Letters - January 26, 2019

Labour are treating NHS like a political football
The future direction of the NHS has generated a number of letters to The GazetteThe future direction of the NHS has generated a number of letters to The Gazette
The future direction of the NHS has generated a number of letters to The Gazette

I was most interested to read the thoughts of Labour candidate Chris Webb on the performance of local NHS services and on funding for the NHS as a whole (Your Say, January 23).

Mr Webb quite rightly highlights the importance of ensuring there are beds available for patients when needed. It is such a shame he appears to consider patients, each with their own unique care requirements, as nothing more than mere statistics, numbers with which he can attempt to assemble a lazy and outdated political narrative.

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In making his point, Mr Webb appears to have completely forgotten, or chosen to ignore, the Government’s commitment to invest an additional £20.5bn in our NHS -additional cash Mr Webb’s own party has opposed. He also appears oblivious to the Government’s NHS Long-Term plan, a vision backed by that multi-billion pound cash investment and a huge increase in available training places for doctors, nurses and other key hospital staff.

Locally, work is already going on to ensure appropriate care is available for those who no longer require hospital treatment. Hospitals are working alongside local councils to deliver improvements in step-down care which, in turn, frees up beds for those who need them most. At the same time, the Government has committed to millions of pounds of capital funding in Accident and Emergency units.

I am sure our NHS front line staff will, however, be pleased to hear his warm words of praise. It’s a shame only the Conservative Government is willing to support the services they provide with record-breaking investment. Sadly Labour continues to treat our health service as a political football.

Coun Christian Cox

Squires Gate

Brexit

Only weak captain blames the crew

Michael Gove was devastatingly correct when he said Jeremy Corbyn is about the worst possible leader to lead the Labour Party, but now Michael Gove needs to look in the mirror and admit that Theresa May is also about the worst possible person to lead the Conservative Party.

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Surely historians will label this stubborn and foolish woman ‘the Betrayer of Britannia’.

A democratic vote by the public over two years ago resulted in telling the ruling elite that they clearly wanted to leave the EU – so why is Theresa May now pursuing ‘her deal’ which nobody voted for?

It is shameful that she blames both Parliament and the EU for not fully supporting ‘her deal’ – indeed, she should take on board that it is only a weak, inept and shameless captain that blames the crew when the ship strikes an iceberg!

At the next election, voters should seriously consider voting for Ukip, thereby giving a very much deserved kick up the proverbial to our spineless and incompetent so-called representatives.

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There is absolutely nothing to lose and possibly everything to gain, if we all have the wit and courage to make this decision.

Dave Haskell

via email

Brexit

Time to get border organised in Ireland

The news that the EU requires a hard Irish border is surely no surprise as movement within the EU is basically unrestricted, but not outgoing movement.

It’s not that a border will actually stop much. Borders have failed from the time of the Great Wall of China as guards can be easily bribed. This is a lesson that President Trump has yet to understand.

When I last travelled from the North of Ireland to the South I saw no real ‘border’ and the only indicator was a couple of soldiers with big guns who stopped us and asked to see our passports. This was a lot less hassle than most borders crossings but I fear a revisit will not be the same.

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What seems to be missing is an understanding of what people voted for and the consequences. There is no use arguing over what must happen, a real border, and it’s time to get organised so that there is not more chaos.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Via email

Politics

He’s like a toddler having a tantrum

At the time of writing, there is a toddler (well, a grown man who acts like a two-year-old) sitting in the most powerful building, in the most powerful country in the world.

Like all toddlers, he is having a tantrum because things are not going his way.

The government lock-down in the USA has lasted longer than a month.

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This has affected about 800,000 federal workers, who have not been paid during this shut-down.

If I was one of the workers not being paid, I would be absolutely furious.

What sort of country lets their workers go without pay? Don’t they have families and mortgages, rents and food to pay for? I’m surprised that there hasn’t been more news about this fiasco.

But then again, this country isn’t in such a great place either, with a Brexit stalemate and clueless politicians.

Molly Clare

Via email