YOUR VIEWS
WHERE DO THEY STAND?
THE remarks from Councillor Clare Cleary (‘Market hall rates set to be slashed’, August 14) beggar belief.
She said that the council proposed that food stalls could be used to attract more people. With the council setting out ambitions to create a European cafe culture.
Isn’t this what councillor Higgins was proposing with his van and setting up an area outside with seating and green turf to protect the flags from potential coffee stains etc.? (‘Outdoor cafe seating area if off the menu’, July 20).
Last month she spoke out and was vehemently opposed to this idea, now she’s speaking out as though she’s in favour of the idea.
The business people in this town need to know where the council stand.
They are fighting an uphill struggle to survive in the present economic climate. A.P. Moxham Mill Lane Great Harwood
MORE EU QUESTIONS
A COUPLE of weeks back I asked the Observer readers questions, mainly about withdrawal from the EU (Letters page, August 17).
One particular person (Letters page, August 31) took me to task and proposed to ‘enlighten me’ but I’m afraid their answers proved memory lapses which ignored facts. They paint a picture of Britain in the seventies having its prosperity taken away by joining the system. The truth is the seventies from that day in 1972 were still stable times.
The crunch came when Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979.
It was her vision of privatising and selling everything off that crippled the country and was nothing to do with the EU. It is that and following Tory Governments to blame for the lack of bus services, post offices and libraries etc with the highest bidder taking all the profits from these (admittedly usually from abroad). Unemployment peaked with her in charge. It hasn’t really gone down. Only the figures have been massaged to suit.
The reader went on about losing sovereignty to Europe (have I missed that?). They quote the contribution figure whilst not admitting we get most of it back.
Our farmers are going to be crippled without that returning revenue. They quote Winston Churchill who may have been a figurehead war leader but looking at his record reveals he was a disaster in peace time.
But I would like to ask them and the readers another question:
Name one of these so called ‘nasty’ binding European laws that are bad for our country - most seem to be positive. Oh and a further two:
Name just one industry or utility that has been beneficial to the customer after being privatised (that’s a difficult one, and you can’t answer ‘the shareholders’ because we know they benefit!)
Who are we going to trade with?
The reader who advocates the World Trade Organisation should realise that is just a cash cow for the United States and the only thing they want from us is access to our National Health Service which Trump even admits he is after.
The future isn’t looking good. We are a small insignificant island that once ruled the world but I’m afraid all our assets have now been sold off and gone. Europe doesn’t need us anymore. Sad but true. David Entwistle via email
MARVELLOUS NEW CENTRE
I HAD a letter published in a 1994 edition of the Accrington Observer, critical of Hyndburn council’s decision to ban most traffic through the centre of Accrington.
To be fair I would now like to congratulate the present Hyndburn council on the new look Accrington town square. What a vast improvement. Accrington Pals would, I’m sure, be very pleased with this new look town square. Marvellous!
In the Summertime what a fantastic area for the occasional square dance, tea dance or line dance. It has character and is spacious. I’m an OAP and willing to attend to take part, that is if I am able to get there in the daytime as the bus service between Cliteroe and Accrington has been butchered. Here is hoping something will turn up. Finally, please council and public, keep this gem clean and tidy and no takeaways in this area. It’s the mess a minority of their customers leave behind.
Once again, well done Hyndburn council! Bert Hardwick Whalley