History will not be kind to current prime minister or his government

Published on Sunday 7 June 2009 21:41

IT is now clear that history is going to be ruthlessly brutal to Gordon Brown as a man whose thinking and ability were not up to the job.

His constant undermining of Tony Blair meant that the promise of 1997 was never achieved. We have had not just 12 wasted years of non-achievement but have actually ruined the economic legacy that was handed over in 1997. It is now clear that history is going to be ruthlessly brutal to Gordon Brown as a man whose thinking and ability were not up to the job. His constant undermining of Tony Blair meant that the promise of 1997 was never achieved. We have had not just 12 wasted years of non-achievement but have actually ruined the economic legacy that was handed over in 1997.

History is going to show that his ruthless personal ambition, outdated thinking and lack of competence have done more damage to the United Kingdom than any other recent politician.

What is much worse is that his legacy is going to make things worse for everyone from those who have worked hard in the private sector to the public-sector workers who are going to lose jobs in the inevitable cuts. Higher taxes are going to penalise the next generation for many years.

BRUCE D SKIVINGTON

Pairc a Ghlib

Strath Gairloch, Wester Ross

On Wednesday, the Commons will debate a motion calling for the dissolution of parliament, but many Labour MPs will be inclined to vote against it purely on personal financial grounds.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, could greatly increase the chances of winning that vote, if he was prepared to play hardball by threatening that his future Tory government would pass legislation to retrospectively strip those MPs who oppose dissolution of all the payments they had received during the term of this parliament.

That may seem extreme, but at least it would not involve the use of troops – the method used by Cromwell in 1653 to force out the Rump, which just like the present Parliament had "grown intolerably odious to the whole nation" but stubbornly refused to allow a fresh election.

(DR) D R COOPER

Belmont Park Avenue

Maidenhead, Berkshire

Today's Cabinet seems a return of the era of the "Carry On" films with characters emulating some of the greats: Peter Mandelson is a perfect replacement for Kenneth Williams, Alan Sugar for Sid James, Gordon Brown for Bill Maynard, Alan Johnson for Leslie Phillips, Ben Bradshaw for Ian Lavender, Bob Ainsworth for Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Hain for Charles Hawtrey, David Miliband for Jim Dale, Jack Straw for Wilfrid Hyde-White, Harriet Harman for Hattie Jacques, Yvette Cooper for Barbara Windsor and Glenys Kinnock for Dora Bryan. It could be called "Carry on Governing", but that seems too far fetched.

BRIAN CHRISTLEY

Bryn Gwyn

Abergele, Conwy