Letters, November 6, 2019

Fracking near nuclear site was just bonkers
FrackingFracking
Fracking

The decision to suspend fracking is clearly long overdue and should be made a permanent ban.

Fracking next to the Springfields nuclear fabrication plant by Cuadrilla was a mistake that all the statutory agencies involved, including the BEIS Government Department, should not have allowed to happen.

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The sharing of narrow Lancashire country lanes by fracking industry juggernauts, consignments of toxic radioactive uranium hexafluoride and school buses was dangerously bonkers.

Similarly, the proposed new coal mine next to Sellafield and its stockpile of toxic radioactive waste is equally bonkers. The nuclear site in Cumbria is built over a known geological fault already subject to naturally occurring earthquake activity.

The suspension of fracking should be made permanent.

All fracking and coal mining within twenty-five miles of any existing or proposed nuclear infrastructure should also be banned immediately.

However, we also need to halt producing anymore toxic radioactive waste and need to move towards the managed closure of the civilian and military nuclear industries which have blighted public health, the environment and green economic development, particularly in the north, for decades.

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When the entire nuclear fuel cycle is taken into consideration, it is not low nor zero carbon and therefore cannot help with avoiding climate change.

It is not clean, not green not low carbon, but hugely damaging.

Simon

Northern England

TRAGEDY

Pursuit of profit behind fire deaths

Jeremy Corbyn stood in solidarity with Grenfell Tower folk in parliament with a green tie. Some Tory MPs were laughing, mocking and trying to make a fuss of him.

When Grenfell happened 72 people died, 70 were injured and 233 made homeless.

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It was a product of decades of outsourcing and subcontracting in housing, driven by the ideology that free market mechanisms and pursuit of profit above all else are paramount. The fire was a direct result of the decisions made by people of that ideology.

David Cameron as PM promised and delivered a bonfire of regulations in the construction industry.

Boris Johnson as mayor of London, closed 10 London fire stations, took 30 fire engines out of service and slashed over 500 firefighter jobs to save cash.

Tory members of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea covered the homes of working class people with flammable tiles as they were cheap. None of this is of any interest to those who compiled a 10,000 page report into Grenfell Tower fire under the chairmanship of Sir Martin Moore-Bick. Their report blames the fire brigade for 72 deaths. Moore-Bick’s report is nothing more than a flannel designed to wipe the blood of the Grenfell dead from the hands of those truly responsible for the calamity.

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It’s a disgrace that Moore-Bick is attempting to shift the blame for the fire on to those who risked their lives to save the residents of Grenfell.

From what I have seen of public reports over the years is that people do not get the justice they seek. The establishment is very adept at taking care of its own. Moore-Brick knows exactly where he can stick his 10,000 page report.

Royston Jones

Anchorsholme

POLITICS

Forest of magic money trees

Convincing evidence confirming climate change has just been revealed by the latest Tory policies.

Welfare and other benefits have melted dramatically after ten years in Treasury pack ice.

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Added to this, the money tree they have so often accused Labour of nurturing, they have now somehow transplanted, producing a relative forest of economic arboreal specimens.

The magic manure creating these plantations was the impending general election.

Perhaps we should have yearly elections, what would Brenda think?

Denis Lee

Ashton

SOCIETY

How about an early start to Christmas?

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The stores are filling up with Christmas crackers, baubles, cards, etc. Am I too late to suggest to the “big boys” that instead of seeing how late they can remain open on Christmas Eve, that they agree with their competitors to close earlier than last year?

Giving their customers adequate warning, there should be no noticeable loss of sales but increased goodwill to their staff.

The workforce will appreciate the extra time to prepare for the festivities.

David H Rhodes

address supplied