Starmer’s bland approach more welcome than what we have seen from the Tories - Yorkshire Post Letters

Peter Rickaby’s letter (The YP, May 25) shows just how desperate those on the right are to cling to their sinking ship. It seems to be the knee-jerk reaction these days to defend the indefensible by laying into Starmer on the grounds that he is bland and then throwing in the words ‘Jeremy Corbyn’. As lame as it is inaccurate.

And his reference to “politically vain under-30s” is unpleasant, baseless and condescending.

Sure, Starmer doesn’t come across as a flamboyant serial liar or a crazy egotist who found fame by trashing the economy, nor is he a weak individual who jazzes himself up with the trappings of wealth and misuse of public money (most visibly, helicopters) but compared with the behaviour of the Conservatives over the past 13 years, bland would hardly be a bad thing.

Maybe it’s the effect of too much reality tv, but the idea that a Prime Minister should be a character and a personality is, as has been clearly demonstrated, a dangerous concept.

I also cannot understand what seems to be a fearful dislike of socialism. Perhaps Mr Rickaby is muddling it up with communism? Socialism is about putting the welfare of everyone before the often obscene wealth-gathering of a few.

The premise of the NHS - now sadly in peril - is a classic example of what socialism is about. Imagine if our utilities - gas, electric, water - were still owned by us; in times of crisis prices would not need to shoot up so as to keep shareholders happy.

It is absolutely disgraceful that, for example, water companies have got away with filling seas and rivers with raw sewage and then, to add insult to injury, to say they’ll work on the problem but consumers will have to pay more.

And one only has to look at the enormous profits made by energy companies whilst people are literally having to choose to heat or eat to see what a miserable failure privatisation of such basic commodities is.

The many issues facing us today come after 13 years of the Tories. It’s no good anyone using Ukraine and the pandemic as excuses - we were not the only nation thus affected.

I understand that a Tory voter may find it impossible to vote Labour (but hopefully some will) but I do not understand how any decent, caring human being can support the current corrupt crew that has been running this nation into the ground.

Perhaps if those Tories who still care for others withdraw their vote, their party may take stock and rid itself of MPs who not only think they are above the law, but would seem a far better fit for UKIP. Give me bland any day.