Letters - February 26, 2019

You may recall that, last week, I had a moan about the BBC trying to cancel the free TV licence for the over 75s (Your Say, February 14). Of course, I am part of that.

This week’s moan is on a different thing completely.

The postman dropped a brown envelope through the door, and it was from those nice people in Belfast, The Pension Service.

It was indeed notification that my pension had rocketed up by nearly £5!

So obviously I wasn’t planning anything spectacular at that moment, until I saw the biggie at the bottom of the page that announced that, because I would soon be 80, I would receive a further 25 pence a week!

I remembered then about my late friend Colin Brewer appearing in print when this happened to him years ago.

I honestly believed that the bandits in Westminster had stopped this.

I don’t wish to sound ungrateful (yes, I do ) but it must cost much more to pay this than it’s worth.

I always believed I had a good sense of humour. I don’t think its going to last.

Allan Fazackerley

via email

SPORT

Breakdancing as an Olympic sport?!

I was most upset to read that breakdancing is to be considered as an Olympic sport for the 2024 Paris games.

I was under the impression that darts, dominoes and snooker were favourites.

Oh well, as long as they retain ladies beach volleyball, I won’t bother complaining to the International Olympic Committee.

Mike Picewicz,

Blackpool

ENVIRONMENT

Why not stage demo on Saturday?

Good to see our school children expressing their concern over global warming, but how many them go to school by private car rather than walking or biking?

What I find interesting was that they decided to strike from lessons on a school day rather than organising their protest on a Saturday where more youngsters could have attended without a guilty conscience – or was it that they just wanted another day’s holiday and they don’t give a jot about their education?

JA King

Address supplied

TV LICENCE

Over 75s should not accept rise

So, the BBC is considering abolishing free TV for the 4.5 million (and growing) over-75s. Have they really thought this through? Do they really believe that those 4.5 million will take this lying down? What if a substantial number, if not a majority, of those 4.5 million decide to stand up to the BBC and refuse to pay a licence fee?

Can the BBC really afford the cost and inconvenience of chasing thousands of licence defaulters and the subsequent court cases? And, even if the BBC won its case and the defaulters were convicted, what sort of sentences is a judge likely to hand down to senior citizens, many with health or infirmity problems?

I, for one, will refuse to 
pay a licence fee for the benefit of a channel I rarely watch, 
while it continues to pay ludicrous and obscene salaries 
to people who were born 
with their brains in their boots and do little more than read an autocue or ask predetermined questions of some Z-list celebrity.

If the PM can run a country on a salary of around £150k then are BBC management, staff and presenters really worth more?

It is time for senior citizens to stand up to this outdated and profligate organisation.

Colin R Lancaster

Address supplied

BREXIT

Brexit outcome 
not important

To all those wringing their hands about Brexit, I have a wake-up call for you.

It doesn’t matter which way we go, soft, hard, deal or no deal. All that you need to know is that the rich will continue getting richer and the poor will continue getting poorer, and we will continue bombing other countries (slaughtering children and women in the process) either directly or with our UK-built weapons, all under the banner of the war against terror.

Until we realise that our political system is nothing more than a puppet show then the status quo will never change.

Julie Moss

North Shore