Martin Kettle’s analysis of the dysfunctionality of government is spot-on, but incomplete (The biggest problem for Starmer and co: the machinery of government is broken and they can’t fix it, 7 August). The core problem is our unwillingness to face up to reality, whether it is on tax, the need to invest in reform, the impact of Brexit, the pros and cons of legal migration, the real steps necessary to stem illegal migration at source, the implications of the new cold war, or the new world order under Donald Trump.
By biting our tongue and trying to fudge the hard choices, successive governments have both confused and misled. Now is the time to treat the public as adults and trust them to recognise the need to get real.
We need to rebuild the country to make it relevant for both today and the future, and that means moving beyond the Widow Twankey politics of saying a lot but doing nothing. Now is the time for genuine leadership and a promise to lead, not follow, the nation.
Tom Kelly
Prime minister’s official spokesperson 2001-07
