Letter of the week: Nigel Farage is losing interest in Britain, for one big reason

RE: “The unravelling of Nigel Farage,” by James Ball, TNW #489

One look at Farage is all that’s needed to tell what he’s really like. A Donald Trump wannabe, nothing more. I think he’s lost interest in this country because he sees how much money the Trump family are making and wants in.

Wendy Hodgson

This scrutiny is long overdue and the piteous whingeing about it by Danny Kruger, Richard Tice and Farage himself is straight out of the Trump playbook (“fake news” and so on). But it is also breathtakingly thin-skinned when you compare it with the relentless attacks that Starmer and Rayner have had to put up with from the moment they were elected.

John Hyder-Wilson

Reform are in trouble, and Andy Burnham should seriously consider a general election in the autumn to capitalise on their weakness.

Mark Cowling

This latest stunt to try and wrestle back the narrative by resigning should be seen for what it is – the desperate act of a man who knows his political life is coming to an end. He will not be missed. Sadly there are far too many wannabes who are still around and who will continue to spout this right wing rhetoric. Many of them are far worse than Farage.

Adam Primhak

Suggested Reading

The unravelling of Nigel Farage

James Ball

RE: “14 ways Nigel Farage could get himself out of this mess,” by Jonn Elledge, TNW #489

I choose option two (keep the money, sell off Reform, disappear) as it solves a lot of problems for other people too.

Christopher Harrison

If he gives the money back (which I think is where this will go next) the tax dodger will presumably just “lend” it to him tax free with another round of “nothing to see here”.

Stephen Baker

Is anyone else exercised by this government’s performative ineptitude in its much-trumpeted efforts to “keep big money out of politics” while not upsetting their own big donors? The measures currently under consideration will not stop big money and will only delay determined donors like Harborne.

Chris Goodrich

Re: “How a single super-ministry could fix Britain,” by Paul Mason, TNW #489

The super ministry should go anywhere but Manchester or London. Nottingham or Plymouth would send the right message.

John Hodgson

Paul Mason is right to suggest that public ownership is one element of a more equitable society in the UK. It’s always mystified me why the costs of taking the water industry, for example, back under government control should be prohibitive. Feargal Sharkey, the prominent campaigner, has pointed out that if you look at the water companies’ liabilities, they are virtually worthless. A couple of sides of A4 should sort it, unless you get the lawyers involved.

Alasdair Lawrance

RE: “The devolution delusion is about to meet reality,” by Patience Wheatcroft, TNW #489

It was extremely disappointing to find that in Patience Wheatcroft’s analysis of the “delusion” of devolution there was no mention of the devolved governments of Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. It was unsurprising that she referred to “Britain” when she was actually talking about England, which in itself underlines why we need more devolution, not less.

Andrea D’Ambra

Suggested Reading

Andy Burnham’s devolution delusion is about to meet economic reality

Patience Wheatcroft

Patience Wheatcroft’s article misses two large points – and I’d like to thank Jonty Bloom’s A History of Brexit in 256 Disasters for pointing this out. Due to Brexit, the UK’s tax take is down £90bn per year. Yes, per annum. There’s the defence black hole sorted, and the money to resurface the roads ( the biggest complaint on the doorstep), to name but two large spending commitments. When we were in the EU we also benefitted from the EU Regional Development Fund, which deliberately targetted deprived areas by direct payments.

The Labour Party should make rejoining the EU its main manifesto commitment for the 2029 general election; some of my fellow comrades need to grow a backbone and take on Reform, Restore, the Tories directly.

Cllr Alan Quinn
Prestwich, Gtr Manchester

RE: “Alastair Campbell’s Diary,” TNW #489

It would be nice if you could give a balanced account of field marshal Douglas Haig, who was not the “butcher” of the popular imagination, and of the very humorous but wildly ahistorical BBC series Blackadder.

Roger Barnes

While Alastair’s analysis of “Butcher” Haig is broadly correct, a small correction: there were 57,470 casualties on the first day of the Somme, of which 19,240 were killed, not 57,000 British and empire troop deaths. While Haig was and is a controversial figure, these details are worth getting right. He ultimately masterminded the hundred days offensive, which finally broke the German war machine, and brought the most horrifying war so far to its end.

Aidan Gill

Vladimir Putin didn’t need to learn anything from Haig. He just looked at the tactics of Soviet generals in WWII.

John Pritchard

RE: “Hunt dodges the big questions,” by Ros Taylor, TNW #489

Hunt is one of the disreputable Tories (like Theresa May) who knew it was a grave error to leave the EU but became “Brexiteers” to further their careers. Others, like Dominic Grieve and Justine Greening stuck to their principles, which cost them their careers.

Brian Ronson

There’s a hint of flat cola about Jeremy Hunt and his trundling Postman Pat-like take on the UK and he remains shallow, glib and a bit creepy.

Christopher Chesney