Readers' letters - January 17

When I heard an MP called Hunt had resigned, I thought, “great, about time. Maybe the NHS has a chance after all.” But no, it was not Jeremy Hunt but Tristram Hunt.

We are at a time when the NHS is, itself, seriously ill, public services are closing up and down the country, and some daft idiot went ahead with a referendum on something which meant major changes for the country but he was too arrogant to put a plan in place. We live in a country where the rich tax dodgers get richer and the genuine poor, ill and disabled get poorer.

A nation where there is plenty of money for vanity schemes such as HS2 but not enough for the NHS or the poor.

And yet it’s not the Government which is in real danger of extinction, it’s the Opposition. Maybe Corbyn isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and I am certainly no fan of some of the Corbynistas, such as Thornberry and Abbott, but who do we have on the opposite side – Iron Lady II and her ruthless cutting crew? Maybe people like services cut, for why else would anyone vote for the Tories?

But my concern is not that the Tories are currently in Government, it is the gruesome theory that we could become a one-party state where no other party gets a chance to get into power.

A scary thought for anyone who believes in democracy.

Jane via email

environment

We stand by our facts

Last week in Lancashire, Cuadrilla started preparing to frack, despite pending legal challenges from residents.

This was easily missed amid the white noise around Cuadrilla’s complaint to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) against us. For clarity, the ASA closed the case informally without making any ruling on our claims or their accuracy.

This is in contrast to the formal ruling that the ASA made on the inaccuracy of misleading claims by Cuadrilla in 2013.

In our case, Friends of the Earth agreed not to reuse an old leaflet, or repeat some specific wording, because the case was taking time away from vital campaigning – we

are, after all, talking about an out-of-date leaflet from two years ago. But, one thing is certain, we continue to stand by our facts. Indeed, the scientific evidence against fracking is stronger than ever. We won’t be distracted from the real issues or silenced from telling people the truth. Our environment needs protecting; it’s why we believe we should heed expert warnings and why we won’t apologise for rejecting this risky industry.

Craig Bennett

Chief Executive

Friends of the Earth


social care

Look after the elderly

I agree with Jeremy Corbyn that failed care homes should be taken into public ownership.

People are getting older and, I believe, instead of thinking them a burden on the state, we should look after them properly.

We don’t have the money, cry the Government.

But there is money, plenty of it.

It’s just in the wrong places. Politicians are masters at wasting money.

Have you heard about the Garden Bridge in London (a nice idea but the £50m could have gone towards the NHS)? Or do we really need a HS2? Have we really got all the tax we legally should receive from rich tax dodgers?

The money is there, it’s a question of priority.

CJK

Address supplied