Letters - May 15, 2017

I will explain for him.

Hull used to be the largest port followed by Grimsby and Fleetwood. The St Andrews fish dock has been filled in and is now a shopping outlet.

A Mr Hopper, who did a lot for the fishing industry was the founder of Hull fish park Icelandic trawlers landed their fish in Grimsby which was then transported to Hull where it was washed and repacked and sold via the internet to Europe and transported by road.

Five years ago the fish park went bankrupt, so to spend about £20m on a white elephant is a waste of money.

Mr A McCann also mentioned the fishing industry is “up for grabs”. Here are a few facts: Goole, Selby, Ferriby, Hull and Beverley built fishing trawlers all have gone. All ours have gone, so you would have to buy imported built ones, and where is the money coming from?

Don’t forget all the skills like marine engineers, electrical engineers, welders, riggers and refrigeration engineers have all gone. Don’t forget when Fleetwood’s fishing industry collapsed most of these men went to ICI as you should know, as you worked there too.

These skilled workers did five years as an apprentice not a few months.

Fleetwood channel has not been dredged for years and the north end and Tiger’s Trail is silted up.

If Mr McCann had watched the Scottish film on small trawlers he would have seen one with his engine blown, it had to be towed all the way to Norway to have a new one fitted. What a state we are in, unable to do the job here. My father and grandfather were both skippers, fishing in arctic waters out of Hull and Fleetwood and this is where I gained my knowledge.

Mr L Welch

Fleetwood

ELECTION

Loss may convince Corbyn to make way

If the Tories win the election on June 8 – which I think highly likely – it might just convince Jeremy Corbyn that he’s got to go and make way for someone more moderate in the party for Labour to stand a chance.

It spent 18 years in opposition due to being way to the left of where most of the electorate were and only got re-elected because it reclaimed the centre ground which, in the late 1990s, was crowded space because the Tories and Lib Dems were also there.

What baffles me is the party’s inability to learn the lessons of history.

Adrian F Sunman

Address supplied

TV

Let interviewers answer Piers

One of the worst interviewers of guests on TV is Piers Morgan.

On two occasions this week he was putting questions to members of two different political parties and butted in the whole time – in fact one of the guests was so exasperated, he just gave up.

Edna Levi

via email

ENVIRONMENT

Not the dirty man of Europe all over again

Successive governments have directed taxpayer’s cash to prop up fossil fuels which poison our air and trash our commitments to cut climate-changing emissions, despite promises to phase out polluting technologies entirely.

This hypocrisy must stop.

The next Government must end all fossil fuel subsidies and guarantee that the coal industry will not receive Government funds in the future.

The UK must not again become the dirty man of Europe.

Earlier this year we celebrated the first day where the UK was powered entirely without coal – and there are huge opportunities to increase green energy production if the next Government commits to long-term investment in jobs and infrastructure that will support a future powered by clean, renewable energy.

Simon Bowens
 and Kierra Box

Friends of the Earth

HEALTH

You don’t have to deal with dementia alone

This month we mark Dementia Awareness Week.

Did your readers know that an estimated 225,000 people will develop dementia this year alone – that’s one every three minutes – and, with people in the UK living longer than ever before, the threat of developing age related conditions such as dementia becomes increasingly real.

As I’m sure many of you will agree being diagnosed with a life-changing condition like dementia can often seem like the most overwhelming thing in the world. That’s why I want to reassure your readers that they don’t have to deal with things alone, we’re here to help.

I work for Revitalise, a wonderful disability charity. We provide respite holidays for disabled people and carers - including specialised weeks for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia - at Sandpipers in Southport.

Every aspect of our Alzheimer’s breaks are designed with our guests in mind, enabling them to spend precious time with one another away from the worries of everyday life and giving them the time to rediscover a loving connection as husband and wife, father and daughter, mother and son once more.

For more information about Revitalise, our specialist Alzheimer’s Weeks, or to request a brochure please visit: www.revitalise.org.uk, or call us for a chat on 0303 303 0145.

Stephanie Stone

Revitalise