Andy Large's political miscellanea

Dear Editor, No doubt you are aware of the upcoming Congleton North by-election. The Greens are fielding a candidate, yet your coverage continues to allow them to present as harmless, cuddly tree-huggers. This image is misleading. In reality, Green policies favour Authoritarian Communism (responsible for around 100 million deaths so far), Islamism, and the legalisation of hard drugs.  I believe your readers would benefit from more robust scrutiny of "Green" positions rather than the current soft coverage.  A more balanced and questioning approach in the run-up to the by-election would be welcome and appreciated. Regards, Andy Large Alsager

Dear Editor, Our local MP recently took to Facebook to trumpet her chairmanship of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Family Friendly and Flexible Working. Proudly launching a toolkit for SMEs. And highlighting government support for parents – including the upcoming changes to paternity leave and day-one rights. All looks very worthy, no doubt. But buried in the warm words is the familiar 52-week statutory maternity leave entitlement. I can't help but notice how neatly that rounds to exactly one year. What a coincidence! I'm sure armies of economists crunched the numbers and financial trade offs rigorously before settling on this magic figure. Or did they? Why precisely 52 weeks? Why not 53, to cover a leap year? Why not 31.5 for a more "nuanced" approach? Or 4,369.45 weeks to really stick it to business? No, it had to be one tidy year – perfect for the photo-op, the headlines, and the virtue-signalling brownie points. Economic trade-offs for SMEs? Small businesses ...

Dear Editor, I am writing as a concerned resident of the Congleton area to highlight a troubling pattern in recent political calls for government intervention in everyday markets – specifically fuel prices and housing tenure – and to question why such interventions are repeatedly proposed without apparent understanding of basic economic trade-offs. Local MP Connor Naismith has urged the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate and act against alleged profiteering in fuel prices. Similarly, Sarah Russell MP has championed reforms to end leaseholds, framing them as exploitative practices that burden homeowners. If these markets are indeed rife with excessive profits and straightforward opportunities for lower prices or fairer terms, one has to ask a simple question: Why are the MPs themselves – or others who share their views – not stepping in to provide that better alternative? Why not launch a competitive fuel supply business to undercut the incumbents and donate the resulting ...