Readers' letters - January 11

They’re here and they’re taking over our jobs at rabid speed. Who are ‘they’ you might ask? They’re robots (or, to be more precise, technology).

People talk about immigration and jobs but whenever I hear of redundancies, technology is to blame. We can leave the EU, stay in the EU, limit immigration, have a no-borders policy. It will make no difference to those people who will one day lose their jobs because, let’s face it, the machines are taking over, directly or indirectly.

But what can one do?

We shop online (resulting in high street shops closing, therefore people lose their jobs), bank online (banks then close), use self-service tills (supermarket workers lose their jobs). We even have driverless cars to ‘look forward’ to but has anyone wondered if taxi and bus drivers will be made redundant as a result? Big bosses can save a lot of money by using technology instead of employing workers and, I guess, whenever we ourselves choose the tech rather than the human option, we help this decision along. Maybe we should just accept that this is the way the world is these days – uncertain.

But what will happen in the future, I wonder? Will there be any jobs left for us humans? Am I painting too gloomy a picture? Technology can and does improve our lives but we should also be in control and I wonder if we are becoming its servants instead.

Jane

via email


health

Day of action to save NHS

The NHS is in crisis, the Red Cross has announced it is providing humanitarian assistance to the NHS Trusts that simply do not have the resources to cope.

People are lying on trolleys in hospitals waiting to be seen, the NHS and social care are at breaking point.

This is a national scandal made in Downing Street by this Government who failed to spend a single extra penny for the NHS in their autumn statement. The NHS needs our help and support and I am pleased that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for a day of action on January 21 to take action to protect our NHS.

John Appleyard

Address supplied

society

Poor looking after poor

Nowhere in the debate about the chaotic state of the public finances has there been any mention of taxing the richest one per cent and raising Corporation Tax or similar.

I suggest the richest few should be made to dig deep and, for starters, let’s follow Jeremy Corbyn’s idea of abolishing tax havens, and crack down heavily on tax avoiders and evaders. These unscrupulous people could help us run the NHS, the public sector and maintain the infrastructure. What this Government wants to do is an old trick... make the poor look after the poor.

That won’t do in today’s world, Chancellor Philip Hammond. Those with the most should contribute the most.

Peter Asquith-Cowen

via email


brexit

Missing Ivan

The resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers is just another indication that going down the Brexit road is proving to be a disaster. Sir Ivan, the UK ambassador to the EU, has the reputation of being very competent and level-headed. Without doubt his going weakens the negotiating team (Sir Ivan has good contacts in Brussels).

John Cole via email