Wake up Britain '“ future is bleak

Actually, Robert Brown agrees with me on two counts (July 21); the second being year-round rural employment.

It is precisely our past and present social inequalities and industrial history that create sustainable tourism: Amberley, Beamish, Beltring, The Stade, Weald & Downland, etc.

That tourism now accounts for nine per cent GDP and 3.1m jobs (nine per cent and rising) reflects the serious decline since the new millennium in Britain’s skills-base and economic prospects, now over-dependent on skilled immigrant labour, statutory minimum wages with vanishing pay differentials.

The future looks bleak – unless we create a synthetic ‘Wealden theme park’ among tomorrow’s rural concrete jungle, and import all our food. Wake up Britain!

The rail strikes have nothing to do with ‘this government’.

This is a dispute between union members and their employer.

The courts recognise DOO is ‘safe’ (maybe not ideal), so the ‘honest broker’ here should be ACAS, set up by Labour to mutually resolve such disputes. So, where’s ACAS?

As to Robert’s valid comment on Grenfell Tower safety, he and others should read Labour’s 2005 Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order which placed the onus of responsibility on a defined ‘responsible person’ in line with Health & Safety legislation.

Previously, any changes to fire authority approved building plans, escape routes, new materials etc required further fire authority approval.

However, I would advise caution over Grenfell as we still don’t know exactly how the initial fire started and was allowed to spread to the external insulated cladding.

Blair and Brown were indeed largely responsible for the UK financial crash: they removed the Bank of England’s regulatory powers (to join the Euro), created the impotent FSA, destroyed pension funds and, like the City, gambled on future incomes.

If I live beyond my means, I have only myself to blame... but it wasn’t until 2010 that Labour admitted they ‘got it wrong’.