Readers' letters - February 26

For more letters: https://www.wigantoday.net/news/your-say/readers-letters-february-23-1-9033695

When I look at HS2, I don’t see our political leaders as leaders, but failures. For, if this is the best that they can come up with for the future of Britain (it is our biggest project by far), we all have to be highly concerned for the future wellbeing of our children. HS2, in this respect, will do little, if anything, for the positive future GDP of the UK as equivalent railway systems have shown in other advanced nations. Japan, as the third largest economy in the world, is a prime example here, with over 20 years of economic regression after the bullet train was introduced.For, as we know, getting to a destination 25 minutes earlier does not allow for, say, another meeting in London to be conducted and therefore there is no increased economic benefit.What our politicians have to do is to think, for once, what the future world will be like and what will drive that world. I can tell them that it will not be a £100bn-and-counting HS2, but that only by capturing and developing new technological industries will we survive and prosper. Once HS2 is built we will have no new industries from this colossal debt, it will all be borrowed money paid off in never-never land.Dr David HillCEOWorld Innovation FoundationUKIP will be bouncing backAs the Government is now preparing for the next round of negotiations with the EU, there still appear to be splits within the Cabinet, as indeed there are within the opposition party, which means will the 17.4 million who voted Leave really in the end get what they voted for ?Like it or not, it was UKIP that caused the 2016 in/out EU referendum, following 23 years of campaigning and the then PM David Cameron ceding to the growing demands from the voters.But as most of the establishment thought that their scaremongering tactics of “Project Fear” would be enough to maintain the status quo, they were not prepared for the Leave result that followed, nor what to do in the event.Now, despite UKIP’s recent adverse publicity, it still has an important job to do. That is to hold the Government to account over whatever deal they negotiate and ensure it satisfies the majority who voted to leave.UKIP has been written off many times before but has always managed to bounce back, and with its new interim leader, members are returning and at least one Conservative councillor has now swapped over to the party as he is disappointed with the Tory Brexit talks.Phil Griffiths North West political commentator and broadcasterI’d like to focus on the road

Statutory speed limits are an ineffective and ultimately pointless way of trying to control road user behaviour.Yet it is the one which the police spend their time enforcing. If I drove down our local high street at 30mph, I would rightly be called mad or bad. But it would still be legal.One of my drives involves limits of 30, 40, 70, 60, 50, 60, 40 and 30mph. For a 10-minute journey. It’s madness. I want to concentrate on the road, not my speedometer. Just for the record, I’ve never been caught for speeding, so it’s not personal!Hugh RogersAddress suppliedGive views in organ survey

I am writing to you and your readers to urge them to share their views in the government’s organ donation consultation, while they still can.Currently, 80 per cent of people say they would be willing to donate their organs but only 36 per cent register to become an organ donor. The Government wants to find out what people in the Wigan area think about an opt-out organ donation system to overcome this “fatal reluctance” to talk about organ donation.With less than two weeks left until the consultation closes on March 6, there has never been a more important time to make your voices heard. You can help shape the future of organ donation and transplantation in England by taking part in the consultation here: https://engage.dh.gov.uk/organdonation Fiona LoudPolicy Director at Kidney Care UK