Brexit was a clumsy act of self-harm
IN answer to Tommy Bray, I would like to suggest the following explanation of why the UK economy has suffered so much.
In 1979, Margaret Thatcher started privatising anything that was held in public ownership, promising better, more efficient services.
She also sold off the social housing, wonderful for tenants, but the housing stock was not replenished.
Labour could have done more to remedy inequalities but Tony Blair, during his tenure, became far too busy cosying up to George Bush.
Then came David Cameron, whose first move was to use austerity as a policy, squeezing remaining public services until there was less and less left.
He presided over the Brexit vote; a clumsy act of self-harm profoundly affecting our economic health, our growth and political influence.
Brexit has since been ‘implemented’ by a rabble of incompetent hard-line zealots.
We had a devastating and poorly managed Covid pandemic which we survived thanks to the scientists and health workers.
The Government’s mismanagement of PPE procurement, ‘test and trace’ and contracts for their cronies is still being discovered.
Now there is a brutal conflict where the Ukrainians are fighting to uphold European democracy. Fuel prices are soaring.
And, lest we forget, the hapless
Liz Truss spaffed 30 billion pounds up the wall with her ludicrous ‘fiscal event’.
To cap it all, Rishi Sunak has embarked on yet more austerity measures and we are discovering there is nothing left to squeeze.
We now are in recession due to the heady cocktail of high energy prices, increased inflation, rising interest rates and global economic weakness.
So, for the first time in my lifetime, we have community-run food banks, warm banks for people who cannot heat their homes, increasing homelessness and renters living in sub-standard accommodation.
Young people are priced out of the housing market as a house becomes an investment opportunity rather than a place to call home.
We have filthy rivers and seas, railways and public transport that are not fit for purpose, but still the Government has wasted £44.6 billion (so far, more to come) on the vanity project, HS2.
The NHS is on its knees, waiting lists are getting longer. The postmen, railwaymen and now unbelievably the ambulance staff and nurses are striking because it is the only way they can be heard and hopefully achieve a meaningful pay increase.
The unions are accused of fuelling inflation but no politician has explained how average families are supposed to cope.
People in employment are relying on food banks to supplement their income, whilst the wealth gap between the top and middle tenth of households in the UK grew to
£1.2 million per adult, according to analysis by the Resolution Foundation, which was published in June 2022.
Catherine Pickles Buckfastleigh, Devon