Letters - September 30, 2016

May I point out that children need to get home, as do workers, but these freeloading OAPs think it’s a divine right to have a bus just for them.

Now, don’t reply that “we worked all our lives so deserve free travel”, as I am all for OAP free travel, but you must use a bit of common sense regarding what time you travel. After all, OAPs have all day to travel on the buses, but always seem to get on when schools are out or at teatime, when hard-working people are trying to get home.

These people have no respect for the younger generation or other bus users – respect works both ways.

I agree, kids are noisy on the buses, but have you ever been on a bus from Talbot Road when the Mecca bingo is out? The OAPs’ behaviour and noise are far worse than said children.

As for safety, I agree it is unsafe for children to be standing in the aisles, but many times I have been on buses and had to climb over OAPs’ shopping trollies blocking the aisles or taking up two seats.

PS. I am not a youngster, but a responsible old aged father and grandfather.

Steve James

Bispham

TRANSPORT

Let’s organise a tram referendum

As most correspondence appearing in the Gazette about the council scheme running a tram from Talbot Square to the railway station seem against it, perhaps you could put a notice in the Gazette so that the views of the council taxpayers could be seen. A simple for or against would do.

This is a major engineering scheme which would again cause chaos and is not needed, as it would not benefit either the locals or the visitors.

It would appear that the council has agreed this scheme and it has to be reversed.

Ron Hollins

William Street

Blackpool

POLITICS

Ward sizes are least of Labour’s problems

It makes me laugh how Labour complain about making parliamentary seats the same size.

They never complained when Labour seats were smaller, meaning they got more Labour MPs on level pegging in national vote share, put them at an advantage. They say this is moving the goal posts, but what it is about is making the goal post the same size and the same distance from the centre circle.

However, I happen to think that equal sized seats, or a level playing field as I like to call it, isn’t Labour’s biggest bar to winning an election.

I think their biggest bar is their divided party, their inability to listen to the electorate, no coherent costed policies, and top amongst them is their choice for leader – the Britain-hating, stuck in the 60’s protest movement, sixth form debater – Jeremy Corbyn.

Long may he reign comrades.

Coun Colin Maycock

Bispham Ward Councillor

POLITICS

Party duo remind me of 1960s movie

If I had to categorise Corbyn and McDonnell, I’d recommend watching The Angry Silence starring Richard Attenborough.

These two would-be resurrectors of the 1960s are well depicted by Bernard Lee and Alfred Burke, who stir up a similar hatred amongst the proletariat and then hightail it when it all goes wrong.

Joe Dawson

via email

EVENT

Join us for a lecture on the Great War

I am writing to ask if any of your readers would be interested in our event at Kirkham Grammar School?

Our First World War Lecture series continues on Wednesday, October 5, when Professor Gary Sheffield will be visiting the school.

Professor Sheffield has established himself as one of the foremost authorities on the British Army of the First World War and this promises to be another captivating event in the school calendar not to be missed.

This event, which will be held in the school’s Recital Room at 7.30pm, follows the successful series of lectures the school held in 2015.

Tickets for the lecture, which will focus on General Haig and the Battle of the Somme, are now on sale from the School Shop or by phoning the school on 01772 684264.

Tickets also include complimentary drinks from the Picardy region of Northern France, along with regional nibbles. There will also be a book signing in conjunction with Plackitt and Booth Booksellers of Lytham and a chance to speak to the guest speaker.

All profits will be given to the Royal British Legion and we would be delighted to welcome everyone to the school.

Simon Duncan

Teacher of History at Kirkham Grammar School

APPEAL

Youngsters need our help and support

We face an urgent imperative to help the UK’s young people. More than ever, we have a generation of youngsters in crisis. Recent Barnardo’s research reveals an astonishing 88 per cent of under 18s lack confidence. This figure is supported by the Young Women’s Trust who also revealed this week that a generation of young women “wracked by anxiety, lack of confidence and despair”. Increasingly we are seeing that ‘youthful optimism’ no longer exists.

This epidemic of low confidence and limited self-belief holds young people back from future success, but there is a more disturbing issue that we are also addressing. We have witnessed a 30 per cent increase for our Child Sexual Exploitation Services in the past year alone and dealt with more than 9,000 referrals in the past two.

Barnardo’s has been providing services for 150 years, and will continue to be there for young people for as long as it takes.

But we all have a duty to show young people that we believe in them and will support them.

Javed Khan

CEO, Barnardo’s