Readers' letters - January 17

For more letters: https://www.wigantoday.net/news/your-say/readers-letters-january-15-1-8968746

I’m going to go green for my grandchildren’s sake

The start of the New Year is a time for reflection. Looking back, 60 years ago I wrote a prize-winning essay on the benefits of various sciences to mankind. Sixty years later, in spite of scientific and technological progress, my grandchildren face a very uncertain future. We now have food banks, people in fuel poverty, unaffordable housing and homelessness. Surely our politicians should be focusing on fundamentals rather than big projects?Rather than despair, I do try to contribute to society. Some of my donations go to the local food bank and some to homeless charities. However, I put far more into the “grandchildren pot” as I am very keen that they get a good education, which costs a fortune under this government.Peak oil and climate change were unheard of 60 years ago and are clearly two big problems. Economic growth, promoted by all the main political parties, will only make matters worse. Transition to a low-carbon economy is not easy but only the Green Party has ideas on how to move to a sustainable future. If you care about your grandchildren as much as I care about mine, the least you could do is to go greener in 2018.Barry Crosslandvia email

Qualificationsof politiciansWhat do you really know about your MP?Whenever I applied for a new position throughout my years in employment, I was required to submit a comprehensive CV detailing, in full, my educational background, academic and professional qualifications, working experience, previous positions held and achievements. When was the last time that any prospective Parliamentary candidate provided the electorate with anything approaching this volume of information as proof of their capability? Isn’t it time that we, the electorate, demanded that candidates in both national and local government elections provided such detailed information at the commencement of their electioneering campaign rather than relying on the party “spin” leaflets which fall on our doormats? Maybe that way we will avoid electing those ill-equipped, incompetent, incapable candidates who now frequent the Commons, supposedly on our behalf.Furthermore, there are over 820 appointees to the House of Lords, which sits for approximately 170 days each year, entitled to the £300 tax-free daily allowance. Can we really afford these unelected individuals?CR LancasterAddress suppliedGreening willbe missed

Regarding Theresa May’s Cabinet reshuffle, it was wrong for Education Secretary Justine Greening to be forced out of office when she has been so effective in drawing on her own invaluable knowledge of how education works within the state school system and where improvements to create equality of opportunity for young people are so vital.She clearly has put her priorities in the field of education above any ambitions of continued ministerial success and for that she is to be congratulated. She will be badly missed for her down-to-earth approach, where social mobility and equal opportunity for all set her in a political Tory class of her own. Edward Graingervia emailReferendum optimism

Nigel Farage’s new optimism about the potential result of a possible second Brexit referendum is the same as Theresa May’s optimism about the result of the General Election last June.I write as a fervent supporter of Brexit.Elisabeth BakerAddress suppliedTreasure our countryside

I cannot understand why our Government is allowing fracking to happen, as what has happened in America is scary enough. The public need to make themselves fully aware of the consequences of this invasive and dangerous practice and the Government needs to be forced to ban fracking anywhere in the UK. We are a small country, we need to treasure our countryside.Linda Lawsonvia email

For more letters: https://www.wigantoday.net/news/your-say/readers-letters-january-15-1-8968746