Letter of the week: A not-so-corny notion

In his thoughtful essay, Tom McTague asks where is the politician with the determination and imagination of a Disraeli, able to resolve the problems facing the country? From Starmer we have had a hotchpotch of tired measures. Meanwhile, Andy Burnham can only offer tired ideas about higher taxes, increased welfare spending and uncosted nationalisation. It is little wonder that a discontented electorate clutches desperately at the straws offered by Farage and the Greens. It is a time to confront many difficult problems and to contemplate radical solutions.

In Disraeli’s day, this radicalism was found in Manchester, in the movement to abolish the Corn Laws, lead by Richard Cobden and John Bright, two principled, practical businessmen whose aim was to alleviate the distress these laws caused their workers. The opposition of vested interests was considerable, but this did not stop them. Interestingly, they did not merely make vague comments about “getting closer to the EU”; they extended their free-trade campaign to the Continent in the shape of the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty (1860) with the French.
Geoff Brown, Walton-on-Tham

Dizzying imagination

The immiseration of the people by the mismanagement of the British state, as Tom McTague points out, has led to tensions in British politics that are fast approaching breaking point. With our polity discredited, and vested interests holding sway, the answer may lie in the introduction of a more balanced tension between local and national politics – as many have advocated, including Gordon Brown. To take that to a radical level, a federal UK, structured around regional assemblies and governments, with powers over the management of health, housing, transport, education and policing, would leave a reduced Whitehall to enact central government policy on the economic, regulatory, foreign and defence framework. Replacing the upper house with elected senators from the regions (plus, perhaps, committee-appointed, time-limited representatives of “the great and the good”), would create a healthier balance between local and national needs. With each assembly receiving its own Barnett formula funding and national strategic funding distributed from Westminster, perhaps revolution can be avoided, while affecting its aims at the expense of an “odious” system of government.
Graham Johnston, Wymondham, Norfolk

Tom’s fascinating piece prompted me to delve into my dictionary of political quotations for an apt comment or two by Disraeli. There were more than 90 of them! I offer only two from that cornucopia. Of a parliamentary party: “You behold a range of exhausted volcanoes.” And of a political opponent Gladstone: “A sophistical rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity.” Who would Disraeli be referring to if he were alive today?
Colin Richards, Spark Bridge, Cumbria

Strong women leaders

Ailbhe Rea says that Labour has never had a woman leader. This is not absolutely correct. Following the death of John Smith on 12 May 1994, Margaret Beckett led the party until July. During that time, under her leadership, Labour won 62 out of a total of 87 seats in the European Parliamentary Elections.
Paddy Casswell, Loughborough

Ailbhe Rea is right that we ought to have a female Labour leader, and gives proper credit to Angela Rayner for her work in office. Rayner could win support from MPs and members, but if a general election was called soon, voters might think a mouthy, northern, working-class woman too big a risk. However, the decision rests with the party, not the electorate. If she were to get the job this summer, she would have time to prove herself. In 2029, with a couple of years of tangible achievement behind her, voters might change their minds.
Stephen McNair, Norfolk

Achieving ’Ness Zero

If the Guinness website is to be believed, it would appear that Andrew Marr is wrong: Guinness Zero is available on draught in Britain, albeit in just a couple of outlets in London. Perhaps this is something Andy Burnham should look into, alongside the electoral reform Andrew mentions.
Gareth Davies, Cucklington, Somerset

Believe it or not, non-alcholic Guinness is readily available in Scotland, although unlike Marr I would not advise drinking it.
Tom Steele, Langwood Barn, Peebles

Voxing clever

It is encouraging to know that I am not the only one who takes a real interest in vox pops. What is most entertaining is the fascinating and unpredictable variety of opinions. But let’s be honest, they also give us a serious insight into the thinking and the concerns of the electors. I doubt if many Makerfield voters will be having a “deep Hegelian exchange” on the way to the polling station (although some might). The vox pop is an important snapshot of what real voters think. My inner conspiracy theorist wonders which ones survive the edit. Do we really see every encounter on our local tea-time news?
Steve Cornforth, Liverpool

Get into the groove

Matt Chorley’s This England on clubbing was informative and entertaining, but it can only have been written by someone born in the Eighties, who didn’t have the misfortune of actually being inside one of these tawdry hellscapes during that decade. So, may I offer an alternative view from someone born in the late Sixties? Eighties nightclubs were awful neon-and-carpet bunkers that revelled in a kind of ridiculous self-importance and false exclusivity. The main purpose of attending such places was simply to extend the night beyond a pub’s last orders. This almost always meant “dressing up” – this was pre-rave, when things had yet to loosen up – which for men meant the dress code was collars, “smart” trousers and shoes, enforced by bouncers who seemed to have trained under Erich Honecker. Only Netflix could have saved us.
Steve Morris, Crazies Hill, Berkshire

Twice I stopped reading Matt Chorley’s This England to recite lines I found particularly funny to my wife. I am a 34-year-old who also still just wants to dance, and Chorley has sold me on day-clubs. That said, when he wrote “my multitalented, leg-warmered wife manages to perfect the art of swinging…” I did pause for a moment, fearing this wasn’t quite the club I thought it was!
Ash Corbett-Collins, Sutton Coldfield

When the chips are put down…

I was appalled by the classism shown by Finn McRedmond in her attack on a national staple. The chip is a symbol of the people. A chippy tea was the ultimate treat when I was growing up. Yes, leave them too long in the bag and they get a bit soggy, but comparing their structural integrity to the French fry – which, depending on cooking times, is mere seconds between air dancer and firewood – is a crime.

If Finn wants structural integrity I suggest they take their silver spoon down to the homeland of our great nation, the Black Country, where not only can they have their fish battered, but their chips battered too. Orange chips are a pillar of the community.
Babs Mundye, Birmingham, West Midlands

I was going to write to say how I echoed the sentiment expressed by Julia Edwards, responding to Finn McRedmond’s thoughts on apricot cake. But then I read McRedmond’s latest Silver Spoon and found another reason to write. She expresses her surprise at the success of the chip. Here’s the thing: it’s because we like them. Could there be a better reason?
Pete Goodrum, Norwich

Heartache

Nicholas Lezard, an Arsenal fan, writes it has been “22 years since the last Premiership victory. That’s a long time.” Try being a Heart of Midlothian supporter. We’ve waited 66 years and were some ten minutes away from triumph. Now that’s a long time!
Andrew Wilson, Cromarty

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[Further reading: Andy Burnham’s door-knock to Downing Street]