Letters - November 26, 2018

If we want fair trials, we must leave EU

Membership of the European Union has abolished de facto ‘habeas corpus’, which has been a bedrock of English Law since Magna Carta.

It prevents arbitrary arrest and indefinite imprisonment and is the norm of human decency in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

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Scandinavian countries have something similar, but to the best of my knowledge, nowhere else on the planet.

In 2007, Gordon Brown signed, in secret, the Lisbon Treaty as our Prime Minister – probably the most disgraceful act of a PM in history.

At a stroke of the pen, we accepted the sovereignty of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which overrides English Law. The ECJ operates the Code Napoleon, among which measures can be found the EAW (European Arrest Warrent). The EAW requires no evidence of any kind and has no time limit.

A rich and influential person in, say, Portugal can pressure the authorities to issue one against a British citizen. The police here have no choice, but to arrest the named person(s) and have them transported to the given location. Its powers are due to be increased.

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The EU Commissioners want to make it a crime to “insult the EU”. Will there be enough prisons for that change?

One British citizen (Andrew Symeou) was taken to Greece, where he had to endure 18 months in jail.

When he was brought before the court, the presiding judge released him as the evidence against him was flimsy and witness statements false.

This may take some readers by surprise. We are fed a diet of multicultural marvels and strength in diversity.

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The hard truth is that most of the world is nowhere near the Anglo-Saxon model of justice and fair play, and even we sometimes get it badly wrong.

However, we are a thousand times better in dealing with fair trials than most of Europe, let alone other parts of the world.

Edward Johnson

via email

POLITICS

Fewer meetings is less democratic

I understand that the Wyre Council Executive are considering a reduction in the number of full council meetings per year, from eight plus the budget meeting to six plus the budget meeting.

As the Mayor making meeting and the budget meeting do not facilitate Non Executive Members from asking questions of the leadership and cabinet, this would reduce significantly the opportunity to question and comment on the individual cabinet portfolios.

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This is a dereliction of democracy, and I would go further and say there is a case to be made for increasing the number of full council meetings. When the report on the proposed reduction of full council meetings comes before members it seems the report will be simply to note and will not allow members to vote on the proposal.

Since I have returned from a long spell in hospital it is noticeable to me that, with a couple of honourable exceptions, the portfolio holders refer questions to officers for a response and this cabinet has become known as the ‘don’t know cabinet’ with a don’t know leadership.

This is not good enough, not least because they receive a very generous special responsibility allowance to have a grip on their portfolios, with the leadership receiving substantially more.

Clearly they are now running scared, and I suspect that this is the reasoning behind this proposal and I urge all members to reject any reduction proposal.

Peter Gibson

Leader, Wyre Independents, and Breck Ward councillor

TOURISM

Doric Hotel should win all the awards

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I would just like to say that my wife and I came home on Friday, November 16 after staying at the Doric Hotel.

It is a wonderful hotel, the food is good and the staff are wonderful so we are going to come again, in fact it is a first class hotel and it is spotless.

Also the management and staff are wonderful, in fact the hotel should get Hotel of the Year, while the entertainment is also first class.

Denis and Beryl 
Kershaw

Oldham

MODERN LIFE

This is the age of the self-obssessed

After almost a lifetime studying our species, I have come to the conclusion it has been a failed experiment: nice try, God, but no cigar this time.

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I reached this conclusion the other day when a Dutch individual appeared on daytime television and announced that, instead of persevering with his natural age of 69, he had decided his real age to be 49.

Leaving aside that his prime motive might have been to maximise his chances in his online dating quest, one can only say “Good luck with that one, mate” and hope he is offered counselling fairly soon.

Seriously though, isn’t this just another symptom of our self-obsessed age? To consider that one can, by an effort of will, change one’s age, or gender, or anything apart from one’s mind, is becoming a common delusion. I look forward to meeting the man who decided to be a dog/bird/hedgehog or whatever. A brave new world awaits us!

James Robson

Address supplied