Crumbling schools? Insecure prisons? Blame austerity

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Much of the blame for recent disasters (and many more) lies at the feet of the austerity measures brought in by the Cameron government (PA Wire)

With more and more news about “broken Britain” coming out – the latest being the dire prison service and crumbling schools – can I remind everyone that much of the blame for these disasters (and many more) lies at the feet of the austerity measures brought in by the Cameron government?

Austerity was wrong, but that is what the British public voted for (presumably in the hope of tax cuts). So watch out in next year’s election for the voting population to be “bought off” by tax cut promises by the Tories.

Also remember that the Tory mantra (as outlined by Penny Mordaunt) is “low tax, small state and personal responsibility”, so no surprise should be felt when the fabric of the nation collapses under the desire for a “small state”!

Steve Barnes

Kent

Cameron’s master plan has failed

OK, let us see if I’ve got this right: firstly, we’ve got the Reclaim Party headed by Larry Fox, with ex-Tory MP Andrew Bridgen representing them in parliament. One of their aims, I understand, is to fight “wokeness”.

Then we have Reform UK, headed by Richard Tice, with arch-Europhobe Nigel Farage also on board.

Next, I see that Ukip are still limping along, probably ignoring the fact their raison d’etre has evaporated.

Finally, today I read that Dominic Cummings wishes to start a party to remove or take over from the Conservative Party.

All rather confusing, isn’t it?

I thought that David Cameron called a referendum on EU membership to neutralise the far right. Call me cynical, but I feel his plan has failed to achieve anything for him, his party, or his country.

Robert Boston

Kent

There’s no excuse to ignore solar energy

Whilst in France earlier this year my wife noted that the Leclerc supermarket car park had a structure over it to provide shade with solar panels on top.

If one considers the number of such possibilities in the UK, then the number of solar panels would make a huge contribution to our energy needs without using valuable farmland.

This should also be applied to all the roofs of buildings on out-of-town and urban trading estates.

Dennis Baum

London

The French government cannot hide its hypocrisy on Muslim women

The recent French ban on abayas in schools was introduced because it “broke rules on secularism”, claims the French government. A quick search online would tell anyone that an abaya is like a long maxi dress.

If, for its length and style, an abaya is against secular values, then why are long dresses not? Muslim women often wear an abaya as an extra layer of clothing. Many women actually use the buttoned-up long dresses available in Western retailers as abayas.

The top court in France ruled the law as not discriminatory. A Muslim girl can be sent home from her school for wearing a kimono, but a non-Muslim girl could practically wear the same thing but be allowed in – how is this not discrimination by law?

Reason fails to justify such an absurd ruling. It is glaringly obvious that the French government cannot hide its hypocrisy. To be fair, it is not even trying to.

First the veil, then the headscarf, now it’s the abaya. What next about Muslim women that will threaten French values? Every French clothing ban directly targets Muslim women and does so blatantly. Muslim women not only face the brunt of Western Islamophobia but also have their voices fall on deaf ears. If this is not patriarchy, then really, what is?

Western countries like France should let go of the pretence that they care about the rights of Muslim women elsewhere because they clearly don’t. Even for those who reside in their own countries, they don’t.

Ayesha Naseem

Lancashire