Time to strive for tolerance and harmony
I was sorry to read in last week’s Advertiser (November 3) that James Aidan seems to have missed the point when it comes to choosing a Prime Minister.
I am sure that he would agree that we need someone (1) with the integrity to resign from a lucrative cabinet post when it becomes clear that the leader is acting improperly, (2) someone who knows how to manage money on a large scale, (3) someone with management experience, (4) someone who puts the needs of country before a determination to cling to their employment as a constituency representative at all costs, (5) someone without a police record for breaking the law, (6) someone who does not enjoy illegal partying while their constituents are kept apart from relatives dying of COVID-19, (7) someone who is not a serial liar, and (8) someone who is not a self-seeking egotist who will jump on any bandwagon once it looks likely to be on a successful course.
I am sure that the author was not intending to sound bitter and envious, but Mr Sunak’s predecessor claimed to have came from a solid working class background and was disastrous as PM.
Nor is the only qualification for the job to be a ‘fighter and not a quitter’ to quote Miss Truss.
Furthermore, it looks bad if a political party chooses its leader purely on the basis of his/her ability to win a General Election and thus prevent the MPs from losing their jobs, even when they had recently thrown the same individual out because of his lack of suitability.
Thinking of Mr Johnson as a ‘lovable rogue’ and as ‘human as the rest of us’ also misses the point entirely when it comes to suitability as Prime Minister.
I am sure that Mr Aidan would hate to think that his article could be read as a bit racist.
Similarly, the otherwise excellent piece on fireworks/explosives, by Malcolm Stretton in the Advertiser (October 27), could be criticised for being offensive to a specific religious group within our society for their use of fireworks to celebrate Diwali, when increasing use is made of these products to celebrate Christmas, other festivals, birthdays, and New Year by different communities in our richly diverse UK population.
With the planet facing disaster, and the threat of nuclear warfare in Europe, we need tolerance and harmony in our communities so that the best qualities in all individuals can be recognised and enjoyed.
ADRIAN DOBLE
Cookham Dean