LETTER: The stakeholder society: Blarkism and sustainable development

From Mr Colin Dewsnap

Sir: In your leading article "Blair and Clarke: are they by chance related?", you analyse in some detail which of two approaches, "Blarkism" or "shrinking the state/creating an anti-European Little Englander" is likely to best achieve a given objective - our survival in today's global, competitive economy. Surely, though, you have grossly oversimplified the objective. If we do not recognise the need for "sustainable development" in accordance with the decisions at Rio in 1992, is it not possible that the avid pursuit of global competitiveness in economic terms could lead to terminal decline.

For me, the inclusion in the long-term economic objective of this country of the need for the worldwide achievement of sustainable development helps me in assessing the likely efficacy of the two approaches. I prefer to go for a stake in a country that endeavours to give a world lead towards universal survival in order to try to ensure that we all have a future. We need an approach that encompasses a world vision, not a "Little Englander" one.

Yours faithfully,

Colin Dewsnap

Christchurch, Dorset