LETTER TO THE EDITOR: PM’s words not on the money

Our new Prime Minister is no stranger to us, and his opening statement on appointment, “I will fix the mistakes of my predecessors, not with words but with deeds”, is hardly encouraging, considering his own major contribution in the “mistakes” of two of them.

His fixation on the economy without mention of the debilitating condition of the general public’s lives as a result of his party’s previous performances is a reflection of the “profits before people” and “high income before humanity” attitude that dominates his policies. As Chancellor he: cancelled Britain’s long standing internationally agreed Overseas Aid contribution, blocked spending on climate change and nature projects, agreed new licences for oil and gas exploration, favoured reduced welfare spending, supported the Rwanda refugee scheme, supported Brexit on economy grounds, and is in favour of cutting public services to reduce spending — not the picture of the person needed to fix our crippling high energy costs and cost of living, but of a man from a previous career with Goldman-Sachs and soulless financial hedge funds.

His 30 strong cabinet, made up mainly from members of the sacked Johnson and Truss cabinets, are all supporters of his economy, refugee and anti environmental policies, so little help from them in solving the people’s and the world’s problems.

However, our new PM is keeping his plans close until the mid-term budget on November 15, so we will all have to wait until that date to hear our collective fates. In passing, several of his cabinet are due a nice little earner, as any cabinet member who is sacked and reinstated not less than three weeks later is entitled to claim redundancy, so all members of Sunak’s cabinet from the previous Johnson line-up are now entitled to receive £16,876 each — how’s that for a quick profit?

On a lighter note, D White in his letter suggests that we “wokes” are unable to laugh, so let’s finish with a few giggles. Clive Phillips has added a few more fantasies and innuendos to his previous crop, but as before they’re going to have to wait for an answer until I have more time for unimportant stuff.

Also, my personal thanks to Blist for his belief, in his cartoon on the Williams wrestling letter, that I am still capable of jumping onto a stool, and also to D White for suggesting I still have enough hair to wear a flower in. And for his suggestion that we add a fourth (masked) contestant in the ring just to even things up.

But I do take exception to the Net Zero t-shirt Blist has put on me. The reason? At an address in London, 55 Tufton Street, is a building that houses the headquarters of several right wing company funded organisations pushing for more privatisation of public services and the discrediting of climate change efforts. The main one is the Restore Trust, founded by Neil Record, chairman of I.E.A. and the Global Warming Policy Foundation, both right wing climate change sceptic think tanks, and Zewditu Gebreyohanes.

However, another branch of the organisation is called the Nett Zero Watch (hence the t-shirt), which at this very moment is campaigning ahead of the National Trust Conference on November 5 in a push to get enough of their members on the National Trust committee to force a rule change and open all National Trust parklands to commercial development, oil, gas and mineral exploration and mining. So if they make it, goodbye to Clumber, Hardwick, Burbage, Longshaw, Kinder, Marsden etc, all the places currently open to roam, walk and enjoy.

Oh dear, I was going to end on a happy note, wasn’t I? Maybe next time

Charles David Foulstone, Rotherham Green Party