Letters: At least Angela Rayner had the decency to resign – that’s a good thing

Readers respond to the resignation of Angela Rayner, and the ensuing cabinet reshuffle.

Angela Rayner resigns

She had the decency to resign for breaking the rules. That’s a good thing. When the Tories were in power their MPs would do far worse and try and avoid resigning as long as they could. 

u/Woffingshire, Reddit 

Angela Rayner was what I wanted to see and hear in the Labour Party. Her life was a wonderful story of determination against the odds. Not sure her mistake was intentional but she should have made really sure she was squeaky clean. 

Akers_lynne, Instagram 

Women are always judged differently and when class struggle is involved it is so much worse. Johnson got away with everything! It stinks! 

Sara_griffiths_n_poodles, Instagram

Government reshuffle 

Isn’t it funny how randomly people are reshuffled into positions like musical chairs? ‘Know nothing about housing? It’s OK, you’re the housing minister now.’ 😂 

Oaraza7, Instagram 

Surprises all round that those particular people are being rewarded for toeing the line. We’ll be an extremist far-right country within the next 10 years. The billionaires will rejoice. 

Whereyoureallyben, Instagram 

This is an absolute shambles. We now have a deputy PM in cahoots with the VP to Trump. This is not good at all. 

Cakedistrictsteve, Instagram 

Look beyond 

Saw the article about relationships and the horrible fact that two-thirds of people with disabilities are lonely. This issue strikes at the core of how disability is seen by society, if we don’t see someone as a human being that is capable of love, it won’t be just relationships you will be denying but the ingredients that makes a life worthy and dignified. 

Being seen as not human or as ‘different’ is horrible and painful and it puts you at higher risk of experiencing neglect and deprivation. It is one of the most difficult things to cope with as I’m currently off work and not being seen another human being has been a daily occurrence. As many people said for years and years and decades it is time to see beyond someone’s disability and see people as they truly are.  

Christopher 

Read more:

• Working-class women like Angela Rayner can’t win in politics when they’re demonised in the press
• ‘Soap opera politics?’: Angela Rayner resigns as housing secretary and deputy PM after underpaying stamp duty
• Brits feel more powerless and distrusting than ever, research finds: ‘This is worrying for all of us’

Cable call 

I started to read the interview with Vince Cable but moved on swiftly when he said, in effect, that austerity was inevitable in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. 

I think he can’t really understand the raw, painful reality of what he’s saying. Today’s headline targeting of asylum seekers speaks in much the same way: let’s target people who are already struggling. (Paul McNamee has done an excellent job in highlighting the dominance of Farage’s agenda.) We should all be wary about who the next target might be and to paraphrase the old Lottery ad – “it could be you”.

Mary Robertson 

Phone it in 

RE: ‘Welcome to the TikTokification of politics’, it drives me mad that politicians don’t see the urgent need to allow voting by phone. Expecting busy people of any age to trudge down to a draughty voting station is ridiculous – let alone for the generation that does everything on their phones. 

Jerry, Bradford 

Soothe sailing 

I loved the article about the enduring allure of the shipping forecast. It did sum  up what I had always felt about it and especially on night duty about 30 years ago in a care home at midnight. 

I would be washing medicine cups in the clinical room and feeling a bit sorry for myself because night duty was one of my least favourite working environments. I used to put on the radio and was always relaxed by the shipping forecast. I found it very soothing. 

Irene Munro, Dingwall  

In response to The Paper star Oscar Nuñez saying Trump will ban elections

People saying that Trump wouldn’t cancel elections, he’s already tried to overthrow the election in 2020, and has spoken about running for a third term. If he has no problem breaking the system to do those things, it’s not a far-fetched idea that he would do this. 

Jordanforthree, TikTok 

My main issue is the political inactivity in the US. 39% of people like Trump, the issue is 90% of republicans love Trump. They love him so much and so vocally it makes him feel validated. If everyone who disliked Trump voted, he would’ve lost. The ppl who liked him voted 😅 

Bsbackbiotch, TikTok 

It’s happened in other countries; it could happen here! He’s spot on. 

mo.jo.devo, TikTok 

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