NEIL Carmichael’s attempt to save the Stroud Magistrate Court (Gazette 23rd July) beggars belief for the depth of its irony. Isn’t he aware that his government’s objective is to shrink the State’s public services, despite the public’s objection, and that the shutting down of the Courts is a part of this process? Whatever the consequences for the public, police and solicitors are. Not only are the Courts being closed down but also Legal Aid is being axed dramatically. So, in reality to enter a case at the High Court you need a lot of money.

I say his government because in my view any political party that is elected on 24.4% has little validity. On budget day £12 billion was cut from welfare but was eclipsed by £93 billion corporate handshake to businesses in grants, subsidies and tax breaks.

Two institutions that make us known us a civilised society and which are being undermined by this government are the NHS and the BBC. The NHS, as I write, faces a death by a thousand cuts – each slice being handed over to the private sector. The BBC, which was once admired by the rest of the world for its independence and objectivity, is now being demonised by the Tory press. “Osborne slays the dragon” thus wrote a right wing newspaper on the day after the budget – the dragon being the BBC, now a compliant mouthpiece of this government. As an example, Radio 4 morning programme recently had two speakers damming Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership attempt but no one to make a positive case for it.

Mrs Thatcher had nothing on this Tory class of 2015 for we have gone from a welfare state to a warfare state. I am not talking here about conventional war but the war on the poor and the disabled.

We must wake up to the devastation of our society before it is too late and defend its values by stopping austerity and inequality. For we know that the capitalist system has very little compassion.

John Marjoram

Green Party District Councillor