Letters - August 1, 2017

After a string of dud leaders, such as Paddy Ashdown, Nick Clegg and Tim Farron, the Lib Dems never seem to learn, and have now picked another proven dud in Vince Cable.

This is the man who, as business secretary, sold off the Royal Mail for a quarter of its true value and then had the nerve to tell us that it was a good deal.

He went on to brag to two women that he had declared war on Rupert Murdoch and had that power removed from his remit by David Cameron.

Anyone with an ounce of sense would have done it first and talked about it after!

Even now as leader of the Lib Dems, he is still banging on about a second referendum and cancelling Brexit.

When are the Lib Dems going to realise that it is this policy that is causing their demise?

They were all but wiped out in the 2015 general election and their share of the vote reduced even further in this year’s election.

The majority voted in the referendum to leave the EU, the Lib Dems need to accept this and get some real policies or they will disappear completely, and, with Vince as leader, the Lib Dems disappearing is a distinct possibility.

D Wood

Address supplied

FRACKING

Use judges to beat protesters

Instead of complaining to the Government and going cap in hand to the Home Office for more money, why doesn’t police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw put some effort into lobbying the judiciary to start imposing stricter bail conditions on anti-fracking protesters and the use of exclusion orders?

That would thin out the presence of activists and mean the policing levels could be scaled back, saving all us local tax payers some money.

M. Westoby

Via email

POLITICS

How can we trust Labour?

Hypocrisy clearly continues to flourish in what remains of the Labour Party .

For years Labour MPs have railed against grammar and private schools. Despite this several members of Corbyn’s inner circle have chosen selective schools for their offspring.

Diane Abbott, shadow Home Secretary sent her son to the very expensive private City of London School. When asked to justify her decision she said ‘I want to do the best for my child’. Don’t we all Diane.

Blair and Harman also put their children’s education before ideological preferences.

Seumas Milne, Corbyn’s strategy director, sent both of his children to grammar schools.

Now we learn that Rosie Duffield, the new Labour MP for Canterbury, who has described selective education as “horrible and divisive” , has sent her sons to an outstanding grammar school in the town. She recently attacked the PM for her plans to build new grammar schools.

Nepotism was also recently attacked by leftwing Momentum despite the fact that Corbyn’s son works for McDonnell, the shadow chancellor. How can any of the constituents of these people trust a word they say?

Dr Barry Clayton

Thornton Cleveleys

TRANSPORT

Solution to bridge repairs

Re. The closure of Harrowside/Squires Gate bridges. Why doesn’t Blackpool council or the rail authority terminate the line at Squires Gate, and bus the few passengers to the Pleasure Beach and South Shore? This would allow quicker repairs to take place, preferably one bridge at a time - or is too much to expect?

Grant Duckworth

Via email

EMPLOYMENT

No friends of the workers

Well, the courts have ruled that the Tory law of charging applicants £1,200 for an employment tribunal has been found to be unlawful.

The Government has now decided to pay back £32m to people who took out employment tribunals.

That is a lot of tribunals.

Add to that number the workers who couldn’t afford to pay out the £1,200 and it shows that the law was nothing more than spiteful against workers whilst being applauded by the employers who are now up in arms at the high court decision. Ask yourselves why are the employers upset at the judgement?

It means they won’t be able to sack workers they don’t like. They will have to prove the case against an employee who is not up to standard or not suitable or dishonest. Nothing wrong in that, that is fair.

Let’s just remember the last General Election where Mrs May tried to suggest that the Tories would look after the working class.

That was as big a lie as Thatcher told in the 70s and 80s when she brought in anti-trade union legislation that was again unfair.

So if you ever hear a Tory say they are for the working class, just remember, they want you to believe it. Unfortunately it just isn’t true.

Tony Monks

Address supplied