Zahawi is gone – but when will we find out the truth?

Although the ethics advisor has done a swift and good job with regards to Nadhim Zahawi, I am very surprised he is only allowed to investigate, if invited to so do, by the prime minister.

What is actually required of an ethics adviser? What is Rishi Sunak avoiding? Was he informed of Zahawi’s tax difficulties prior to his appointment by him, as Tory party chair? I assume we will be told. Or doesn’t our PM actually understand the meaning of integrity?

Edward Lyon

Sandown, Isle of Wight

Having read the letter from Sir Laurie Magnus to the prime minister concerning Nadhim Zahawi, can we conclude that part of the remit was to provide the template for reporting on other ministers’ indiscretions? It seems that all that is required is to fill in dates and names and we will have summarised their egregious acts very clearly.

John Blake

Dorset

Every one of us shares a solemn duty to cherish the countless innocents who had perished in gas chambers and extermination camps during the Holocaust.

We have also a solemn duty to remember the pain inflicted upon Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Millions of Uyghurs were incarcerated in re-education camps. They were subjected to torture, coercive labour, gang rape, modern slavery, cultural and religious erasure, political and social indoctrination, ethnic assimilation, pervasive surveillance and monitoring mechanisms, forced injections, mass sterilisations, abortion and organ harvesting. This is one of the most unspeakable cruelties in the 21st century. The international community is bowing its head in reverential silence. When will we rise from our sleep and take concrete actions to stop genocide unfolding in front of our eyes?

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London

I gather that a fast food chain is to play classical music to deter anti-social groups of youths. Let’s just hope the said disruptive types haven’t got round to reading A Clockwork Orange. (Anthony Burgess’s characters are immensely violent while also appreciative of fine music.)

Cole Davis

Chalk Hill Road, Norwich

Trying to work my way through the sludge and mire emanating from our government on a daily basis, and at the moment sadly from our police forces as well, it’s very refreshing to see The Independent, in its customary campaigning style, dare to say what should have been blindingly obvious long ago, that if we want satisfactory public services, we need to pay for them. And we can’t just keep on endlessly borrowing.

I’ve been wondering recently whether it could be possible to redefine tax, to express it rather as a share, an investment bought, to fund the needs of our national community. Obviously not as simple as that, and the relationship between cost and value would be complex, but at least to approach the idea that a tax is not just money taken away from you, but your contribution towards making our country a safe, efficient and fair place for us all to live. And of course it would require a realistic belief in the ability of our government to spend it wisely, efficiently and effectively. A big ask.

How much would it cost to enable our health service, our social care, our police, and all the other services currently provided by government to work efficiently and effectively, and ensure that no one has to live on a wage that cannot support a safe and secure standard of living? As you say, it doesn’t have to be world-class, we’re not in a competition trying to prove we’re better than everyone else. That can’t be achieved by shouting about it.

We just need all these systems to work well enough. I’m fortunate not to have to worry about daily expenses and would happily pay more tax, buy more shares, if I could be confident that the requirement – could we drop the word burden? – would be fairly spread, and be genuinely related to our individual real wealth, not just the amount we’re prepared to admit to.

We’re often told the rich and powerful, including the wealth creators, would leave the country if they were asked to pay more than they want to. I’m inclined to say if they don’t value their country any more than that, let them go. With a fairer society there could be many more entrepreneurs, creative people, and wealth creators who given the chance could take their places.

David Buckton

Linton, Cambridge

This article is important but I fear it ignores a category of NHS funding patients who do not have any option of going private: those with chronic health conditions.

I have haemochromatosis, a chronic condition, and currently, I am awaiting a much-needed hip replacement operation. I did seek a private consultation last year and the surgeon concerned straight away stated having the operation privately was out of the question due to my condition and the potential need for post-operative interventions if complications arise; something not possible in a private facility. So, my big worry is that by increasingly devaluing and diminishing NHS capability without a joined up approach covering both NHS and private provision we will end up with a NHS incapable of delivering vital emergency and elective procedures.

Presently, I have been told my elective pathway is shut due to winter and strike pressures and I have no idea when my operation can take place. It is beyond time that the current problems facing medical and social care providers should have been addressed to achieve sustainable and effective service provision! The government’s excuses over strike resolutions and the plans for resolving matters are just plain pathetic.

Meirion Rees

Wiltshire