Newark Advertiser reader letter: Political reform is much needed

Even in these early days of 2025 I imagine that many of your readers, and residents across the county will still be reflecting on the past year and even earlier when they consider the problems that have and are affecting them.

We can all reflect on the pandemic, then the after-effects of Brexit and the ensuing cost of living crisis, which is still with us.

Many voters looked for change in the General Election and the promises made by one particular party, which were dashed when they took office — following it with a Budget that attacked employment and sustainable food production!

There was clearly was a black hole in the economy, but as a taxpayer there seems to have been no accountability on either side for this state of affairs and economic growth seems to have flatlined.

Many of the problems in this country seem to have stemmed from the days when we did away with many of our manufacturing industries, and the expertise that went with them, and instead put in place service industries, created competitive monopolies and sold off this country's assets to the highest bidder.

In 1976 Lord Hailsham described our form of Government as an "elective dictatorship” because first past the post did not represent the needs of the nation and its citizens.

He called for a written constitution while others have called for proportional representation to remedy this divisive system.

It is a sad fact of life that Prime Ministers and politicians make decisions and take actions yet never consider the probable consequences on the people they allegedly represent.

And never more has this been so since they take an enhanced view over modern technology as solving all problems, even though they now know the potential effects on the human condition.

And the entrepreneurs of modern technology never have considered the ‘dark side', the misinformation, or how to stop it as they claim it is all about "free speech" - and making money from it as well!

Tit-for-tat politics over many decades, and where politicians seem to ignore the real problems of national life, have only helped to turn off many of the members of the public from politics given the many promises made are rarely kept.

So-called free speech and misinformation also does not help the situation but politicians rarely acknowledge this.

Clearly, reform is needed given that our current form of government seems unable to act quickly to the many problems that occur because procedures are long drawn out and not put in place to deal with political and other problems at an early stage.

But I doubt that real reform will ever come in many of our lifetimes and this country will continue to be more and more broken and divided until all politicians consider the real needs of this nation. — A. M. WADDINGTON, Sutton-on-Trent.