Letters - October 5, 2016

We have also been, through no choice of our own, on buses with repugnant children on board, uttering foul language, and all in all, being a complete pain!

Don’t get me wrong, I can use colourful language, but in the right environment, ie in the pub with the lads.

As for freeloading, (which means taking advantage of others generosity), I think that you are way off course!

My mum, god bless her, used to say to us “there’s nowt clever ’bout getting old”, so think, Mr James, before you knock us.

Brin the Trotter

Thornton

ENERGY

Watchdog rules 
on all advertising

Tony Raynor (Your Say, Gazette, October 3) criticises Friends of the Earth because of a draft ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Of course, once the ASA has fully considered FoE’s response that ruling could well be reversed.

What can’t be reversed now is the only ruling that the ASA has ever made on fracking – the one where Cuadrilla were censured for misleading the public several times in their “Community Newsletter” in 2013.

As a prominent member of Lancashire for Shale, Tony probably won’t thank me for reminding everybody, but people in glass houses really shouldn’t throw stones.

John Hobson

address supplied

COUNCIL

Festive trees should be a problem halved

I was a bit surprised when I read in The Gazette on October 3 about the Mereside councillors, Luke Taylor and Adrian Hutton having to pay £3,000 for two Christmas trees.

I am sure they could get them cheaper than this. I might have the perfect solution for them – why not buy just one tree at £1,500 thereby only paying half of the cost?

Is this too simple??

Alun Jones

Argosy Avenue

Blackpool

POLITICS

Jeremy’s leading 
the winning team

While Coun Colin Maycock (Your Say, Gazette, September 30) complains the Labour Party is being led into the penalty area by Jeremy Corbyn and his policies, and the party gets a red card from the Tories for complaining about moved goalposts in constituency boundaries, it is fitting to cry foul, when he talks about splits in the Labour Party. Under the new manager of his own club, the opening shots do not seem promising.

Does he not realise that the membership of the Labour club has risen threefold since Corbyn was elected last year, with membership increasing to the point it has more members than all the the other UK parties put together?

At the same time, his Tory club has lost membership, as the splits show some players have joined other teams and the old manager had to resign after Brexit, leaving the field open to a new manager.

This manager’s first job was to sack the former chancellor and elevate the player who has scored more own goals for team GB, to become a foreign player on the world scene.

Coun Maycock talks of Corbyn living in the ’60s and infers he cannot cost the economy. Oh dear, as we have lived for six years on austerity, with zero hours contracts and cuts to vital welfare benefits for the disabled and poor, it is far from game on for Mrs May. She chooses to take the party back with her policy of returning to grammar schools again – so last century.

There is a new formation now which gives all the people a say, with a leader who listens and is compassionate. His way is what we need now to win again with a red and white strip.

Roy Lewis

Bispham Labour party

POLITICS

Government for all, not just the few

Much has been written recently about the situation in the Labour Party. I’m quite touched by people’s concern for my party. So it seems only right I look with the same interest/concern at the Conservative party.

The Labour Party has the largest membership of any political party in Europe. The Conservative party membership has dwindled to a little over100,000.

Recently, leading Tory Ken Clark has commented on the split in Conservative ranks over the referendum vote. This is not surprising when the current PM, who was in the Remain group, did nothing to help that cause. It could be said she kept a foot in both camps, and the reason is obvious. Cameron’s early demise gave her an opportunity that would never have come her way.

The continuing austerity policy has hit working people. The pay freeze and rising housing costs have, according to the Resolution Foundation think-tank, hit SIX million families hard, they are struggling with low wages and welfare cuts, even the critically and terminally ill have had benefits cut. This happened while they cut the tax of top earners.

The situation in the NHS is worsening. Trusts desperate for funding are forced to curtail some services. Drastic action is needed to avoid a crisis throughout the NHS.

Meanwhile the government is obsessed with bringing back grammar schools which single out children from an early age.

History tells us much. The Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned, because he was an ineffectual leader in time of crisis. How big a crisis do we need in the NHS before our government begins to care for all instead of the few?

Jack Croysdill

Chairman Blackpool North/Cleveleys Labour Party.