem to be of little importance, back-stabbing, personal abuse and childish behaviour seem to occupy their well paid working time – if working is the right word!

We can only hope for the return of true, honest politicians who represent the country and not their own self-serving interest (politics or financial).

I fear it may be too late as recent election results suggest we, like lemmings, rush towards the precipice and return to the root cause and perpetuate the existing situation. How sad!

From: Mr D Birch, Smithy Lane, Cookridge, Leeds.

WHAT are we going to do about England UK Limited?

At this time we are in the hands of a coalition that so far, in their first two years, has caused chaos with our economy with their ideas of “change.” So far, it has resulted in vast amounts of money being printed – all it has done is feed the banks and the City with this money that has been turned into more profit.

They haven’t done what it was supposed to do, lend it to our businesses and our industry. It has basically done the opposite.

I think that we all know that this UK of ours needs some changes from every government, but all we have had for years are short-term changes to suit whoever is in power.

The real change I would like to see is a mix of business and politics. I have a vision of our country being run like a business. A very large one of course. A company, say the Inland Revenue, bringing in the money as it does in the form of taxes that gives an equality to its population.

We should bring back the Bank of England, expand it in every way with business accountants to control the money. A real board of management with business entrepreneurs at the top, making sure that the decisions made to run the country were business-like. Each department of government should be an individual company also manned with businessmen of standing, or business women of course. Political heads of departments would be at the top and MPs would be supportive in each facet of the businesses and learn how to manage their “company.”

In other words, we have England UK Ltd as the parent company and all the departments become group companies.

From: T Marston, Lincoln.

HOW apposite that it should be Bernard Ingham (Yorkshire Post, April 25)) to remind us of the role he played in the root cause of David Cameron’s present policy dilemma.

The role of the Press Secretary (PS) has become the problem we all have with our Westminster democracy. They tell us what the government want us to believe. Ingham was good at that. But then with hindsight reality turns out to be different.

John Major’s cabinet repeatedly told us that the country would get behind them once they got the “presentation” right. Under Tony Blair and his PS, Alastair Campbell, it was “spin” that was necessary to convince the electors of the rightness of government policy.

Cameron and his coalition had PS problems (remember Andy Coulson) and given his PR background, the PM decided to do the PS thing himself.

The problems the ‘Cameroons’ now face is that their “narrative” was believed. They all (Lib Dems included) sang from the same dirge sheet.

It was a good front for all the cuts they planned and whose full effects we now await with trepidation. It was a bad medium in which to sow the policies of recovery – so there has not been one.

All are clear, even Ed Balls, that it is recovery and growth that will pay off the deficit but the “Cameroons” are still singing off the old sheet. They don’t have a “narrative” for recovery.