Letters - Friday November 6 2020

So, Scott Benton MP is under investigation for failing to declare income for the last 10 months. Good, but that is surely only half the story.

What concerns me is that in Mr Benton, we have an MP that is happy to take a wage of £879 per month from a council he admits himself he no longer undertakes any work for. He calls it an ‘admin error’ but I’m sorry, Scott, ‘get a grip’. How can you not remember to declare £879 a month (or £9,669 by the end of November)? You’re an MP, Scott... not Father Ted.

He apparently claims to have given the money to charity (seems he won’t say which)... but surely this money should be handed back to Calderdale council for THEM to choose how they spend their money, not Scott Benton.

If this were Blackpool Council’s money, how would we feel if a Yorkshire MP decided to donate payments from it to charity?

Remember, this is the same Scott Benton that voted against extending school meals for children in Blackpool from families not lucky enough to have an extra £879 per month appearing in their bank accounts every month.

Scott’s actions are not those of the switched-on, compassionate, common sense MP this town deserves and needs. The town has been brought to its knees by Covid. People are losing their jobs left, right and centre, incomes are being slashed and the mental health of many of his constituents is of serious concern.

Is Scott Benton the right person to be our MP? I don’t think so. However, there’s still a job for him back in Yorkshire, if they’ll have him.

Name and Address supplied

Response

How can a virus be ‘fiendishly clever’?

Dr Barry Clayton (Your Say, November 3) in his usual combative style is withering about ‘scientific ignorance’ but twice refers to Covid-19 as a killer virus and very dangerous which is itself a matter of interpretation, ending with the comment it is ‘fiendishly clever’.

All viruses are essentially simple protein sheaths containing genetic coding.

They are right at the edge of any definition of life, showing instead many characteristics of organic chemistry.

To call them ‘fiendishly clever’ is on par with calling a computer fiendishly clever - it simply, like the virus, unthinkingly follows its coding.

Rev’d Canon Dr Simon Cox

Hon. Assistant Curate

‘The Trinity Parish’

Politics

Tories are still the ‘nasty party’

In reply to Mr G Chapman’s letter (Your Say, October 31) the plight of today’s children going hungry after 10 years of this government is an absolute national disgrace and cannot be swept aside by misleading statements made by Tory members of Parliament of how extra cash towards benefits is being allocated to alleviate the problem.

Next time you cast your vote, remember the north west Conservative members of parliament that voted down the free school meals at holiday time for children – it could be somebody that you voted for, such as my own South Ribble MP Katherine Fletcher (although i didn’t vote for her).

You have got to remember that nothing has changed and that they are still the “nasty party”, with complete indifference and disdain for the poor of this country.

M Tipper

via email

Virus

Another U-turn by the Government

Another U-turn by this Government concerning another lockdown.

They claim to follow scientific advice. The latest advice was given over a month ago. The same advice Keir Starmer advocated. Not only was this rejected by the PM, the opposition leader was then ridiculed.

The likes of Steve Baker are claiming the policy affects individual freedoms. lt should be pointed out to him that dying affects individuals even more drastically.

Denis Lee

Ashton

Society

Something hard to reconcile

We are told that 41 per cent of children in the region are obese or overweight. In another breath we are told that a vast number of children may starve and must be provided with free meals. Some things really are rather difficult to reconcile.

Bob Watson

via email