George Osborne’s success selling tissue-paper brollies in a thunderstorm | Letters

What is Matthew d'Ancona on about (George Osborne's coup: converting Labour to fiscal conservatism, 21 June)? I borrow a fiver so I can travel to the next village for a day's work picking fruit. At the end of the day I pay back the fiver, and buy you a pint, and we're all better off than if I'd stayed at home. Borrow, invest, repay, profit.

Even if the bus broke down on the way home and I had to pay for a share of a taxi, we're all still better off. The problem wasn't the borrowing, it was the corrupt bus company shaving costs on maintenance. Don't confuse two separate issues. If I hadn't borrowed the money, I wouldn't have done the work, and couldn't have dealt with the crisis caused by private sector irresponsibility.