A meagre King’s Speech – with nothing to deal with our broken politics

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Charles delivers the King’s Speech (PA Wire)

Given the magnitude of the problems facing the UK, the measures announced in the King’s Speech seem pretty meagre.

No one can object to tough penalties for serious criminals. However, there was absolutely nothing to deal effectively with our broken politics.

Also there was precious little on the environmental crisis. Claiming the government would seriously address this sat badly with the proposed offshore licensing bill.

Bearing in mind the huge international issues currently causing concern (both Ukraine and the Middle East) it would have been good to hear positive plans to strengthen our ties with the UN.

It will now clearly fall to the progressive parties in Britain to put these and other much-needed measures into their manifestos for the coming general election.

Andrew McLuskey

Ashford

This isn’t about Covid – it’s about an unfit government at war with itself

So, Boris Johnson referred to his next-door neighbour at the Treasury, Rishi Sunak, as “pro-death squad” when he was prime minister.

What does that say about Johnson when he defied scientific advice of an early lockdown? Oh I remember, didn’t Dominic Cummings say that Johnson wanted herd immunity? Something that would have killed off even more of our loved ones!

This isn’t about Covid. It’s about an unfit government at war with itself.

Geoffrey Brooking

Havant

No surprises

We shouldn’t be surprised that 70 per cent of Tory party members want Nigel Farage back. These, after all, were the people who elected Liz Truss. So they might even be rash enough to have Farage as leader. In which case, we could venture to hope that the Conservatives will render their sleazy, heartless, incompetent party unelectable for a reassuring number of years.

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire

Shame on Labour

As a lifelong Labour voter, I am profoundly appalled and deeply ashamed of the Labour Party. It has, in my opinion, lost its morality, values and principles, abandoning the very ideals espoused by figures like Robin Cook.

The party’s hypocrisy and double standards are painfully evident. Many ordinary people, including myself, are turning away from Labour. I implore you, for the sake of God and humanity, to show moral leadership and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The relentless violence on both sides must cease.

Their party can no longer fool ordinary people and will not have my vote! Shame on the Labour Party.

Peter Lyons

Address Supplied

The only insult to Armistice Day is Suella Braverman

The home secretary Suella Braverman and the Metropolitan Police are trying to stop the demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as it is set to be held in London on Armistice Day and, as their bizarre argument goes, such a march will be “disrespectful”.

Braverman also argues, without offering any evidence, that the march is a threat to the Cenotaph... even though the march will be taking place from Marble Arch to the US Embassy on the South Bank and will go nowhere near Whitehall.

The arguments against the demo are clearly politically driven, since the peace marchers have no hostility or ill-feeling against either the Cenotaph or Armistice Day.

Hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated in central London for an end to the attack on Gaza every Saturday and those marches have either ended in Whitehall or been held in the vicinity of Whitehall.

The Cenotaph has not been threatened in any way. Braverman’s claims are political red meat being irresponsibly thrown to incite her supporters.

And how can it be “disrespectful” for a march calling for an armistice in Gaza to be held on Armistice Day?

We are told that the soldiers that are honoured on Armistice Day died so that the UK could be “free”. Braverman insults their sacrifice by taking away the freedom to protest along with the freedom to strike and the freedom to mount effective protests against authority.

Sasha Simic

London