Letters - March 17, 2018

Welfare

Non-stunning is not an option

I read with interest a really good letter regarding halal meat in Monday’s Gazette.

Well done Marjorie for standing up for animal rights.

We are an animal loving nation and don’t believe in causing unnecessary cruelty to animals.

The practice of not stunning before cutting its throat needs to be stopped.

When we accept people into our country we don’t expect them to bring their barbaric ways with them, the next thing will be Sharia Law. Where is this going to end?

Come on English people let’s start sticking up for our rights and traditions and to start supporting Lancashire County Council to approve that non-stunned halal meat is banned from our local schools.

Lilian Bradley

Address supplied

society

Still the first day of Spring Mrs Bell

Hooray and birthday greetings to Mrs E H Bell (Your Say, March 13) for March 21.

I was born on March 20, 1930 which I have always understood to be the last day of winter. How can this have changed?

Joyce Smith

Thornton Cleveleys

Tribute

Hawking was a great role model

Stephen Hawking was a great scientist who helped in our understanding of the universe, even if most people couldn’t understand his work. He was also a very successful author.

His work included black holes which may be symbolic as he did not wallow in a personal black hole when he became ill but rather fought it and showed that handicaps do not stop you.

His humour and wit was shown through his cameos on Big Bang Theory. A piece of trivia - he was the only person to appear on Star Trek as themselves.

A great role model for all.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Via email

Fracking

Riding roughshod over England

The British government is not pursuing a policy of fracking in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, but only in England.

The British Prime Minister insists that fracking will benefit the UK. What the British Prime Minister means is that fracking will benefit Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland because it is only taking place in England.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will not suffer any fear of their communities being exposed to any adverse health problems associated with fracking.

Nor will they suffer from falling house and land values and affordability of insurance, and the detriment of thousands of lorries tearing through their communities and countryside. These issues will only happen in England.

Unfortunately, it is English taxpayers who finance the running of the British Isles, but who are the last in the queue when it comes to receiving health and social care benefits, services and democracy, and whose infrastructure is the worst in Britain.

The British government continues to ride roughshod over England and nothing will change until England has equal democratic rights with the rest of Britain.

We must demand equal democratic rights for England and we must do it now.

J Patrick

Via email

Politics

Time for Power for the People

Yet again we see how the government and the power regulator have no power over the energy suppliers.

Now the benefits of having paperless bills, dual tariffs and monthly debit payments are being removed.

So I call on all the elected councillors to ask all the elected party leaders to get around a table and have a discussion on the government providing an energy supplier run by the government, with only one fair tariff for gas and electricity.

The benefits of this would be that the profits, instead of going to the shareholders, would go into the NHS and looking after the elderly.

So taxes do not need to go up or new taxes made for the need of these services.

Perhaps the name of the supplier could be Power for the People?

To me this is a win-win for the government and people – the only losers being the energy suppliers and shareholders.

I would be interested in councillors’ and readers’ views on this idea.

MJ Ellison

Address supplied