Shared concerns

I share his concern, though not his politics, and hope we agree it’s not simply income that determines quality of life.

Post-war radicalism too often tended to disrupt families and communities, and hampered natural charity; admittedly, estimable reforms were put into effect under Attlee (the NHS being the indispensable one).

A diet of largely processed foods – giving quick profits for agri-business and large food chains – may have worsened general health in the western world, something predicted in the 1960s by, among others, the prophetic American writer, Adelle Davis.

Despite positive claims about economies of scale, food prices are currently at their highest for 36 years.

It’s even conceivable that ‘fast’ food, drugs and large-scale immigration contribute to increased psychiatric illness among indigenous populations.

Over 13 years, Labour passed a mass of politically correct measures designed to enforce their egalitarian beliefs, and talked much about wealth redistribution.

The result was politicians becoming more corrupt, the rich getting richer and, as the song goes, the poor having babies.

The Coalition is little better. But for a while longer it can prevaricate and present harsh measures as necessary to right Labour’s profligacy.

To return more precisely to Joe Richards’ concerns: judging by (over?) optimistic reports in the Oxford Mail, it would appear that we’ll all be well catered for in old age, with the proposed new complex at Craufurd Road, GreenSquare’s assurances, and 156 flats in Greater Leys.

STEPHEN WARD, Tudor Close, Oxford