Time to end Tory and Labour monopoly of politics – Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Alec Denton, Guiseley.
Boris Johnson is heading to Manchester this weekend for the Tory party conference.Boris Johnson is heading to Manchester this weekend for the Tory party conference.
Boris Johnson is heading to Manchester this weekend for the Tory party conference.

I AM alarmed that the Government apparently plans to recoup some pandemic costs via National Insurance.

They seem blissfully unaware the NHS is a very large employer and over the next few years will repay in full with, and with interest, through increased Employer’s NI contributions, the “extra” money promised – a classic example of giving with one hand while taking away with the other.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
What was your verdict of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's party conference speech?What was your verdict of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's party conference speech?
What was your verdict of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's party conference speech?

An increase in income tax with adjusted bands to protect the most vulnerable would have been much fairer and with regard to the broken manifesto promise, NI is just as much a tax as income tax.

Unfortunately, the Opposition seem no better. Labour’s 
left-wing, who refuse to go away in spite of being emphatically rejected by the electorate and in the process handing Boris Johnson a huge majority at the last election, propose at their conference raising the 
minimum wage by over 50 per cent.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This indicates they, too, are blissfully unaware of the true economic facts of life, as in the unlikely event of this proposal being accepted, the hardest hit would be those parts of the economy that suffered the most from Covid – hospitality and small businesses.

What a sorry state of affairs when neither the Government nor Opposition seem to understand the economy. And although it will not happen in my lifetime, the sooner our present two-party system is replaced the better.

From: Peter Brown, Shadwell, Leeds.

WITH a General Election predicted for 2023, or possibly even next year, we may be more than halfway through this Parliament already.

Yet you tell us Ministers still can’t say what’s behind the “Levelling Up” slogan used last time (Government levelling-up 
policies could be revealed in weeks, The Yorkshire Post, September 24).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Isn’t that just an admission that it went into the last election as clueless as many suspected? According to the director of the Government’s “Levelling Up Unit”, it was still only in the 
“fact-finding phase” until a few weeks ago.

Nothing worthwhile is likely to be achieved in the time remaining before the upcoming general election. Given the abysmal record of Boris Johnson and his equally inept Ministers, I confidently predict the Levelling Up White Paper – due to be published “in the next few weeks”, you say – won’t be worth the wait. They’d be leaking bits already if it was.

Instead, the next general election will consist of more Tory propaganda lacking substance but lapped up by a sympathetic, prejudiced press ready to pretend there’s more here than bumbling waffle and vague, hollow promises that will be broken.

Hopefully – despite national media bias – many giving Mr Johnson the benefit of the doubt last time won’t make that mistake again.

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

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

SIR Keir Starmer is still incoherent. Sir Keir plays to his disciples in the party by castigating Boris Johnson and his Government.

Well, you know what, Sir Keir? All you are doing is proving what a petty leader you are by playing to the gallery.

We ex-Labour voters want to know if you are going to give back free TV licences to the over-75s, ensure that people do not have to sell their homes to enable them to have care and the minimum wage to be set at a fair rate.

Well, Sir Keir, you still haven’t convinced me, even in hindsight, and I suspect many more aren’t either, apart of course the BBC.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

You still won’t be getting my red brick vote if that’s the best you can do on your latest showing from your Brighton conference.

By the way, why Brighton? What’s wrong with the North?

From: Janet Berry, Hambleton.

HOW ridiculous is the proposal that the minimum wage should be £15. Small businesses cannot afford this.

This is the reason we are not competitive in manufacturing because of high wages.

Labour is not in the real world and are desperate for people to vote for their party at all costs.

Ridiculous!

From: Phyllis Capstick, Hellifield.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I DON’T think the state of British politics can get any worse. Surely the depths must have been plumbed by Angela Rayner, who was cheered on by so many Labour Party supporters?

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app, receive exclusive members-only offers and access to all premium content and columns. Click here to subscribe.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.