We must revert to top quality British goods and services

THE Chancellor’s address to the Conservative conference to me gave little or no hope. Again he says he cannot help everyone so I imagine, as Gordon Brown just recently said, he will overlook the millions of low paid self employed.

This also includes those who were in-between jobs and were not taken on as a result of the virus will again be ignored.

He also maintains that the Conservatives will balance the books for the sake of future generations. But I thought that prior to the virus our economy was booming, according to the Government.

Although the effects of the virus would have an adverse effect on a strong economy, surely not to this scale and scope with four million people envisaged to become unemployed.

There is talk of plans to create jobs but economics dictates that with no or little demand for goods and services this appears to be just talk. Over many decades of primarily Conservative governments many of our key industries have all but disappeared.

A strong and robust economy would have had succession planning but we have capitulated to cheap and lower quality goods from abroad. This again can happen post-Brexit with our agricultural industries where British quality goods will succumb to cheaper imports. We should import but only where we need this and goods and services we do not produce.

What we can and must do is revert back to top quality British goods and services as we used to and had worldwide reputation for this.

Yes, import what we need by all means when this is required but not only just consider cheaper imports and decimating our own industries in the meantime. We must produce our own goods and not only consider even larger profits for the few.

This will take a long time to resolve but we cannot continue on the same trajectory as now otherwise four million unemployed will easily become much higher and for longer with all the social, financial and health problems with the profound personal implications this will undoubtedly cause to the vast many.

We have the skills, expertise and experience to turn this round but much sooner and not later.

David Bonomi

Bristol