YOUR editorial in the July 24 issue of the Hexham Courant , if true, sadly confirms that we live in a constituency where many people are unconcerned, or apathetic, about the plight of the less fortunate.

The biased reporting of the Courant does not help either. Instead of looking at the facts surrounding the issue you descend into a banal report and editorial that does not develop the arguments, but rather supports some form of status quo.

A few points regarding your reporting and editorial.

When it refers to food banks and child poverty the piece is couched in phrases like “it is also claimed”, leaving us with the impression that the reality of poverty is suspect, while our MP’s response is reported as though it is gospel.

None of his statements are challenged (I thought that was the job of reporters?).

In your editorial the child poverty of 300 children becomes a suggestion, while you claim that the election of the Conservative Government “has been given a clear mandate to do what is necessary to balance the books”.

Firstly, I doubt if many rational people can regard a vote by 36.9 per cent of the voting electorate a clear mandate for anything.

Secondly, you assume that the austerity approach being taken by the Government has any hope of success of lifting people out of poverty and into employment.

There is a large and growing body of opinion that austerity does not work. Amongst many eminent economists Joseph Stiglitz, professor at Columbia University, has argued forcefully against it. He has said that, in the US, research showed that all the economic gains since the early 1980s had gone to the top 10 per cent.

“The bottom 90 per cent of the economy has seen stagnation for a third of a century and similar trends – not as bad – are at play elsewhere.”

Food banks, child poverty and other forms of deprivation are a well-researched reality in this wealthy, and supposedly advanced, country of ours where, as I read recently, poverty has no place in society; its only place is in museums.

I don’t think it is the role of the press to belittle the actions of protesters and, in effect, tell them they are wasting their time.

Good for them, I say.

Just because an uncaring Government is in power we should not remain silent. The more we protest, the more we highlight the failures of the system, the more we highlight the corruption endemic in it, the better.

The alternative is to roll over because “I’m all right, Jack”. Well, you may be, temporarily.

PETER CULLEN,

By email