Letters: Bold thinking is required to lift Britain from the slough of low growth
SIR – Much of the talk about a “technical” recession (report, telegraph.co.uk, February 15) overlooks the true story of GDP.
GDP per capita has fallen every quarter since early 2022 and is now 1.7 per cent smaller. The Conservatives have presided over the longest contraction of GDP per capita since 1955. A change of government to Labour will not improve this.
It’s scandalous that 4,000 people a day are signed off as “sick”. We can continue to treat this malaise by importing a population the size of Liverpool every year, in the hope that these people will be net contributors to the Exchequer, rather than net beneficiaries – or we can move towards an enterprise economy with a smaller state and harsher outcomes for the workshy. Alternatively, we can hope for a miracle.
Alasdair Ogilvy
Stedham, West Sussex
SIR – Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, is considering scaling back tax cuts in light of the news that Britain is now in recession. But it is in recession in part because of the current high levels of personal and business taxes, which reduce consumption and investment.
We need a prime minister and chancellor who recognise that lower taxes are not something that can only be handed out as a prize, but are rather a core driver of growth.
Nick Denton
East Molesey, Surrey
SIR – The Chancellor says he sees “light at the end of the tunnel”. He should be careful. It may be a train coming.
John Catchpole
Beverley, East Yorkshire
SIR – Allister Heath (Comment, February 15) says: “For the first time in my life, I’m now beginning to think Britain is finished.”
I will be 80 soon, have lived here all my life and do not recognise the picture he paints. I can go shopping; I can watch television; I can do all the normal things that people living in Britain do. I’m sure it’s a lot better than it was during the Second World War.
Catherine Cave
Raunds, Northamptonshire
SIR – I thought the same as Mr Heath in 1975, when I decided that I had to live in another country. I despaired of three-day weeks, power cuts and cold, dark nights when I arrived home after work, with no hope for the future.
Then what happened? Brits woke up, Margaret Thatcher arrived, the country got to work fixing itself and became the envy of Europe. I look forward to another rejuvenation.
Gordon Moore
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
SIR – I too fear that Britain is finished. However, I believe that the economic damage Brexit has done, and continues to do, is a major part of the problem.
Gemma Wright
London SW15
The rise of the mob
SIR – Mob rule is not new (“Sunak warns of ‘aggressive mobs’ that target MPs”, report, February 14). It has been creeping in for years, using the defence that “we must allow people to demonstrate”.
So-called activists block highways with impunity, disrupting the daily business of ordinary people, unhindered by the police. Meanwhile, mobs march through London chanting “From the river to the sea”, again with little police intervention.
It increasingly seems that Left-wing activists can demonstrate for whatever cause they wish, while the population at large has to abide by the rule of law.
R G Hopgood
Kirby-le-Soken, Essex
SIR – In March 1939, my mother and her three siblings arrived in Britain from Germany on a Kindertransport train. Having a Jewish father meant that their lives were under threat from the Nazi regime.
I am so proud that this country afforded help to those children. But with anti-Semitism now on the rise in Britain, could we expect it to offer such sanctuary today?
Mark Flynn
Arkesden, Essex
SIR – Roy Sweetland (Letters, February 15) says that thinking the actions of the Israelis in Gaza are “despicable” is not being anti-Semitic, and points out that he finds the actions of other countries despicable too.
However, while many of those who share his position take part in weekly protests against the Israelis, they are less likely to be seen demonstrating against other “despicable” countries.
Tim Potten
Poole, Dorset
Welcome fluoridation
SIR – While your report on fluoride in tap water (February 9) presented a balanced view of the pros and cons, the evidence is overwhelmingly stacked in favour of fluoridation schemes.
Of course, fluoridation is just one way to tackle the alarming rates of tooth decay we are seeing in this country. We also need robust regulation of sugary food and drink, and funding for and access to supervised tooth-brushing. However, adding fluoride to tap water is the single most effective public-health measure, and one we welcome.
Greg Fell
President, Association of Directors of Public Health
London EC4
Airport charges
SIR – When my daughter took her aunt and uncle to Gatwick Airport this week, she found that the £5 drop-off charge had increased to £6.
