Letters - June 7, 2017

The Conservatives are the only main party which promotes fracking. Labour, Lib Dems and Greens would ban it.

The Conservative’s manifesto clearly states that they want to make it easier to frack by “changing planning law” and that “planning decisions will be made the responsibility of the National Planning Regime”.

In other words if the Conservatives form the next Government they will impose fracking on communities against the vast majority (79 per cent) who oppose it and will bypass local democracy. There is no social licence to frack and develop gas fields on our doorstep.

What is blatantly not true is the Tory’s claim that fracking “can help reduce carbon emissions” as shale gas is cleaner than coal. In fact, when you factor in methane emissions into fracking it has been proven that it will increase climate change as methane is 86 times more potent as a global warming gas than CO2 over a 20 year period. This would mean that the UK would not achieve its commitments made at the UN Paris Conference to keep Climate Change under 2.0 increase.

The truth of the matter is this. Fracking will never be safe as witnessed by its impacts in the US, Canada and Australia where the water, earth and air are polluted and public health damaged.

So, voters should not be conned by the Conservatives. Their manifesto commitment to frack should carry a public health and environmental warning. If they win power tomorrow, a Tory Government will frack the country where you live and overrule one of the main principles of democracy – the will of the majority. We will be living in a dictatorship.

David R J Penney (Rev)

Via email

BENEFITS

Young mums don’t know they are born

These young mums today do not know they are born, they get far too many benefits.

Now they are moaning because the funding for breast feeding is being axed. What do they want... wrapping in cotton wool?

I suppose stopping the old age pensioners’ winter allowance will go towards paying these benefits. People who have worked all their lives and paid into the system for years.

Disgusted

Layton

APPEAL

Looking for Chris for Falklands reunion

I’m looking for Chris Jones from Blackpool.

He used to live in the south of Blackpool.

We are trying to get Chris onboard for a Falklands reunion next year for hms ledury. We know he had a sister in the town. If anyone knows his whereabouts please contact [email protected]. Thank you.

Gaz

Via Facebook

ELECTION

Travesty of 
democracy

Theresa May says every vote counts.

To that I would reply that some votes count more than others. We are about to participate in yet another travesty of democracy.

The whole process is in effect truncated to 100 seats or so producing a distorted result.

This leaves the smaller parties to struggle to make their voices heard at all despite attracting millions of votes from people who are in effect disenfranchised.

Proper representation of all shades of opinion should be a cornerstone of democracy.

Such a great country as ours should now have the maturity to reform an outdated and discredited system.

Don Burslam

Via email

ELECTION

Chameleons change to suit environment

I refer to Denis Lee’s letter - (The Gazette, June 5).

He derides Mrs May’s decision not to “enter the ring” as though it was a boxing match. The election is far more serious than punching the living daylights out of one another. Tony Blair refused to take part in a TV debate so why shouldn’t Theresa May? In the BBC TV debate with seven speakers, Amber Rudd took her place and even with the debate’s imbalance ( seven against two) she did a brilliant job.

It shows that Mrs May has those around her she can trust and therefore happily delegate. Mr Corbyn only decided at the last minute to be included, he couldn’t afford to send his second in command, Ms Abbott. These debates are useless and usually designed to be one sided. It is virtually impossible to hear any one speak on their own with the others continually interrupting.

Now Mr Corbyn, after the London terrorist attack, has the temerity to call for Mrs May’s resignation!

What a hypocrite, after 35 years of backing the terrorists he has tried 13 times since 2001 to stop laws designed to prevent terror attacks.

When he was a Labour councillor the local party put up a poster in its office window depicting policemen as pigs wearing helmets.

Also Corbyn was the named founder of the Socialist Campaign that in its manifesto declared “The capitalist police are an enemy of the working class”.

Now he wants to curry favour with the police just to get into power.

You might say, in his defence, that he has changed and his past should not be taken into account.

The only reason that he appears to have changed his mind is obvious - he wants to be Prime Minister, nothing else.

Chameleons change colour to suit their current environment!

AIH

Via email