If anyone needed proof of the parallel universe Tory M.P.'s exist in, it surely was provided by the July 19 S.N.J. when they printed the weekly column from the planet Dork. The Stroud M.P. claimed that we live in "a tolerant, well educated, fair and just society". When I read that, I nearly fell off my chair in utter bemusement, but of course if I challenged her and asked her to justify such nonsense, she would just ignore me or perhaps answer a question that I hadn't asked.

Tolerant; this is where assaults on N.H.S. workers, prison staff, school teachers, shop workers and countless others who are working for us have dramatically increased.

Well educated; no offense to those who are having to make the best of State education (teachers, parents and children) but if it is good enough for all of our children, why do schools like Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Rugby and Westminster still exist? Mainly it seems, to teach around 600,000 children that their purpose on this planet is to be "in charge" and tell the rest of us what to do. A place of learning where honesty and integrity and fairness are uppermost in the thinking of the children they produce, like Boris Johnson for example and Rishi Sunak. A place where talk of being fair is more likely to be about another boy's hair colour than the lack of equality in our education system. Along with the supposed fairness is the complete absence of justice.

Where is the justice in a society that sees the creation of more billionaires in the U.K than ever before, whilst at the same time tolerating an increase in dependence on foodbanks. We see people homeless at the same time as the television is showing how others can spend vast amounts of money on trivia and a government that sees no need for social housing. Where is the justice in a society that tolerates a P.M. and her chancellor throwing billions of tax payers pounds down the drain and have no sanction at all, but you or I don't pay a parking fine and the whole weight of the justice system is on us.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I would love to know where Siobhan Baillie has seen this "tolerant, well educated, fair and just society". I'm sure it isn't in Tory Britain. Maybe it's in an offshore tax haven somewhere. Who knows?

Howard Price.

Nailsworth