With each day bringing new evidence of governmental chaos and incompetence, the effort expended on the defence of Dominic Cummings should come as no surprise. Without the ventriloquist, the dummies will be brutally exposed. This presents an opportunity for Keir Starmer. He has had some notable successes and his popularity is increasing, though the government still retains a commanding poll lead. To convince the public that Labour can constitute a credible alternative, he needs to eschew some of his natural caution and appeal beyond the parliamentary arena, where there may be diminishing returns in attempting to pin a jelly to the wall. Timothy Garton Ash proposes that he articulate a vision for Britain in 2040 (Britain’s pride in its past is not matched by any vision for its future, 21 May), but this is insufficient. The first task is to emphasise repeatedly the Tories’ responsibility for crashing our public services and leaving them without the resilience to deal effectively with the coronavirus crisis. The second is to set out the parameters for the kind of society we need immediately after the next election, to deal with the injustices and inequalities that the crisis has laid bare. Revisiting Labour’s 2019 manifesto might be a good starting point. Let’s make 2024 the new 1945. Dr Anthony Isaacs London • I grew up during the second world war and am sick to death of this nostalgia for a time that most people never experienced. What I remember is the wonderful postwar Labour government that came in with hope, vision and a clear plan that created the NHS, the welfare state, new housing and a better future for all. I was 21 in 1960: the dawn of a new era of creativity – music, dance, theatre, art and much else in which Britain still excels. I tell my teenage grandchildren to ignore the naysayers about their future. In 1945, Britain was in ruins and mired in debt, but 15 years later the young were creating things we value today. Today’s youth are an impressive lot and they too will do it with a different future. They have already begun with their wonderful school climate protests. This lockdown has shown that life really can be greener, cleaner, peaceful and astonishingly creative. They can pick up there and press on. We may have a useless government, but there is a promising opposition to help create a better future. Wendy Mulville Maldon, Essex • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters