Both Labour and Conservatives state they are capable of increasing everyone’s standard of living without any need to increase income tax, VAT or corporation tax.

Yet neither Sunak or Starmer have the courage to tell us where the cash to do so will be accrued, thinking the electorate suitably gullible and not realising how naive we consider them to be.

Peter Rickaby, West Park, Selby

Is democracy at risk from the rise of extremists?

With the July 4 election day fast approaching, politicians are spouting all sorts of untenable promises to the gullible masses, and all promising a land of ‘milk and honey’ if you vote for them.

When it comes to the two main parties, the Conservatives are promising that things will all ultimately work out fine, while the Labour Party is magically going to sort out the NHS and other social problems without raising tax - some trick.

I fear the election could be our last free and democratic election for some considerable time.

After the failure of the next government we could see a rise of the ultra left or ultra right parties - Communists and Facists. Throughout the world you can now see such extremists on both sides of the political spectrum now coming to the fore.

Democracy is now very finely balanced. I just hope common sense prevails.

DM Deamer, Monkgate, York

 

‘Broad church’ politics

The Labour Party is often described as a ‘broad church’, especially when there’s an internal party ‘domestic’, so by that reckoning there’s room for both Diane Abbott and Kier Starmer. Good. Solved!

Maintaining the ecclesiastical theme, the Church of England used to be referred to as ‘the Tory party at prayer’… I wonder what today’s House of Bishops would make of that?

Meanwhile, the LibDems might be Baptists going by their leader’s predilection for total immersion.

Sorry, shouldn’t drag religion into politics.

Derek Reed, Middlethorpe Drive, York

 

Trophy hunting

On July 4, voters have a chance to send a strong message about the cruel practice of trophy hunting.

At the last election, both major parties included a clear commitment to ban British hunters from bringing home their sickening ‘trophies’ of lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos and other animals they have killed for ‘sport’. A bill passed unanimously in the Commons but was then disgracefully blocked by a tiny minority of Lords.

The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, which we are proud to support, has commissioned a series of opinion polls to see what voters think about the issue. They reveal that: - nine out of 10 voters support a ban - voters are less likely to support a party that doesn’t promise to deliver a ban – even if they voted for that party last time.

I very much hope that all election candidates in the York area express publicly their support for a ban, and that local voters will join us in strongly urging them to do so.

Readers can do so via our web page https://bantrophyhunting.org/

Jane Goodall, Ranulph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley, Peter Egan, In support of Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, Covent Garden, London