Another ‘specialist’? The government clearly hasn’t a clue

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Prime minister Boris Johnson leaving 10 Downing Street (PA)

With reference to the piece about another “specialist” consultant being brought into the government (Ex-Bank of England chief economist asked to rescue Boris Johnson’s troubled “levelling up” pledge), there is yet more evidence of the widening lack of competence of ministers.

This alarming trend is proof that we are allowing people into government whose qualifications for the role are limited to party loyalty and a clever marketing strategy. It is akin to someone buying a car because of the pretty colour and sales pitch, without checking that it has an engine.

There is clearly something rotten in the state of UK democracy – and it needs fixing.

Matt Minshall

Brittany, France

Another Brexit distraction

The proposed reintroduction of imperial measurements is purely the latest example of an attempt – risible, in my opinion – to placate and then distract the Brexit faithful from the parlous state of our country.

Every few weeks bizarre ideas such as bridges to Northern Ireland, convicts plucking chickens and armed jetskis are trotted out because our government has run out of sensible proposals – if, that is, it ever had any in the first place.

How long will it take and how many more “going nowhere ideas” must there be before the bulk of the population demand a return to proper governance?

Robert Boston

Kingshill, Kent

Do your homework

As a lifelong Tory voter, I despair that our current crop of “leaders” have nothing better to do than muck about with imperial measurements. Is there nothing else happening to which they should direct their attention?

I remember changing to the metric system in the 1960s and it was quite clear that the imperial system was not a tribute to British uniqueness – far from it.

The foot, mile and pound were introduced by the Romans. The avoirdupois system speaks for itself. The hundredweight and ton have a clear link to the metric system, where 112 imperial pounds equated to 100 metric pounds or 50 kilograms – the basis for our lucrative trade with the Hanseatic League.

Perhaps the Eton College motto should be changed to: ”Do your homework.”

A W Purcell

Hollingbourne, Kent

Last orders

Nigel Groom in a letter yesterday decried the return of pounds and pints.

I don’t know what he asks for when going to the bar, but I, and probably the majority, order a pint of beer.

This doesn’t seem to confuse people of the decimal generation.

Michael Pate

Ingol, Preston

Fertiliser problems

Few of us knew about the strange link between fertilisers and CO2 production. But given the widespread and alarming ramifications of a dearth of CO2, surely the government must offer a temporary subsidy to the closure of two fertiliser plants until the wider issue of gas prices is resolved. No doubt other gas-dependent manufacturers will protest, but this CO2 problem looks like a real emergency that needs an immediate short-term solution.

Even if we had an ideal free-market world, some government intervention would be unavoidable.

Gavin Turner

Gunton, Norfolk

Levelling down agenda

So Michael Gove is in charge of levelling up, is he? Well, the first thing he should do if he now has such wide-reaching powers is to insist on keeping the £20 universal credit uplift which is going to be scrapped, as that is majorly levelling down for those people who, during the pandemic, have heavily relied on it.

Only people who have been poor or are poor understand the significance of even such a paltry amount of money added to their weekly income.

Linda Evans

London

Unusual solution

Has anyone thought of alleviating the shortage of HGV drivers by linking a lot of lorries together, having a single driver in the front and perhaps pulling them along some metal track?

Alastair Duncan

Winchester