Dear Editor, I have a very simple question for all of our politicians. The answer is more complicated.

Why isn’t anyone of them using the ‘P’ word – I mean population (and this is not code for immigration).

Whether it is traffic congestion, the environment, food, fuel and housing shortages, unemployment, falling educational standards and anti social behaviour – these are all symptoms of the uncontrolled growth in our population, both in the UK and in the world as a whole.

Unfortunately there is this unholy alliance between economists and politicians that says (I believe) that having more and more people cheek by jowl keeps wages and salaries down and therefore inflation, increases the amount of personal taxes used to finance bloated Government bureacracies and quangos – and increases demand for products and services.

When is a political party going to be brave enough to tell the truth that we need to start reducing our population, not increasing it? As more and more of us are crowded into sprawling urban areas, not only does our green and pleasant land disappear, but our quality of life with it – until one day, things reach breaking point, but then it will be too late. . .

Ray Woods

Erdington