Readers' letters - March 23

It could have been a Shakespeare play. With the ink hardly dry on George Osborne’s budget, one of his co-conspirators’ of the Social Health and Welfare Act back in 2012, Iain Duncan Smith, puts the knife in the back of Osborne. In the event, he wounds his leader Cameron and splits the court!

This leaves the Conservatives in a perilous state. IDS claims to be outraged by the cuts from the Chancellor. Claiming he knew nothing of them, he says the damage that would be inflicted on cuts to PIPs for people with disabilities, who need aids such as walking sticks, is wrong!

His cohorts defend him, agreeing that he has been forced to leave the court because of bullying by the Chancellor. Then the rest of the lower courtiers cry foul agreeing that poor people will be hurt! Others cry IDS has an ulterior motive to lead the campaign to leave Europe, and therefore usurp Cameron who is pro European.

Battle lines are drawn!

The rebel army say IDS’s claims ring hollow. Their army of opposition gathers in revolt over the Conservatives cruel budget. They know that IDS has voted for the heinous cuts on bedroom tax, tax credits, universal benefit cuts and the welfare cap. They will lead a revolt. Both Cameron and Osborne then announce they will reverse the cuts on the poor, it is too late. Cameron accepts the IDS resignation. Oh woe is me; conscience makes cowards of us all!

Enter three witches who appear before the court and make a prophesy…

“Beware of all those who would want the crown in this place of dissent and treachery. Those who will fight for the poor must have a clear conscience and not be cowardly. Traitors will never be king!”

Marjorie Nye

Address supplied

environment

Plight of our future planet


I wonder what sort of planet my godchildren will inherit.

I wonder if, as adults, they will be as privileged as me to live in a natural world with elephants and rhinos, lions and tigers. Or will humans have turned the planet – including its rich rainforests – into a concrete wasteland of houses and roads? Will we have finally killed all our planet’s endangered species to extinction because of our lust for ivory, our greed for money and our ignorance and apathy of the situation facing the world?

Prince William has said we have only five to ten years to save rhinos from extinction. According to the WWF, tigers used to roam across most of Asia, but now they’re restricted to just seven per cent of their original range.

Personally I believe that while we remain the planet’s most arrogant, violent animal to our fellow animals, we will remain so to our fellow humans too. I think the minute we start to care about things which really matter – compassion rather than money or power – we’ll begin to live in a world we will all – humans and animals – want to live in. If you care about the natural world, please visit www.wwf.org.uk

Jane via email

racing

Horse deaths


The respected animal protection society, Animal Aid, reports that Cheltenham holds the record for horses killed on a single day – six on March 16, 2006 - and stands high among the most lethal of UK racecourses. At Cheltenham, since and including 2007, there have been 67 on-course deaths up to the end of March 17, this year, including five this year.

Aren’t punters and racegoers at all concerned about it?

Mike Maas via email