The Tory blame game won’t work in the face of facts

Suella Braverman has clearly been promoted beyond her capabilities.

A trait that she portrays very well and very often is blaming people and organisations that are at the forefront of conflicts, for the deficiencies of her office and government. An excellent example of this was her interview on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg where she seemed to ignore, totally, the effect that Brexit has had on travel for British people.

It is obvious to all, except to Braverman and the Tories, that the delays at ports, airports, and other embarkation points in the British Isles are due to the disastrous negotiations by the government to leave the EU.

Not only that, but Brexit is the cause of difficulties in Northern Ireland; it is why Stormont has been suspended for over a year. It is why we’re paying Rwanda millions of pounds to house asylum seekers; a problem caused, and exacerbated, by the inept handling of this situation by the government.

The blame game won’t work in the face of all the facts, Braverman and her government must stop trying to alter the truth. Their contribution to the parlous state of the country is obvious. After 13 years all we have is a reduced standard of living, a financial future that looks bleak, and a society suffering as all social infrastructure collapses and the cost of living skyrockets.

Braverman typifies the standard of competence of this Tory government which doesn’t bode well for the future. All around us, there is a failing infrastructure, and the Tories have their heads in the sand, telling us lies, selling us short, and taking us down a spiral of evermore hardship. We must end this period of failed politics and retrieve the situation – bring on the elections.

Keith Poole

Basingstoke

Sam Boote, in his letter to The Independent, beats the Tories once again with the Brexit stick and trots out the same tired “Bremainer” trope saying that it was the Tories who took us out of Europe. They didn’t! We deluded, tired, blind, and perplexed voters did!

The fact remains that trade secretaries from Liam Fox right through to Liz Truss and now Kemi Badenoch have all proved about as much use as a glass hammer when it comes to broadening our trading base away from the EU or increasing our GDP.

It’s easy to be cynical and easier to point accusatory fingers, but do contributors have to be quite so triumphant and (dare I suggest) gleeful at the mess we’re in?

It may feel great to pronounce "I told you so", but it doesn’t change anything or contribute anything to making things better. So, what’s the point?

As Thumper’s mother told him “if you can’t say somethin’ nice don’t say nuthin’ at all."

Steve Mackinder

Denver

The shameful performance of our current home secretary Suella Braverman should result in her rapid removal from office. The prime minister, buoyed up by his recent success over the Northern Ireland protocol, should learn to be as “ruthless” as the leader of the opposition has been with Corbyn, and remove her from office before she is allowed to cause more damage.

He is unlikely to do this, of course, since her rabid views represent those of a minority in the Conservative Party that Sunak seems eager to appease. The crises on our borders are the result of 13 years of Tory government for which it takes no responsibility but instead indulges in slogan politics bolstered by blame culture. Politicians that are not guided by sincere beliefs and principles but merely do what seems to be expedient are not worthy of high office.

Contrast this with the principled yet pragmatic actions of Starmer who, as you report, has stated, “if you can’t take the public with you on a journey of reform, then you’re probably on the wrong journey”. He recognises that politicians should offer leadership and direction towards the goal of a better world in the future; one to which the majority can subscribe. One hopes that such beliefs will eventually have traction with the electorate and enable us to be governed by those who are prepared to take serious and strategic action to address the problems that beset us.

Graham Powell

Cirencester

Hot on the heels of the billions wasted on PPE, now the government is refusing to act in regards to the £100m apprenticeships rip-off.

This is yet more money being wasted by a government only interested in the top 1 per cent of earners in society.

What a shame they won’t follow Labour’s policy of investing this money in doubling onshore wind, quadrupling offshore wind, tripling solar power, and at the same time creating 100,000 jobs with a newly proposed and publicly owned GB Energy company.

While so many talents and so much money continue to go to waste under the Conservatives, surely it is time for Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour government in waiting to be given a fair chance.

Geoffrey Brooking

Hampshire