Readers' letters - January 12

Should motorists fit winter tyres on their cars during winter?

Whilst I can understand the

attitudes and the apparent

ignorance shown by many motorists concerning winter tyres (WTs), I was surprised to hear both the AA and RAC spokesmen on television failing to even mention them during the Christmas period. The RAC representative mentioned the benefits of deep treaded tyres, but not a mention of WTs.

Am I missing something?

It is my personal experience that on hard-packed snow, standard (summer) tyres are almost useless, especially on steepish gradients.

With just WTs on my two front drive wheels, I can safely progress up steep gradients on which only active sledging appears to prevail. Perhaps more satisfying is that I can descend without fear of broadsiding and to be out and about with no fear about abandoning the car but always being aware that ice could be my undoing.

With now an annual mileage of less than 7,000, I leave my WTs on all year round.

I replace them every two years, despite being assured that they would be roadworthy for at least another year. For extra satisfaction, I find that WTs are also a bonus in heavy rain.

I am struggling to find any significant reasons for not fitting winter tyres.

I strongly believe that winter tyres should be a necessary MOT requirement during

December, January, February and March.

If this appears controversial, what am I missing?

With WTs, I have much safer control, weather forecasts are less frightening, I am more tolerant of sledging activities and I know ‘first hand’ that disabled passengers benefit also.

I have no regrets having fitted WTs, even if it may never snow again. A safe and happy controllable year to you all.

Mike Dodgson

via email

Keep politics away from our health service

Would it not be a good idea if the National Health Service became a ‘non-political’ football?

If all the major political parties could agree that a certain amount of money could be spent annually, say for the next 20-year period, and this budget was managed by a non-political ‘board of directors’ – including clinicians from a variety of disciplines and specialities and chaired by a political appointee – we could get away from the short-term political mud-slinging which has taken place for most of my life.

The amount of the budget could be set at a percentage of GDP which would be agreed by the politicians.

The 20-year period could be reviewed and amended at, say, 10 years.

In both cases it would be possible that both the Labour Party and the Conservatives could be ‘in power’ during this time, but the agreed Budget would stand.

Hopefully this could reduce, if not eliminate, the constant bickering which currently takes place.

Mike Dennis

via email

NHS has ‘much

in common

with Ryanair’

The cancellation of January’s non-urgent operations by the NHS

looks to have a lot in common with the cancellation of flights last autumn by Ryanair.

Both involve managers who appear to have shut their eyes to the blatantly obvious until it was too late.

Both involve a desperate last-minute attempt to avoid the resulting chaos.

Both involve taking it out on the innocent ‘customers’, who are having to put up with the cancellations.

I doubt that heads will roll in either organisation.

Why not?

Michael Green

Address supplied

European Union failed to protect migrating birds

One of the criticisms of the EU, quoted by both Remainers and Brexiteers, has been the laws it has over the years imposed on us.

But ask those people to give just one example where such a law has been detrimental to their way of life, and they struggle to do so.

On the other hand, there are many examples where the EU should have acted and failed to do so.

One such example of

this is the way it has failed to

take action against the primitive practice of the trapping and slaughter of song birds in places such as Cyprus and Malta, as they migrate from Europe to Africa – a practice that has gone on for years.

The EU should have legislated against this years ago, but failed to do so.

Why not?

David Craggs

Address supplied

For more letters, visit: https://www.wigantoday.net/news/your-say