Litter is an indication of a selfish society

I quite agree with you about litter, but I believe it is a symptom of the state of our selfish society more than vandalism by those who refuse to take their rubbish home with them, common practice when I was young. Admittedly most litter, then, was biodegradable paper and today it is plastic which is just as easy to take home. Scenes of rubbish in fields after music festivals are symptomatic of the modern state of mind, as is the sight of chewing gum which is stuck to the pavements of Plymouth and other cities and towns.

Our selfish society, I think, has something to do with the way our so-called leaders divide what was a largely united nation into selfserving fragments which prefer to frustrate the ambitions of others rather than co-operate with them. Politicians promote such foolishness with a process of divide and rule by which success is a few months in power, undoing almost everything their predecessors achieved for their party political faction.

Brexit is bringing all this to a head when we should be working together to get through it.

About two years ago, I wrote to the WMN suggesting a government of national unity, as we had in World War II, because it was obvious that the EEC/EC/EU would deploy divide and rule against Britain’s legitimate interests. This is because most EU members got used to being ruled by totalitarian governments of both the right and the left during the 20th century, which is recent in historical terms.

Perhaps, we could begin by picking up other people’s litter and taking it home, if there is no rubbish bin, and returning our empty plates to the kitchen, when eating out. We could all behave like Scouts and Guides, even if we are not members, and do a good-turn for somebody every day.

By setting an example, ordinary people could influence the nation’s political factions, the purpose of which is promoting institutional selfishness promoted by parasitic politicians, but paid for by tax payers and supported by laws which punish most wrong doers who cannot afford expensive lawyers.

Tony Maskell

Newton Ferrers