Published in Western Morning News, Thursday 21st May 2020.

I have recently seen a number of letters suggesting that critics of government incompetence are often members of political groups. An example is Mike Green’s letter of 13/5/20 “Government critics have an axe to grind”.

The author seems to assume that anyone in any party is only motivated by gain for that party. That may be true of many in the party he defends while claiming to have no allegiance, but most people I know in the Lib Dems, Greens, and Labour are in it because they want a better society, and are working to bring it about. Party allegiance is not relevant to the quality of their argument, and certainly not a reason to dismiss it.
It would be ridiculous to claim “they only say government is inept because they are in a party”. It is much more likely that “they are in a party because government is inept”. It would cast doubt on their views if they had a track record for lying, for example if they declined joint PPE Purchasing with the EU, saying it was because we voted for Brexit, then claimed it was only because an email got lost. I might wonder how long before we hear that “the dog ate it”. 
Mike Green might suggest this is “the same old vitriol” but it isn’t. The government keeps making new mistakes, they are now ignoring the deadline next month to extend the EU transition period, which will take us to a no deal Brexit and Project Fear/Project Reality at the end of this year. This is totally avoidable and absolutely not what was promised.
So let’s be clear. If people criticize government, it might be because government is incompetent. If you are only motivated by seeing your own party win, regardless of consequences, then it would make more sense to vote Tory. If someone supports Lib Dems, Green or Labour, it is almost certainly not because they just like to win, but because they want something better. Those who genuinely have no allegiance should listen carefully and think.
Andy Swain