Letters - April 11, 2018

I couldn’t agree more with your correspondent Susan Richardson (Your Say, April 4) on the subject of older people being classed, to use the vernacular, being technically out of date.

I come into that age category and am thoroughly tired of the way I’m at the back of the queue because I don’t recognise the internet and have no email arrangement.

To me a website is where spiders live and Twitter is what birds do. I experience great frustration when such as general voting I’m supposed to know all about WWW with no landline alternative number given.

As for mobile phones and they’re nowadays in the hands of school children with all their built-in risks, both via communication and physical dangers, as Susan says there is now reliable evidence of damage being done to their health.

So, maybe I should be thankful I was born many decades too soon.

Neil Kendall

Stamford Avenue
South Shore

COUNCIL

Ian is a man of great integrity

I endorse the article by Stephen Pierre (Your Say, April 2) regarding Coun Ian Coleman, the Mayor of Blackpool (pictured). I was somewhat dismayed to learn that Ian has stood down from this office a few weeks before his year ended.

Ian has always been a man of integrity, warmth and with a great and larger than life personality - a true gentleman.

Yes the council has to be seen as whiter than white and whatever was said must have been said under duress, pressure of office and I can’t think worse than what we read that goes on in government in Westminster every day at present.

My late husband Bob Crichton, who was mayor 1988/89, and myself, first met Ian in the ‘80s when he came on the council.

Although we were of different political persuasions we found him to be a charming, outgoing and most friendly man who had the life of Blackpool very much at heart.

He did such wonderful work for the poppy appeal and the Royal British Legion over 25 years and to have raised £35,000 in this his year of office is a wonderful effort and no mean feat.

I know he will be crest fallen at this blip in what has been a dedicated life of sacrifice and service.

I had an invitation from him at Christmas 2017 to the Town Hall the first in 30 years. This showed the calibre and character of a man who was big enough to put people before party politics and I was delighted to accept.

I hope Ian will continue to serve the town he loves and that people and the charities who will benefit will remember his life of dedication and service and I hope Mavis and he will have a well earned rest.

Their mayoral year has been one of the best.

Betty Crichton

address supplied

BREXIT

No need for second Brexit referendum

Not for the first time recently your correspondent Mike Pearson has used your columns to espouse his anti Brexit views - what he thinks will happen when we finally manage to escape the insidious corrupt EU.

Having read his doom and gloom forecasts I would ask your readers (whether they voted remain or leave) to consider the current economy despite the project fear campaign to frighten the public into voting remain.

Get used to the idea Mr Pearson, we are leaving the EU, no need for any second referendum and if there was, I for one, would be twice as likely to vote to leave now we have seen that the country hasn’t fallen apart as people tried to make us believe.

Name and address supplied

POLITICS

Pushing us to war with Russia...

It’s time people sat up and realised that the West is engineering a devastating war between us and Russia.

Nothing has been proved about the spy chemical attack - or the gas attack in Syria - but both are being used to justify the long-term aim of a new world war.

Richard Tandy

Blackpool