During the week I’ve been making an effort to read the European, North American and Brazilian press to see what they make of recent events in British politics. It won’t surprise your readers to know that the UK is seen as a laughing stock and our government as incompetent and mismanaging the economy. And they are also fully aware and critical of the fact that whist the rich are largely shielded from this mismanagement it’s everybody else who is paying the price in terms of 10.1 per cent inflation and surging energy bills. It seems to me that ordinary folk have done nothing wrong but they are the one’s paying the price.

The least local people can expect from our two local MPs, Dean Russell (Watford) and Gagan Mohindra (SW Herts), is an apology because they are a party to all that’s going on and their job is supposed to be to look after our interests. But if past form is anything to go by they will fully support this government despite its crazy policies and u-turns. No wonder their party is so far behind in the opinion polls – they deserve to be.

Philip Parry

South-West Herts Labour Party