Labour governments outperform Tories
A FEW points by Robert Readman in today’s letters (“The people deserve to be punished”, November 19) really need addressing.
He states that every Labour government since the Second World War has left a legacy of economic chaos, but I beg to differ. A large degree of cognitive dissonance comes into play here – the situation where facts collide with core beliefs, and core beliefs win out because they’re less challenging.
The truth is, Labour governments have consistently outperformed
Tory ones in almost every sector of the economy. The bare facts are easy to research, and the
Office for Budget Responsibility is a good place to start. But my guess is that many people will find the prospect of having their cosy
assumptions overturned is just too uncomfortable.
History has repeatedly shown that austerity hinders rather than helps economies. In the last eight years our economy has been stagnant, while the rich have grown ever richer and the rest of us poorer. The country’s prolonged programme of cutting and privatising has led to a vast increase in inequality, and with it the inevitable consequences of poverty, ill health and social unrest.
The recent findings of the UN Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in the UK should be a source of national shame, but instead the Government is burying its head in the sand and the report has been ignored or underplayed by the media. We have a Government that is effectively at war with a large section of its own people. I cannot begin to see how anyone can be comfortable with that.
Mr Readman writes that the people deserve to be punished, but under the Tories they’ve already been punished – for eight long years.
Sooner hopefully than later, the country will face a straight choice between a party dedicated to further enriching the rich, to the detriment of everyone else, and one that will set about restoring social justice, make inroads into wealth inequality, and revive the economy by investing in sustainable growth. It’s a comfort to know that Mr Readman will be voting Labour – even if his reasoning is a bit wonky. Paul Halas
Stroud