The cure for sick Britain? Restore public spending | Letters

We need a redesign of taxation to reverse the gross inequality that causes poor health, writes Rob Perrin. Plus letters from Ewan Hamnett, Angela Vnoucek and Dr James Andrade

Sally Davies, a former chief medical officer for England, echoes the fears of so many experts and commentators, informed by the research of Michael Marmot, among others (Last time Britain was this sick, drastic action was taken. This time, politicians don't seem to care, 18 August). Low productivity, stagnant wages, austerity and the steady dismantling of public institutions leads vast swathes of the UK population down the road of poverty, poor diet, ill health, educational failure, menial employment, substandard housing and state dependency.

The links between gross inequality, overwhelmed healthcare and our rapidly declining status as a western economy are plain to every politician, business leader and media mogul in the land, yet we collectively limp along, wallowing in our misery, in the naive belief that an election will put it to rights.