Letters - April 21, 2020

Urged on by Tory MP Julian Knight who said the Premier League was operating in a moral vacuum when it came to coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured) has called for the players in football’s top flight to take a pay cut and play their part in the struggle against the pandemic by donating to the NHS.

The health service should not rely on charity. It should be fully funded and its staff should be paid at a level which matches their enormous contribution to society.

Knight and Hancock are part of a government which cut NHS funding to the bone, leaving the service seriously under resourced when it comes to fighting Covid 19. They also said nothing against the rampant privatisation in key areas of NHS, and even sold off blood plasma service.

Knight and Hancock voted in 2017 to maintain the 1 per cent pay cap on the NHS workers pay rise, then in its seventh year. They may well have been among the many MPs who cheered when the government won the vote.

So it’s a bit late for these two to play at being friends of the NHS or its staff. They know as Tory MPs about operating in a moral vacuum, like my own MP here in Blackpool, Paul Maynard.

Royston Jones

Anchorsholme

Virus

Support for Tories has been eroded~

Not all front-line hospital workers are being provided with the necessary equipment for protection against coronavirus.

It would seem Government cuts are going to affect the health of hospital staff, which obviously impinges on patient safety.

My support for the Conservative Party has now been severely eroded.

Mr P.I. Taylor

address supplied

Virus

Don’t forget the value of the NHS

Through your letters page, can I say how glad I am the Prime Minister is on the way to a full recovery following his stay in hospital with coronavirus?

I hope people of all political persuasions feel the same.

All I would ask is that the PM – and all future politicians – remember what a vital role the NHS and our caring services play in keeping us alive and in good health.

Let us pay them what they are worth in terms of their total contribution to our society.

If that means we have to pay more National Insurance contributions and tax, so be it. Never again should our health and caring services be starved of money. If you want the best, you have to pay for it and we all want the best. Let us never, never forget the contribution these professionals have played in such difficult circumstances.

Alan Carnall

address supplied

Virus

How about clapping our civil servants?

It is laudable that we have clapped our hard working and underpaid NHS staff and carers but others deserve similar treatment.

Over many years civil servants at every level have been abused, bypassed, despised and demoralised.

Since the current crisis began they have been deluged with extra work resulting mainly from the explosion in claims for universal credit. However, their stirling efforts have been largely ignored by the media.

It is time we demonstrated our appreciation for their hard work. So let’s have a clap for civil servants.

Perhaps the Gazette could suggest a day and time.

Dr Barry Clayton

Thornton Cleveleys

Virus

Now we can enjoy resort’s charms

When I was growing up, Blackpool was a splendid place to live but, in recent years, Blackpool, along with other provincial towns, has been run down by government policies, lack of funding and an inability to compete with urban centres.

Now in lockdown, somewhere which has become the butt of lame jokes and made headlines for all the wrong reasons, Blackpool is a great place to be.

Stanley Park is a joy for the daily walk, as is Heron’s Reach and the seafront.

Nothing is going on anywhere else to overshadow its charms which can finally be truly appreciated.

And the sea air is wonderful, as it always was.

Jeremy Eyre

via email