Letters - May 18, 2017

The author is not affiliated to any organisation. He is, however, a Fylde coast resident.

He is concerned that our sitting MP Gordon Marsden, voted to remain in last year’s referendum, when 68 per cent of us voted to leave.

This would indicate that he is out of touch with his electorate.

It could be a case of ‘nanny knows best’, but in this case nanny doesn’t.

He, Gordon, persists in the delusion that the EU’s regional development fund gives money to the north west of England, including Blackpool. This delusion was confirmed in his recent statement to The Gazette, along with the statements of the other Blackpool MPs, who have a better grip of reality.

For the record the UK is a net contributor to EU funds. This means that whatever we pay in to the European Union will first be used to top up the pensions of Brussels’ bureaucrats. Next, the common agricultural policy ensures that our money reaches Greek olive growers so that, no matter how small their grove, they are able to rental purchase a Mercedes car at German interest rates. French farmers, who are the main beneficiaries of the CAP, are able to purchase bigger and wider tractors. They then use these to better block the transit of UK goods and incidental people, whenever trading conditions don’t suit them. Whatever is left of our net contributions may be placed in a Europe-wide regional development fund. A little of our net payments may reach the north west of England.

No, dear friends, if Gordon Marsden stands for re-election on June 8, my voting intentions are clear.

Name and address supplied

ELECTION

Tory support has never been stronger

I was amused by Marjorie Nye’s claim that Labour support is growing in the North.

The poll she refers to is an unscientific online poll which doesn’t really prove anything. Scientific polls have shown a very opposite picture and the Conservatives are stronger in the North than ever before. I can safely say we’re not worried about poll ratings at all. Labour are claiming they will end tuition fees but seem to overlook the fact they introduced them and top-up fees, breaking two election promises. As for nurses pay, I don’t have an issue. I am a nurse and my pay is perfectly adequate, patients come before paypackets for me. As for the national debt. This has risen because of the deficit which the Conservatives inherited from the previous Labour government. The deficit has now been significantly reduced which is a step in the right direction. For a better Blackpool and a better Britain with Brexit delivered as the people voted for it, Conservatives are the only way forward. Labour are not to be trusted with our economy or our country.

Christian Cox

Sawley Avenue

Blackpool

ENVIRONMENT

People get great joy feeding the wildlife

It seems quite strange to me that we are likely to be fined for feeding the birds, and have a return to hunting foxes, I say we should not.

When it is man who has decimated their habitat, by cutting down trees, over fishing the sea, building towns and taking over what was once their wildlife home.

Birds may mess on windows and cars, but it is a fraction of what we do to them.

People get great joy out of feeding the wildlife.

Tourists in Blackpool often feed the birds and how great that is.

Jeffrey Bilham

Address supplied

ELECTION

Is Comrade Corbyn sending us to gulag?

So Comrade Corbyn is going to turn the UK into Communist State. Will we be sent to a gulag in the wilds of Scotland under the care of Comrade Sturgeon if we disagree with him or the party?

Hilary Andrews

Address supplied

LAW

If you have a drone please fly it legally

Drones are becoming an increasing nuisance in this country. The pilots of these craft need a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licence to fly these craft and take the images.

Unfortunately so many people who buy these drones do not fly them within the CAA regulations, these apply to all drones no matter what the size. People who buy them think just because they can fly them in their back garden or local park it is okay to do so.

It is easy to check the regulation on the CAA website but some simple ones are you cannot fly within 50m of a road or property that you do not have the owner’s permission to fly.

So, unless you have a garden 100m square, you cannot fly in your back garden unless you have the consent of all your neighbours. Please if you have a drone please take the trouble to fly it safely and legally and do not annoy others with it.

Ivan Kovacks

Via email

BREXIT

Female presence welcome in EU talks

Britain stood alone in 1940 and here we are again albeit in different circumstances. I note that every male Prime Minister since Edward Heath has capitulated to appease the ever increasing and audacious demands of the unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats of Brussels.

Despite being good Europeans and paying all our dues, we have failed to find a single ally within the EU. Even when our then British Prime Minister went on bended knee in a pathetic attempt to request favourable terms as a condition of remaining within the EU, we were derided and mocked (humiliation doesn’t even come into it).

There is little doubt in my mind that a female presence in the forthcoming male-dominated negotiations could not fare any worse than previous British prime ministers.

Ray Rebane

Via email