Helen Lewis`s Memory

Fourteen years since becoming "politically active", and Helen Lewis has never felt "more despairing about the quality of our politicians" (Out of the Ordinary, 16th February, 2018). Of all the Tory ministers, she is only able to point to Gove, whose weekly announcements on environmental issues apparently make him "a pocket of industry", whilst from Labour, only McDonnell and his advisers are praised for "thinking about new ways" to create a fairer economic model.

Lewis`s memory is clearly playing tricks! How can she forget Cameron`s administrations, which feigned compassion, and forged instead callous and unnecessary austerity polices aimed at the most unfortunate in our society? What about the "omnishambles" Osborne made of most of his budgets, failing to meet his own targets and losing the AAA credit rating, not to mention the reduction of taxes on the rich in times of increasing inequality, and the deliberate underfunding of health, caring and education? Gove took education back years to Gradgrindian rote-learning and GCSEs based on memory rather than analysis, whilst May introduced a billboard campaign, telling illegal immigrants to "go home or face arrest". Then there were the increases in academisation, privatisation, Rachmanism, "Fat-catism", food banks, phone-hacking and arms sales to the Saudis.

In any "despair league" of recent political action, that takes some beating!