The people are suffering. It is time that austerity was ended

Greece provides the most brutal example of austerity at present. The economic damage of the austerity programme is well documented, but the social damage has not been quite so widely reported. At present neo-Nazi thugs are roaming the streets with impunity and in urban areas up to half of the police force are supporters of Golden Dawn. This breakdown of law and order has eerie similarities to the austerity-afflicted Germany of the late 1920s and early 1930s. For a German Chancellor to be partly responsible is disturbing.

Judging by opinion polls, Greece is still more likely to go to the left than the right, should there be another election. But, as we saw in June, all efforts from the European Union are to scare the Greek people away from the left-wing party Syriza and that will inevitably drive many into the arms of Golden Dawn. I do not think I need to point out what that would entail.

Britain, mercifully, does not face anything on the level of Greece. Austerity here is much milder and there is less harm caused but it is certainly not harmless. Britain, too, is stuck with a faltering economy and there are hints of social problems, as we saw with last year's riots.

Of course, not everybody is suffering. Profit is up in many areas, particularly in the financial sector, and this may be why the Conservative Party does not seem to care that we remain stuck in or close to recession. The country as a whole can hardly afford for this to continue. Austerity must end and if the Government cannot realise this then it must go.

Iain Paterson,

2F Killermont View. Glasgow.

It is interesting to see Angela Merkel, on her visit to Greece, compared to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis because of the economic control Germany has over Greece as the strongest economy in the eurozone and the extreme austerity measures being forced on the poorest people in Greece. The rise of the Nazi Party in Germany was on the back of austerity after the First World War and the difficulties faced by ordinary Germans.

There are people who are not affected by austerity, thanks to their personal wealth, and many of them are in political control, at some level, of their countries and in a position to make economic decisions favourable to their wealthy friends. This makes life yet more difficult for those struggling to make ends meet.

In the boom years many people made a lot of money on the back of a growing economy and that money has not disappeared. The result is that ordinary people are finding work harder to find and the situation does not look like improving soon.

When there are countries where one in four is unable to work the poorest are protesting and it is only a matter of time before protest expands and becomes something stronger. Those who made lots of money in the past 20 years should be aware they are wealthy only as long as people obey the law of the land. When the situation becomes ever more desperate there is a greater chance of revolution and a change to the laws of the land as well as the distribution of wealth.

Austerity comes with a price and those advocating it are not paying their share.

Gerry MacLeod,

17 Kenneth Drive, Lochboisdale.

WATCHING and reading reports of the three party conferences have driven me to despair. These are not conferences; they are stage-managed conventions designed mainly for television. There are no debates as such, no exchange of views between the platform and the delegates, and no votes unless the outcome is known in advance and agreeable to the leadership.

The posturing to the party faithful, the empty rhetoric and carefully-crafted sound-bites have nothing to do with real politics, and have no relevance to the daily concerns of real people worried about their jobs, finances, and the future for their children.

The three party leaders – David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband – come across as lightweight compared with their predecessors, and they could almost be interchangeable. My impression is that they have little idea how to reverse the desperate economic situation the country now faces. Some of their proposals are risible. What have we done to deserve such leaders?

You cannot stimulate the national economy merely by imposing more and more austerity, throwing thousands of people out of work and cutting benefits for those who need support, while giving tax cuts to the top 10% of earners in hopes of encouraging them to stay in this country and create wealth. Plan A has failed and a more intelligent and balanced solution is desperately needed. The US has taken the opposite route by investing in infrastructure and capital projects to create employment, and this policy is already beginning to show results.

The lack of inspirational leadership and sensible policies at UK level is now a very serious problem for the whole country, and Scotland will continue to suffer from these failings until we can take full charge of our own affairs and destiny.

Iain AD Mann,

7 Kelvin Court,

Glasgow,

ALTHOUGH I don't share the Prime Minister's political philosophy, his rallying speech to the party faithful at the end of the Conservative Conference reaffirms my view of him as a sincere, honourable and likeable man, with ideals for the UK not dissimilar from Ed Miliband's. Both have forebears who were not born with silver spoons in their mouths, thus passing on the hard work ethic as evidence of their successes.

It's early days yet but I wonder how the Scottish Government will approach the same set of difficulties facing us in a welfare state in need of reform and I look forward to the SNP conference, when I hope to have more of an idea of the vision for an independent Scotland. How to vote in the independence referendum depends upon it. It seems that the Westminster politicians are drawing closer to one another and beginning to sing from the same hymn sheet as their picture resembles that of the "make do and mend" Britain of the Second World War.

Janet Cunningham,

1 Cedar Avenue,

Stirling.

IF MSPs are not public servants then what are they? Does election to Holyrood involve some mysterious metamorphosis from Man to Superman? Ruth Davidson bemoans the fact that the public sector contributes 50% of Scotland's GDP yet she ignores the basic fact that she is one of them ("Davidson says only one in eight Scots contributes", The Herald, October 8). She also chooses to acknowledge that many of these employees are likely to be taxpayers and since those on PAYE effectively pay 60% of their income in direct and indirect taxes then the greater part of this budget is recycled back to the Treasury.

If Ms Davidson feels we need to reduce the number of workers paid from the public purse I would rather that she lost her publicly-funded sinecure and the coterie of publicly-funded people supporting her.

David J Crawford,

Flat 3/3,

131 Shuna Street,

Glasgow .

GEORGE Osborne has to be commended in his approach to the workshy ("Fears raised over rights for shares plan", The Herald, October 9). But he has to remember a lot of people are not unemployed through choice. Many students with excellent qualifications are struggling to find opportunities. The country is suffering from challenging times, and employers are cautious as to hiring staff. Could Mr Osborne tell the unemployed where all the vacancies are? Even though I am employed I would find this most helpful.

Robert McCaw,

6 Hamilton Crescent,

Renfrew.