Letters - Monday December 7 2020

Deciding to leave the European Union and progressing that decision is almost certainly the worst government call in 100 years.

All the evidence that has accumulated since June 2016 shrieks “Mistake!”

Referendums have a lot to answer for, having a poor track record.

Two thousand years ago the crowd in front of Pilate’s palace opted for Barabbas over Jesus Christ.

We may note that the crowd had been “wound up” by priests and scribes moving among the throng, telling lies about Jesus. This makes those priests and scribes early precursors of Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.

Apparently we are leaving the European Union in order to enjoy greater sovereignty.

In practice we are gaining a marginal increase in our scope for independent action at the cost of losing a huge amount of influence. We may note that the European Union has not only taken steps to protect itself from the worst damage of Brexit, but also put in place procedures to mitigate the damage that the UK suffers.

Our country’s weak position is such that we have become dependent on “the kindness of strangers”.

John Cole

address supplied

Virus

GPs need advice on vaccine rollout

The vaccine announcement is a significant step towards overcoming Covid-19 and GPs share in the optimism of the rest of the nation as a future beyond the pandemic comes more clearly into sight.

Practices have responded rapidly in recent weeks to put in place arrangements so that they are ready to deliver vaccinations once they are made available.

With regard to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, we need clarification and guidance from NHS England and the Government on how exactly practices will be involved in this first phase, given the much-publicised practical restraints around storage and transportation.

Dr Richard Vautrey

BMA GP committee chair

Virus

Covid vaccine being rushed out

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are experimental mRNA vaccines.

They have been rushed through development in a matter of months.

Usually, vaccines take an average of about 10 years to develop and this is for regular vaccine technology - not this experimental never-before-approved for human use mRNA vaccine.

According to Pfizer’s published clinical trial protocols, the phase three trial of safety and efficacy testing is still ongoing for this vaccine. However, regardless of this, they are now rushing the vaccines out and being granted legal indemnity by the UK Government.

The Independent newspaper stated that: “Ministers have also changed the law in recent weeks to give new protections to companies such as Pfizer, giving them immunity from being sued by patients in the event of any complications” (Thursday December 3 2020).

Phase three of Pfizer’s clinical trials isn’t scheduled to complete until 24 months after vaccination. So, people rushing to take this vaccination are literally human guinea pigs who are volunteering to be experimented upon.

Louis Shawcross

via email

virus

How can this be democratic?

How can it be a democratic decision by MPs to impose restrictions in different areas when only 245 out of the 630 MPs voted in favour of an important decision which is affecting the lives of the people they represent?

Name and address supplied

NHS

Nurses’ deserve their pay rise

I heard nurses want a 12.5 per cent pay increase. I say, give it to them! Who could deny that the nurses and doctors risking their lives looking after Covid patients, quite apart from the amazing work they do every year, deserve a significant pay rise this year? So come on Rishi , do whatever’s necessary to give them the increase they deserve.

Peter Leigh

Lytham St Annes