I am reminded of one part of our Queen’s speech to the COP26 conference: “It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics.

But what they do for the people of tomorrow - that is statesmanship.”

I noted with interest the post in the Echo by our local MP Richard Drax. It seems that yet again he is living in his own world.

We have just finished the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow where the world acknowledged the challenges we face by continuing use of fossil fuels and the conference has done well but not done enough.

Then I look at what Richard Drax said in the Echo. In effect it was delay, delay, delay until all possible problems were solved, the economy was more important than action and fossil fuels are still needed, so let’s keep them to provide power.

Slowly, slowly will not win this race. Industry, as always, will step up to the mark when incentives are in place.

We can see this with electric cars where the simple incentive of banning the sale of ICE cars by 2030 and hybrids by 2035 has forced car companies to develop electric models because their ICE market is disappearing rapidly.

We can also see this where the cost of electricity from offshore wind turbines is now cheaper than coal, gas and nuclear. That happened after financial incentives made development feasible.

Be brave Richard Drax, be a Statesman and make the hard choices for the people of the future.

Richard Stanley Green
Melbourne Street
Weymouth