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Look at Venezuela

So GA Woodward ( SA 11.07) thinks anyone who voted Conservative last month should “hang their head in shame”. He says the Labour Party will invest in better jobs and better pay and end the failed Tory monerist and austerity policies etc.

Well Mr Woodward, I’m not holding my head in shame at Labour’s defeat. Indeed, I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief. Why? Because the extreme left wing ideology that Corbyn, McDonald and Co aspire to, simply doesn't work. Just look what socialism has done to Venezuela.

In 1999, this oil rich, middle income country was the wealthiest in Latin America. Then they elected Hugo Chavez, a socialist president who said “socialism was the only way forward for humanity”. Jeremy Corbyn welcomed his election as an “alternative global model” with “its 21st century socialism”. Diane Abbott said “it shows another way is possible.” Really?

President Chavez and then his successor Nicolas Maduro , have implemented a socialist programme that shows a remarkable similarity to the Labour 2017 manifesto. They have spent £640 billion on housing, healthcare and education, nationalised the banks and public utilities, hiked the top rate of tax for the wealthiest.

The consequences? The country’s debt has quadrupled, the wealthy have fled, taking their money, jobs and businesses with them, the economy and currency have collapsed, inflation is the highest in the world, there are chronic shortages of everything. The average Venezuelan has lost 19 pounds in weight due to food deprivation. Corruption and crime are rife. The minimum wage is equivalent to £33 per month and public sector workers are on a two day week!

The catastrophic plight of Venezuela is a classic example of what happens when the loony left hijack a wealthy capitalist country and turn it into a debt ridden, wealth depleted, economic cesspit. The only equality here is poverty. You can’t make everyone wealthy, so let’s make everyone poor. Cuba is exactly the same. Capitalism isn’t perfect. Far from it. But socialism is far worse. It impoverishes the masses, while the handful in power hold all the wealth.

T MORE, Capesthorne Drive, Haydon Wick

Who’s childish now?

Last year, in their 2016 local elections broadcast, the Green Party used young children to ridicule the “childish” antics of their political opponents.

Some may argue the use of children, who are too young to have a political opinion of their own, is morally reprehensible but this didn’t stop the Greens.

The Green Party describes itself as a party of the left. During its 2016 election broadcast it said it is “A party that cares about our planet and puts it before the profits of greedy corporations”.

On July 12 the Swindon Advertiser published the letter “Listen to Businesses” from Molly Scott Cato, Green MEP, South West.

Ms Cato said Business West was not calling for a reversal of Brexit but was echoing the Confederation of British Industries’ call on the Government to agree to a transitional deal to remain in the single market and customs unions until a final deal can be done.

Is Ms Cato really suggesting that our “friends” in the European Union would allow us to stay in the single market and customs union without continuing to accept the other “benefits” such as freedom of movement? Is she really that naïve or is this another attempt to hoodwink those of us who “didn’t know what we were voting for”?

During the EU referendum the Remain side subjected us to constant scare tactics. Ms Cato now claims “the time for sloganeering has long since passed” but referring to Brexit says, “it is vital we understand what situation we could find ourselves in if we do end up approaching that cliff-edge in 18 months”.

Two decades ago the CBI was lobbying the Government to join the Eurozone and continued to do so for many years. Considering the dire state of the Eurozone, is there anybody who would be rash enough to claim the CBI were right?

To help set their own agenda multinational companies lobby the Brussels headquarters of the European Union. On September, 4, 2015 the Financial Times reported, “CBI urges restraint in crackdown on tax dodging by multinationals”.

The Green Party appear to be no stranger to the adage “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”. They may claim to take moral high ground and say they represent a different form of politics. However, when it comes to getting what they want they are just as unprincipled and hypocritical as the politicians they criticise.

MR K KANE, Wharf Road, Wroughton

Support stroke victims

As many of your readers will know, stroke is devastating, changing people’s lives in the blink of an eye. The condition is a leading cause of disability, and many stroke survivors and their families’ financial situations are severely affected as a result.

At the Stroke Association, we support people to make the best possible recovery following a stroke. Our means-tested Life After Stroke Grants help stroke survivors and their families who are sometimes facing the most challenging time of their lives.

Life After Stroke Grants provide a one-off payment of up to £300 to fund vital home or personal equipment, or by funding support to become active after stroke. Our Grants have been used to contribute towards items such as mobility aids, kitchen appliances or specialist aids, or household furniture.

Last year, over 1,100 people across the UK used a Life After Stroke Grant to help rebuild their lives, and we want to support as many stroke survivors as we can.

Applications for Life After Stroke Grants must be applied for via the Stroke Association, by a health or social care professional, or another charity. To find out more about applying for a Grant, call our Stroke Helpline on 0303 3033 100, visit stroke.org.uk/grants or email us at grants.external@stroke.org.uk.

JACQUI CUTHBERT, Regional Director at the Stroke Association