IN HIS letter (December 29), Councillor John Tanner continues to rant about the catastrophes of 2016 such as the stupidity of Brexit as he puts it and the disaster of the Trump election.

He goes on “let us resolve to be good Europeans and create the peace on earth of the Christmas story”.

Didn’t his omnipotent leader Tony Blair involve us in an unnecessary war with Iraq thus resulting in a greater problem in the middle East with IS?

He says “we can be better but only if we live and work for the benefit of others, not just for ourselves”.

I hope he remembers that when the councillors’ expenses come up for review.

How generous of him to say that overseas aid is an excellent use of public money, never mind that cut after cut is being inflicted on his fellow countryman in social welfare.

The Government gives 0.7 per cent of the gross national income in overseas aid, a staggering £12.2bn last year.

Let’s do what Sweden does and make it a whole two per cent of the gross national income.

We can scrap free prescriptions for the elderly and others that receive this benefit.

People won’t be able to afford their medicines and will die, thus saving the Government billions.

Scrap the bus passes so they can’t go out, scrap the winter fuel allowance so the poor beggars freeze to death in winter, thus saving the Government and local authorities more money.

Yes Mr Tanner! Let’s help the world and its wife while we little Englanders live in a Third World country.

As the council board member for a clean and green Oxford, may I humbly suggest that you concentrate on sorting the rubbish instead of spouting it. 

MIKE CLARKE, Old Marston