Letters - Tuesday, July 6, 2021

It is little wonder that more and more people are refusing to pay the BBC licence fee. It’s London-centred establishment reporting gets worse every day.

A typical example is the way it indulgently gives lengthy reports on the nationalistic football game between England and Germany, and Wimbledon tennis, but gives only a one sentence report on the fantastic achievement of Mark Cavendish’s “comeback” 34th stage win in the Tour de France.

So much for its sincerity in promoting the use of bicycles for clean transport.

Give the BBC licence fee the elbow until it serves the public, not the Establishment.

The most important debate needed now is not Covid but radical democratic reform. This is what the Establishment fears the most. Balance and truth.

Malcolm Naylor

via email

STATUE

Unflattering to Princess Diana

How disappointing is the long awaited statue of Diana, Princess of Wales?

She was such a fashion icon and would never have worn such a wide unattractive belt.

Her clothes do not reflect her fashion sense and makes her look frumpy which she never was.

The children make the statue look incredibly twee and it would be better if she was depicted alone.

I wonder what the boys really thought. Disappointed is the word that comes to mind.

Janet Berry

via email

POLITICS

No majority since Stanley Baldwin

Canon Michael Storey complains that the current government rules by ‘minority approval’ only (Your Say, July 1).

He might be interested to learn when a government last achieved an election victory with over 50 per cent of the vote.

For comparative purposes, Mr Johnson received 43.6 per cent of the vote in 2019. Mr Blair, in 1997, received 43.2 per cent.

The last Prime Minister to achieve over 50 per cent was Stanley Baldwin, with 53.3 per cent, in November, 1935.

The turnout for the European Referendum, by the way, was 72.2 per cent, higher than that for any General Election since

1992.

Therefore, if Canon Storey wishes to question the validity of the result, then he must, presumably, challenge the authority of every government since that of Stanley Baldwin.

Geoff Hewitt

Address supplied

POLITICS

It’s better to have paid for a permit

Presumably, rather than buy a £25 annual parking permit, instead someone thought it would be smart to keep painting out the no-waiting time restriction plates.

Traffic engineers came and cleaned them off until, that is, they got fed up.

The outcome?

No waiting at any time on one side of the road, limiting the evening, early morning and weekend parking EVERYONE else enjoyed!

If I’d known those responsible couldn’t afford seven pence a day for a parking permit, I’m sure the street could have had a collection!

Name and address supplied

POLITICS

Good news for Nissan workers

It’s good to see Nissan creating jobs in the North East with the expansion of their electric vehicle plant.

It’s also good to see the Conservative Government putting 40 years of ideological opposition to state support for industry behind them with their handout to the Japanese company.

Noel Cullinane

via email

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here