This government’s feeble response to our problems of health, unaffordable housing and the exorbitant costs of social care only confirm my belief that his parliamentary supporters are shameless.

Ironically, UK’s record with regard to life’s basic necessities compares very badly with the Europe that Boris Johnson taught us to despise.

He shamelessly boasts about his forward plans in these respects but it looks more like throwing a few morsels of bread to a starving crowd.

From The Equality Trust, “The UK has a very high level of income inequality compared to other developed countries. The majority of households in the UK have disposable incomes below the mean income (£34,200 as of 2018)…..Most of this is accounted for by the rise in average income for the richest fifth, which has increased by 4.7%.”

Whilst a ‘blind eye’ is turned to tax evasion, tax avoidance, tax havens and billionaires who have been quick to salt away their riches out of reach of their consciences, it’s worth taking a look at how the NHS is funded.

National Insurance of 12% is taken from our earnings from £9,600 to £49,000 p.a. when the amount drops to 2% for the remainder of one’s income. You don’t need to be an Einstein to see that the more you earn the lower overall percentage of your earnings you pay.

The rate of N.I. is going up by 1.25% next April. No pay rise for nurses, but a Dickensian tax reduction of a whole £70 p.a. for basic rate tax payers (including the billionaires). I think this country and possibly the world needs a strong dose of socialism; its leaders are now too engrossed in the evils of capitalism personal greed and power, to realise where they have taken us.

MIKE JOSLIN

Dorchester