The benefit of disclosure trumps Boris Johnson’s possible motive

The Independent’s recent article raises many interesting points. Boris Johnson, perhaps still in party mode, has decided to “pass the parcel” to Rishi Sunak who will be holding it when the music stops. It seems more than likely that the unredacted content of the information Johnson has provided to the Cabinet Office, which he claims to be comprehensive, is likely to be damaging to his successors and opponents within the Tory party.

Boris Johnson is not a charitable man, and the worst-case scenario for the Tories is that there could be an enormous embarrassment and reputational damage to Rishi Sunak and other contemporary actors in the Covid crisis. If Johnson feels that the outcome of the inquiry is likely to be politically terminal for him, he’ll make sure that others will also suffer.

The probability that the outcome of this debacle is likely to further damage his party’s evaporating possibility of re-election appears to be no disincentive. Johnson’s behaviour in this matter is reflective of profound disunities in the Tory party.

It is correct that full disclosure is made to the formidable Lady Hallett and her Covid inquiry. If that is what materialises from his uncharacteristic candour, then the benefit of disclosure trumps its possible motivation.

David Nelmes

Newport

We rightly take in Afghans who helped our military campaign, together with their families, and then, after a few months, threaten to put them on the streets expecting them to find their own way in a different society, different culture, with no certainty of employment and no guarantee of housing.

There is general agreement that hotel accommodation is not the solution for anything other than the short term. The answer lies rather in the government purchasing mobile homes and establishing “villages” that provide acceptable living quarters so that our migrant friends can acclimatise and get the support they need.

Ian Reid

Kilnwick

The constant demands to accept cookies whenever someone wishes to use the internet is increasingly upsetting and an affront to the intelligence of users who are told: “we value your privacy“.

If this were true why bombard users with lists of “necessary” cookies or “useful” cookies expecting users to waste time with the numerous choices offered? And finding the small print to be able to reject cookies – not always available – wastes even more time.

The government should simply ban all these not-so-subtle ways of trying to extract personal data and information purely for commercial purposes.

Peter Fieldman

Address Supplied

Interesting letters from both David Nelmes and Judith Daniels concerning the behaviour of the nation’s employees. Nelmes poked an accusatory finger at the idleness of particular MPs while Daniels enthuses over minor civil servants undermining their bosses’ decisions.

From the standpoint of an ordinary employed person who has never had the option to pop in and out of the workplace when it suited me or worked for bosses who appreciated an underling’s efforts to question his actions, I find this lazy and casually subversive culture of our public servants deeply irritating.

Surely as taxpayers (and therefore employers) couldn’t we assume every one of those being lavishly paid (and pensioned) were at least being required to sign contracts of employment with agreed hours and holiday entitlement while engaging regularly in annual reviews and performance reviews in the workplace?

Having MPs swanning about failing to show any understanding of being a conscientious “full-time” employee or public servant should not be seen as acceptable.

Who makes the checks and balances when it comes to the workday effectiveness of the people we have employed to run parliament and operate the civil service?

Let’s have MPs and civil servants adopt a 9 to 5 workday and ban booking holidays in “term time”. We should monitor annual holiday entitlement and have regular performance reviews, attendance records and return-to-work sick leave interviews like the “normal” people must endure.

It’s time to instil some order and discipline into this culture of shambolic ineptitude, don’t you think?

Steve Mackinder

Denver