OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
This from Hans Bromwich, Cowes. Ed
Japan is in trouble, its debt is estimated to be around 9.2 trillion USD, or 263% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To make matters worse 30% of its population are aged 65 and over. China is heading in a similar direction.
Despite lifting its one child policy many couples are choosing not to have children due to the rising cost of living. A declining birthrate creates an imbalance in society affecting the economy and ability to provide services.
UK perspective
Perhaps this is something we need to reflect upon here in the UK?
Should we be lifting the two child benefit cap, should we be far more tolerant of migrants wishing to work and contribute to the UK economy? Let’s not forget how important the Windrush generation were to rebuilding Britain at the end of the Second World War.
No provision for growing population
The truth is that successive UK Government’s haven’t made provision for a growing population, indeed they’ve done quite the opposite, implementing cuts to public services.
They now want to blame others, and who better than migrants who’ve travelled across Europe, paid thousands to people smugglers, all in the hope of building a better life here in the UK.
Number of bricklayers halved since Brexit
In 2005 the UK had in excess of 100,000 bricklayers, by 2023 that number had fallen to 42,000, thanks largely to Brexit with many tradespeople from Europe choosing to returning home.
Quite how Labour intends building 1.5million new ‘affordable’ homes over the next five years hasn’t been revealed. Perhaps as migrants step onto the shores of Dover they ought to be handed a trowel?
AI will affect many’s futures
But it’s way more complicated. Let’s not kid ourselves the private sector wants to build ‘affordable homes’, that’s not going to maximise their profits. And who will be buying all these new properties? City traders with their bonuses? Well their days are numbered as AI takes over market trading.
AI will also see the demise of numerous other lucrative middle class jobs, (traditional home buyers), as companies seek to make efficiencies and cut costs.
We don’t need austerity 2.0
So where’s the hope, and why are we condemning so many to lives of misery? We really don’t need austerity 2.0, nor Keir Starmer’s remodelling of Labour as the Tory Party. We need a government with vision, one with a credible plan for the future.
