Honesty is too much to expect from the Tory blame game

Those providing evidence to the Covid inquiry are doing nothing if not living up to expectations, as they parrot lines of regret before denying any real responsibility for our woeful preparation for and management of the pandemic. Each of the witnesses is at pains to shift the blame in the direction of some anonymous others.

As Tom Peck so clearly describes, Matt Hancock, in his first appearance before the panel, attempted to manoeuvre the focus toward the lack of preparedness he inherited and the government’s prioritising of post-Brexit planning; both of which could not be blamed on him. Jeremy Hunt, the man who was in the job before him, was previously keen to shift attention away from pandemic planning to the government’s Brexit preoccupations. This, of course, had nothing to do with David Cameron and George Osborne, who had shelved the Cygnus report and committed to an ideological austerity approach to the economy that stripped the NHS and other public services. This was, in their eyes, a necessity based on the state of the economy they had inherited

And so it will go on, with one after the other of these incompetents excusing themselves as they try, not so subtly, to shift the blame in the direction of some unspecified cause for which others were responsible. A single grain of honesty and integrity from our politicians should be the least we might expect from them but that, I fear, is no longer part of their repertoire. As Boris Johnson said of dignity, these qualities “are grossly overrated” these days and we are all the poorer as a result.

Graham Powell

Cirencester

Thames Water, the UK’s largest water company on which 15 million consumers depend, stands on the brink of collapse with debts of £14bn. This news comes a short time after their chief executive Sarah Bentley announced her resignation with immediate effect. Bentley has been in post for three years during which Thames Water has attracted criticism for its regular practice of pumping raw sewage into the capital’s rivers and streams.

This is where the dogma of neoliberalism in water provision has taken the UK. This is the direct consequence of the “free market” at work in life’s most vital commodity. Yet both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are united in the conviction that private ownership is the best way to provide goods and services.

The crisis at Thames Water shows that conviction is a lie and that the privatisation of the water industry has been an utter failure. It has provided nothing but fat profits for its owners and put sewage in the rivers and seas for the rest of us.

It’s time to bring water back into public ownership without a penny of “compensation” to its current owners.

Sasha Simic

London

Playing sports is healthy, and a bit of friendly competition is probably fairly harmless. But some of us are mystified by the importance that so many people attach to the outcome of a game played with a ball, and sometimes a bat.

Unfortunately, in order to attract the sort of money that professionals are paid for taking part in sport, people have to be persuaded to pay high prices for tickets and other goods associated with teams. Part of this process of persuasion is to encourage supporters to identify with “their” side. This is, essentially, appealing to their instincts of competitiveness and tribalism.

Many people succumb to the form of sporting tribalism that our society condones. But some will also manifest its less desirable aspects, such as racism, sexism, and classism. Being surprised by this is not rational.

If we are serious about expunging racism, homophobia, and other reprehensible prejudices, then we must reconsider the whole edifice of professional sport.

I’m not hopeful.

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire

In April scientists from the University of Vienna published research revealing plastic particles can enter the brains of mice within just two hours of ingestion. While a scientific study led by researchers at Boston College earlier this year linked plastic to a range of conditions including lung disease, cancer, and birth defects.

The production and mismanagement of plastic waste is a leading driver of this crisis. In 2023, 43 per cent of plastic that is produced and used is mismanaged as waste, thus likely to end up in the Earth’s air, water, or soil. This means some 68.6 million metric tonnes of additional plastic waste will end up in the natural environment this year.

The world’s ability to deal with waste currently falls far short of the volume of plastic it produces. This year the Earth will exceed its annual plastic waste management capacity on 28th July – known internationally as Plastic Overshoot Day. 

By 8 January, it was estimated that 40 per cent of the world’s population was living in areas where plastic waste had already exceeded the capacity to manage it, indicating a pressing need for action to address the plastic waste crisis.

Just 12 countries are responsible for 52 per cent of the world’s mismanaged plastic. Now more than ever before, it is clear that mismanaged plastic waste is a significant threat to global ecosystems and by extension, the health of humans and all living things. 

Governments around the world must urgently clamp down on plastic production and use, improve viable waste management systems, advocate for sustainable alternatives to plastic, and sign an ambitious and legally binding Global Plastics Treaty by 2025. 

Furthermore, we call on corporations to support the Treaty process while measuring their plastic footprint to promote responsible production practices.

We must reset the course of the plastic pollution crisis and put protecting the health of humans and all living things at the heart of the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations.

An open letter signed by Heidi Hautala MEP, vice president of the European parliament in addition to Grace O’Sullivan MEP, Michele Rivasi MEP, Malte Gallee MEP, Sara Cerdas MEP of the Greens/European Free Alliance