Neo-liberal legacy

The failure of government to address safety in the case of Grenfell Tower is obvious. Two Tory housing ministers failed to implement fire safety reviews over the Tories’ term in office. However, this may remind one of the failure of PPI to deliver safe schools in Edinburgh.

One might recall that Blair’s government also had a neoliberal philosophy which left such buildings to the private sector, but as much of the work was sub-contracted no one building firm took responsibility. Result – an appalling lack of safety in the building design which could really have caused huge loss of life.

Neo-liberalism was an economic ideal which was somewhat discredited by the banking crisis. Economists have turned away from it because it failed to predict the banking crisis of 2008. In the last election many eminent economists backed the Labour Party’s economic plans.

So Labour has now abandoned the neo-liberal ideals of ‘small government’ while the Tories have not. They persist with the failed economic model of austerity which has not encouraged industry to increase investment or to raise productivity. This leaves industry badly prepared for the new free trade treaties which are hoped for – after Brexit is completed.

But the neo-liberal idea of small government also leaves us feeling more insecure daily as we hear stories about security services being cut at nuclear installations, police and fire services undermanned and building safety not addressed sufficiently. Thank goodness that Labour is the party that has come out in opposition to what was once a political con-

about the importance of neo-liberalism.

ANDREW VASS Corbiehill Place, Edinburgh