The Tories broke Britain – why would anybody ever vote for them again?

Penny Little asked a very pertinent question and highlights a heap of failings of the present government after more than a decade of Tory misrule.

But she omits to cite so much more, including countless trains that are cancelled or delayed, roads everywhere blighted by potholes, a chronically underfunded criminal justice system, a broken NHS system where simply obtaining a GP appointment is a challenge, a failing social care system (which Johnson promised he had a plan to fix), crumbling schools and infrastructure more generally.

She also omits to add corruption, mendacity and lack of judgment to her list of characteristics frequently exhibited by this truly appalling series of Tory governments. And, yes, it is even more baffling that many will still vote Tory next time around!

Nick Eastwell

London

It seems reasonable to surmise that Boris Johnson’s appearance at his own Covid inquiry will prove an excruciating experience. It is difficult to see how he can possibly emerge from the intense scrutiny of a highly professional interrogation undertaken in search of cold facts without both he and his party suffering even further damage. Precision is not his forte, and the usual blather and obfuscation is unlikely to serve him well. There is no convenient refuge from questions asked to be found in this particular cold room.

It may be that Johnson’s written statement is “set to barely mention his former senior aide Dominic Cummings” however, it is a preference that is unlikely to be afforded him in the live enquiry. Boris Johnson was the elected and self-declared “the buck stops here” prime minister, and the now-alienated Cummings was Johnson’s chosen man.

David Nelmes

Newport

It does amuse me how we squabble so much about who looks after the Parthenon marbles. They are clearly Greek, so why do we want to hold onto them here when the Greeks are up and ready to have them back?

They are valuable artefacts, and the main thing is that they exist, not where they are, as long as they are accessible to those who are interested in them and properly looked after. This is just another example of how our government can stoop so low and become so shamelessly childish in its pursuit of votes, insulting our intelligence yet again.

Dennis Leachman

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