Why politicians should be encouraged to go on holiday - Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Roger Backhouse, Orchard Road, Upper Poppleton, York.

Sarah Todd's somewhat fevered denunciation of Andy Burnham for daring to plan a holiday reads rather false. Of recent Prime Ministers David Cameron was the one who took more breaks - mostly short - than any other. They did his premiership no harm. Perhaps he even came back refreshed and full of new ideas. Perhaps not.

There will always be a political crisis. If there isn't a real crisis then one can be manufactured to make the participants look as if they are doing something. It ensures their names and faces are in the headline news. Whether any cabinet minister really gets a true break on holiday is debatable.

Cynics might reasonably say that politicians should take more holidays. That way they've less chance to do harm. Politician's holidays should be positively encouraged, not denounced.