PETER Mullen dismisses the Labour Government as “the worst in living memory” (Echo, April 21). I do not suppose he has much to do with the NHS, state education or social housing – not much of that in the City – so he wouldn’t notice Government improvements that have benefited ordinary people.

I am trying to work out when we followed the sort of High Toryism Mr Mullen wants. It wasn’t Disraeli, with his “One Nation Toryism”, whom David Cameron seems to admire.

The nearest analogy I can find is George III. He believed in defending the Church and the Monarchy and thought Europe was populated by “papists and despots”. His boneheaded intransigence led to the loss of the American colonies, and he once stopped his carriage in Windsor Great Park to shake hands with a tree. He was later, as we know, pronounced mad.

The good thing from his reign was that Parliament organised itself to deal with his obdurate attitude and the system we have now evolved, which has served us reasonably well.

George III was the last monarch to try and rule in an absolute way without Parliament. It seems Mr Mullen wants us to go back to some sort of totalitarian system, presumably with him in charge.

He certainly wouldn’t win an election.

David Taylor-Gooby, Peterlee, Co Durham.