Readers' letters - May 23

Pursuit of three Cs leading to destruction of our planet
Too many people put the three Cs  comfort, convenience and cash  ahead of the planet we live on says a reader			                 Photo: NASAToo many people put the three Cs  comfort, convenience and cash  ahead of the planet we live on says a reader			                 Photo: NASA
Too many people put the three Cs  comfort, convenience and cash  ahead of the planet we live on says a reader Photo: NASA

Is there no one in agriculture, politics or any decision-making position who puts the only place we have to live at the top of the priority list –planet Earth?

We live on, are fed by and kept comfortable by a live, loving and extremely generous planet, yet we have over-used and abused it until it is now in imminent danger of no longer able to support any life at all due to the massive pollution of air, soil and water.

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It never ceases to amaze me that only a tiny minority can see how close we are to destroying that truly wonderful gift by our constant, non-stop pursuit of the three Cs – comfort, convenience and cash.

Research has proved how close we are to total extinction, yet the three Cs are still the main concern.

What utter fools we are.

Terry Fletcher

via email

Involve young people in politics

There has been some debate about how many young people voted in last year’s EU referendum. Straight after the vote, pollsters said that just 36 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 turned out to cast their vote and a whole generation were branded apathetic, who hadn’t been bothered to have their say.

But we now know, thanks to research by the London School of Economics, that the turnout figure was actually 64 per cent – still not as high as their older counterparts (90 per cent of over 65s voted, for example) but much better than that original figure.

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At Barnardo’s, we support the lowering of the voting age to 16 in Westminster elections to ensure greater representation of young people at a national level. We need to emphasise how important political engagement for young people could be – we want young people to share their experiences to influence politicians and decision-makers. With the general election on June 8, young people have another chance to influence national politics.

In fact 750,000 British teenagers who were too young to vote in the referendum last year will have their first opportunity to vote and it’s vital they don’t miss this chance to make a difference.

Politicians need to do more to bring young people into the political mainstream so they can have a say in key issues that affect them, or risk losing them to more extreme or direct means of action. We find that young people everywhere want to take part and that they don’t deserve to be called apathetic.

Lynn Perry

Barnardo’s West Region

People’s lives are

more important

Anyone thinking of voting for the Lib Dems, on the strength of their pledge to legalise cannabis and to make it easier for young people to get on the housing ladder – might like to think again.

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For anyone earning a low income, and looking to save for a mortgage, they could save on travel costs by cycling. However, if cannabis is legalised it could turn motor vehicles into serious killers.

In Italy, in 2010, a speeding driver, high on cannabis, ploughed into a group of 10 cyclists, killing eight of them instantly.

I’ll vote for the party who puts the value of life of vulnerable road users above that of a ‘sniff and snort’.

Allan Ramsay

Radcliffe

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