Ministers who vote to save the PM are acting out of self-interest

Andrew Woodcock suggests the “payroll vote” of 173 ministers and parliamentary aides would be almost enough in itself to get the PM over the line in today’s confidence vote.

If this happens, it will be another case of principle being trumped by self-interest on the part of our so-called “honourable” members, making them as untrustworthy as their leader.

Paul Keeble

Manchester

The article written by Nadeine Asbali is spot on. I did not participate in or celebrate the jubilee for all the reasons she stated.

My family said the same thing as we spent the day together ignoring this festival, a money-making opportunity for greedy millionaires.

I feel for the community that has blindly been swept away with this con, as it dawns on them how much they have wasted on this short-lived event. Thank you for publishing what I believe reflects the silent thoughts of many.

Beverly Birch

Address supplied

In the discussions around our monarchy, it strikes me that we need to separate personality from function.

I dare say our Queen is an extremely pleasant little old lady who reminds everyone of a favourite relative. But do we need a monarchy to supply a head of state?

For all those who point out that we may get stuck with a Donald Trump or Bojo the clown as head of state, the answer is simple. We can at least vote them out. An option not available at the moment.

We may also be lucky enough to get someone as gifted and able a president as Mary Robinson proved to be for Ireland.

To say that the monarch’s child will be as good as the monarch is as daft as saying Einstein’s son would be a brilliant physicist. We need to reexamine the function, not the personality.

D Leddy

Surrey

Has all the sycophantic gushing and tedious reporting of this massive waste of public money stopped? Where I live there were no street parties, no silly flag waving and, thankfully, no hideous bunting.

Whilst people dread massive cost of living expenses, a multitude of “duchesses” paraded their hugely costly finery for all of us to be in awe of.

Meghan and Harry couldn’t do right for doing wrong, as “experts” advised us of Harry’s anxious mental state. Are they mind readers as well as experts? Meghan looked stunning and I didn’t hear any boos and jeers pointed in her direction. Quite appropriately, these were directed at the party-loving Johnsons.

Hopefully the British public can return to the real world when their huge bills come piling through the letter boxes and they realise that pretty frocks aren’t that important.

Thankfully the Scots aren’t as easily fooled.

Pauline M

Address supplied

The airports, the travel firms and airlines currently cancelling flights must share the blame for the chaos in our travel industry.

Although Covid restrictions and illness have affected their ability to offer a stable service, it is the lack of fully trained staff to satisfy demand that is the true cause of the problem.

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My belief is that airlines have knowingly accepted more passengers than they could cope with given their known staffing levels. There are still staff having to isolate due to Covid, which adds to these problems.

Many thousands of travellers have been treated cruelly due to the incompetence and greed of the airlines and also been failed by the airports. They ought to be censured for their deceitful failure to provide travel services for which people had paid.

Yet another example of how this country has descended into chaos due to greed and incompetence since Boris Johnson came to power. P&O Ferries is another glaring example. And our government stands idly by, impotent to impose any redress for fear of big business.

Keith Poole

Basingstoke