Public increasingly forced to accept drop in living standards

OVER the past three years, we the public are increasingly being forced to accept a drop in standards in our lives. Here are but a few examples.

■ Food quality: Britain has enjoyed high standards in our food quality, along with some of the highest animal welfare on our farms and in farming overall. This is now being undermined by the Australian Trade deal, which allows the import of hormone-raised meat to lower welfare standard that will undercut our domestic farmers. Our farming is too important to be sacrificed.

■ Lower environmental standards: We are increasingly aware of the current practice of sewage being allowed to being released into water courses, to the detriment of fish, wildlife and water quality. After the promises of Cop26, the targets of carbon reduction appear to be fading as the Government is doing little to implement better insulation that would drastically cut expensive waste of energy. The Chancellor’s recent licensing of North Sea drilling is a move that runs counter to our climate reduction targets.

■ Elections and voting: The Government is reducing the independence of the Electoral Commission by allowing a governing party appointee which could undermine the Commission’s independence. With little evidence of election fraud, the recently adopted requirement of photo ID to vote could well deter the poor, the young and elderly from voting, thereby slanting the outcome in the Government’s favour.

■ Human rights: The Police and Crime Bill has the provision to remove our right of peaceful demonstration. It can also have a Draconian effect on our right to peaceful protest over a wide range of issues. The Nationality and Borders Bill demonstrates the overly harsh treatment being meted out to refugees, many of whom are escaping persecution in their home lands.

■ Ministerial standards and accountability: Having been proven to lie to Parliament, Boris Johnson is now attempting to save his own skin by watering down the Ministerial Code of Conduct. This is both endangering our democracy and is doing nothing to repair the formerly unimpeachable professional standards of our civil service. It is revealing that the much respected former Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke believes that “We’re now close to an elected dictatorship under Boris Johnson.”

To conclude, it is time to tell our politicians that they are indeed the servants of the electorate, not our masters.

It is up to them to take a hard look in the mirror and to do the responsible thing and give the PM his marching orders.

Justin Beament.