When I complained to my MP about this charge a year ago, he first adopted the “we have to reduce pollution at the airport” stance. When I pointed out that I drive an EV, yet am still subject to the charge, he switched to the “we have to reduce the number of vehicles at Heathrow as part of the process of getting the third runway there” argument. How does that justify other airports charging this fee? The truth is that it is just another way of extorting money from the travelling public.
Steve Oakley
Epsom, Surrey
Easy steps
SIR – I have worked out that you can do 500 steps during a commercial break (report, February 15), with 10 seconds to spare to get back on the sofa.
Tricia Barnes
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Tick-box tips
SIR – I too believe that obstructive bureaucracy is leading to fly-tipping (Letters, February 15).
I live on the boundary between two local authorities. I used to take waste to the recycling centre in the adjacent authority, as it was a five-minute drive away. It now requires proof that you live in the borough, so I will have to drive for 45 minutes to my own council’s centre, adding to congested roads and spewing out considerably more pollution. Madness.
Stephen Knight
Barnet, Hertfordshire
SIR – After clearing out my garden shed I had two modestly sized bags of rubbish, which included old roof felt, pieces of board, wood and plywood, and chicken wire.
I went to the tip, where I was told that my rubbish was building material and the charge was £5. I had left my wallet at home, but did have some coins in the car for parking, so went to the site office to pay. There I was told it was card only. I had to return home with my rubbish, but it did cross my mind to dump it on the verge.
Stuart Moore
Bramham, West Yorkshire
Chatty BBC
SIR – David Lander (Letters, February 14) is right to highlight the annoying interruptions to BBC3 radio programmes by unnecessary self-promotion.
Producers would do well to take note of your obituary of Steve Wright (February 14), which reminds us of the disastrous result of the then director-general John Birt’s intervention at Radio 1, when he instructed producers to introduce more speech content into programmes.
Peter Tillotson
Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
Matchday manners
SIR – In 1985 we went to Wembley to watch Wigan Athletic beat Brentford in the Freight Rover Cup Final. We were in the family enclosure, but some of the young men present – caught up in the excitement – began heckling and swearing (Comment, February 14).
A policeman turned to them and said: “Come on, lads – there are women and children here.”
Shamefaced, the noisy lads said, “Oops, sorry,” and stopped. After the game, many of the Brentford supporters even stopped Wigan fans to tell them that the best team won.
Joyce Hall
Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire
How to guarantee a perfect pint of Guinness
SIR – The “double pour” advocated by some Guinness drinkers is quite unnecessary (Leading Article, February 13).
I’ve drunk it for about 55 years, and have concluded that a steady, continuous flow to within half an inch of the rim, followed by a deft swipe with a convex spatula and a quick top-up, makes an ideal pint.
As for the callow youths attempting to ornament one’s pint with a shamrock, which in most cases resembles a cabbage, they would be better off employing their “skills” in serving a full pint.
Charles Dobson
Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria
SIR – In the 1960s I drank in Dirty Dicks in Bishopsgate. The barman filled a pint glass to the brim with Guinness at full flow, then did the same with a half-pint glass. He’d let them settle, then top up the pint from the half – making exactly a pint.
Raymond Jones
Modbury, Devon
The Army has bigger problems than wokery
SIR – I must disagree with Con Coughlin (“Wokery doesn’t win wars. It guarantees defeat”, Comment, February 15), for there is something far more relevant to Britain’s military strength and influence than our Army’s commitment to inclusion and diversity – and that is having enough boots on the ground.
We need to concern ourselves with spending more on defence, and hiring and retaining more soldiers, instead of worrying about “wokery”.
Sebastian Monblat
Surbiton, Surrey
SIR – Con Coughlin refers to the Army’s recruitment performance being negatively affected by changes to how we recruit.
I would like to assure readers that face-to-face contact and community engagement remain at the heart of the Army recruitment effort. In the past 12 months, serving personnel, working alongside professional civilian recruiters, have engaged with over 1.75 million potential candidates, completing 5,000 school visits and attending over 7,000 community, careers and recruitment events.
This has been delivered through a combination of a thriving network of 60 Army recruiting centres located across the UK, alongside Capita and Army mobile recruitment teams.
The engagement is delivering results, as our You Belong Here campaign, launched in September 2023, has resulted in a six-year high in applications to join the British Army – with over 15,000 applications received in January 2024 alone.
Damian Riley
Chief executive officer
British Army Recruiting Group in partnership with Capita
London EC2
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