Last week, Liz Truss bemoaned the “anti-growth coalition” and called for “growth, growth, growth”. This nonexistent broad-based coalition seems to include nearly everyone who does not agree with her dangerously irresponsible promotion of profits and capitalist accumulation, no matter what the human and environmental costs.
Truss seems to care nothing for the wellbeing of ordinary people. In fact, she is not calling for growth, but for greed. I would be happy to join any anti-greed coalition – one that calls for the growth of human wellbeing and life expectancy; the growth of understanding of the catastrophic crisis that the world is facing through ecocide and of interventions that can prevent it; and growth in capacity of welfare services, such as the NHS, that meet human need.
Truss’s policies will not deliver for the people, but will rather hasten ecological breakdown, create mass poverty and lead to many avoidable and premature deaths through what can only be described as “social murder”.
Dr David Scott
The Open University
• Liz Truss’s mantra is “growth, growth, growth”, but even if her plans work, will it be the type of growth we want? Low taxation doesn’t tackle the underlying causes of poor growth. Young people are tomorrow’s inventors and entrepreneurs. Yet the latest figures, for 2020-21, showed that 27% of children were living in poverty – which most likely means missing out on adequate meals. This can affect their growth, mental and physical, putting them and our country at a lifelong disadvantage.
A fit and healthy workforce is essential for solid growth, yet the NHS is chronically underfunded. With the additional disruption due to Covid, delays in treatment mean increasing numbers of people are becoming chronically ill due to what should be curable ailments.
These are just two areas where investment is needed for sustained economic growth. Low taxes for businesses and the rich may help temporarily, but without a healthy, skilled and innovative workforce, we will probably end up becoming the sweatshop of Europe.
Rob Basto
Reigate, Surrey
• Liz Truss’s vacuous mantra of “growth, growth, growth” made me think. Under the Tories we have experienced growth in: the cost of living; child poverty; air and water pollution; NHS waiting times; the decline of habitat and bird, mammal and insect species; the exploitation and undermining of workers’ rights; the use of food banks; the number of people with mental health conditions who are also without access to treatment; profiteering, money laundering, fraud, offshore tax avoidance; the number of uninvestigated crimes; the number of lies told with impunity.
We need an expansive, inclusive vision that encourages and assists people to live creative, healthy and fulfilling lives. The puny concept of growth that Truss espouses needs blowing wide apart.
Catherine Dornan
Llandrindod Wells, Powys
• Liz Truss’s reputation for a tin-eared lack of self-awareness seems to be well-earned; whereas the hard consonants and polysyllables of Tony Blair’s “education, education, education” at least gave his words a rhythmical memorability, Truss’s “growth, growth, growth” manages to sound, fittingly enough, like nothing more than the plaintive barks of a neglected household pet, bought in haste but now the subject of its owners’ buyers’ remorse.
Mike Hine
Kingston upon Thames, London
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
• The third letter above was amended on 11 October 2022. An earlier version said “without impunity” where “with impunity” was meant.
