Public services over tax cuts and gaslighting from no.10?
In today’s MetroTalk, a reader writes in to express frustration at tax cuts – because he, like most of us, wants to invest them to our public services.
Meanwhile, the UK is in a recession, and so, readers were rather perplexed at the prime minister’s rather optimistic assertion on Wednesday that the UK economy had actually ‘turned a corner.’
The prevailing sentiment suggests that Rishi Sunak may be in denial about the true state of the economy. For our readers, a recession comes as no surprise.
Share what you think in the comments.
Plan, what plan?
I wish the government would stop trying to win votes by offering tax cuts. I don’t want any tax cuts. I’m a higher-rate taxpayer – in fact, I pay a higher percentage of my income than the prime minister – but I still don’t want tax cuts!
What I do want is decent public services, including a functioning NHS and dental services. I also want decent schools and an end to the ridiculous amounts of student debt.
The PM keeps telling us he has a plan but he never tells us what it is. John Lewis, Coulsdon
The economy has slipped into recession, dealing a heavy blow to prime minister Rishi Sunak, who made growing it one of his five pre-election priorities (Metro, Fri).
Sunak claimed one day beforehand that the economy had ‘turned a corner’. He is either delusional or gaslighting the British public.
Britain is not only a low-investment economy but it is not as productive as it once was, say many economists.
Growth has completely flatlined and the economy is smaller than it once was – and stagnant.
Perhaps Great Britain should be renamed Little Britain. Scott, West London
It doesn’t surprise me that we are in a recession. First of all, Brexit was an act of monumental self-harm.
Secondly is the ‘Truss factor’. We had a prime minister and chancellor whose knowledge of economics could be written on the back of a postage stamp, with the consequence that the financial markets were spooked and the economy almost crashed.
Yes, there have been global pressures that have had a big impact on economies worldwide, but had Britain not had to also deal with the economic backlash from Brexit and the disastrous leadership of Liz Truss, this country would be doing so much better than it is at the present time. Alan Jensen, West Hampstead
Thank you for your informative piece on ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (Metro, Feb 12). For years, we’ve seen a rise in different types of short-term credit – some reputable, others less so.
More and more users are getting into serious trouble with the less scrupulous providers, which gets me thinking of something I’ve spoken to a lot of people about lately: we need better financial education.
I applaud Metro for rising to the task, and look forward to similar articles to come. Rob Slater, Norfolk
London Overground’s map has been redesigned with six new colours and names – the Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty lines– in a £6.3million rebrand (Metro, Fri).
With the Central line falling to pieces, can Transport for London think of nothing better to do with its money than assign woke-compliant names to Overground lines? Jules, London
Philip Clark (MetroTalk, Tue) is right in saying ‘human life is not sacred’. Our ego believes otherwise, though.
In the endlessness of the universe, human beings are of no significance whatsoever. We are an unimaginably destructive species that Mother Earth wants gone – forever.
When we become extinct, within maybe 100 years, Mother Earth will flourish again. And the animals will reclaim the planet as theirs. Valerie, Richmond
Paul (MetroTalk, Fri) says Donald Trump should use the song American Idiot by Green Day at his rallies. How about Orange Crush by REM, or ‘Comb’ As You Are by Nirvana?! Pam, Liverpool
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