‘Zombie government’ staggers along with no sense of direction
YOU might have thought (hoped?) that Boris Johnson is going to have a lot less pressure and time on his hands in a few weeks time. Many feel his delayed resignation – whilst (mercifully) stopping the incessant stream of self advertisement – might mean he would at least have the decency to act as caretaker while his colleagues get a break.
But no, he swans off on holiday while the country battles the cost of living crisis, climate change, wildfires and goodness knows what else.
We really do have a ‘zombie government,’ lurching along with no sense of urgency and no sense of responsibility for the office they hold.
Does it matter whether we end up with Dishy Rishi (Sunak) or Fizz with Liz (Truss)?
One is a multimillionaire who wears shoes costing hundreds of pounds when he goes to building sites and is building his own private swimming pool (shame if the drought means he can’t fill it!) at his manor house, but at least is prepared to give lip service to helping out paupers.
The other has a history of frivolous carelessness with official expenses and promotes the image of herself as a new Maggie Thatcher.
She also speaks without putting her brain in gear beforehand, as with the story of her ridiculous acceptance of ‘Lexit’ – proposals for Leigh to break away from the control of Wigan council.
It may be popular within a ‘Red Wall’ Conservative Club, but who stands to lose? Is it a selfless proposal?
It really looks as if the Conservatives are only concerned with holding the jobs with fat salaries and the chance to facilitate the further wealth accumulation of the already wealthy.
Just how foolish, gullible or brain dead do they think their electorate are?
Public service? Don’t make me larf!
T. Smollet, Ashton-under-Lyne
Don’t rely on nuclear power
WHILST we have a drought, dry reservoirs and gorgeous summer – for those of us who enjoy heat and don’t have to be out working in it – many Mancunians’ cousins in Pakistan are suffering with houses, infrastructure and facilities washed away by torrential rain and flooding in Balochistan.
Thank heavens Joe Biden’s struggles to make progress in the US has brought some climateprotecting action – not as much as needed and only from one megapolluter country, but not to be sniffed at as we see the problem of short-termist inactivity is widespread with both Sunak and Truss oblivious to the concerns of many millions.
And we can’t afford to rely on high-tech ‘solutions’ like carbon sequestration that may turn out to be smoke and mirrors malarkey – good for grant, profit and fame-hungry researchers and corporations, but not delivering on time and at too great a cost to be adopted worldwide.
The much-vaunted and supposed advantages of nuclear must be called out. Taking years to deliver power at guaranteed higher prices, leaving a toxic legacy and providing a terrorist target, it puts too many eggs in one basket.
Joe Pears, Didsbury
Action needed on council tax
IT IS interesting that our ‘esteemed’ mayor Andy Burnham has found another bandwagon to leap on.
He is now championing action on the cost of living crisis that is unfortunately impacting many, many families in our region and indeed in the country as a whole.
If our mayor is so concerned as to the welfare of our citizens, perhaps he can explain being so frivolous with our money and the aboveinflation rate rises for his own mayoral precept?
I won’t even get started on his bus scheme which will end up as another mega expensive white elephant.
If he, and the 10 councils, are so concerned with this issue perhaps they could start by lowering the rates of council tax, making a promise that there will be no increases in tax for two years and cancel any vanity project for at least two years and use any money saved to lessen the burden on their citizens.
It is time Burnham and his fawning cronies in the 10 districts stopped talking and started acting. H. M. Jones, Northern Moor
Car charging running empty
THE M.E.N. article on the chap who was banned from having a car charging unit outside his apartment has prompted me to put in my two-pennies-worth regarding car charging in general.
Having only 13amp charging at home for my electric car, I depend on local Stockport public charging points to keep me on the road.
Last weekend I went to the public charging units near Asda/Halfords. There were two units – one used and the other not working.
I then went to the units at Tesco, Portwood – all five units were being used. I then tried the two units in the car park adjacent to Aldi in Portwood – they were both out of service.
Using the car’s computer, I found one near the town hall. On arriving, the sat nav said it was on the right. I couldn’t see it, so went home!
I then went again to Asda, but another car now had the single working unit. On to Tesco again, to find that all the same cars were still plugged in, so no luck there!
I didn’t go back to the Portwood units, but again tried the town hall. It turned out to be a single kerb-side unit, on the left-hand side of the road, which had been hidden before, by a van parked in the charging bay. At this stage, I just went home and plugged into the 13amp socket, which takes over six hours to charge up to 80 per cent.
If the government want people to change from the internal combustion engine to electric, then this charging problems have to be addressed.
Alan Russell, Stockport