I want to feel safe. So who can I vote for?
I AM in my 80th year and have voted for the Tories in every election i was able to, except once, as i thought they were the best at the time for the country and myself. so who do i vote for in the next election?
What i want is an ambulance in time — and not to have to wait in it for an hour outside a hospital if it gets to me.
I don’t want youngsters knifed on our streets each day. i want people to be able to register with a dentist.
I don’t want prisoners let out of jail early to make room for another person who may have committed a less serious offence. why have prisons been reduced when crime rises? i don’t want to walk through oxford at night and see people sleeping in doorways, often with mental health problems, often not taking their medication, and a danger to the public.
I want to feel i live in a safe country with good armed forces with ample personnel and weapons, and ships and planes.
As a wealthy country, i don’t understand why we need food banks for people. And why are young people not able to buy a house while illegal immigrants are housed in hotels, which they complain about? so who do i vote for at the next election?
Stephen Chandler, Kennington, oxford.
I AGREE with former Conservative MP Christopher Gill, who said the Tories had failed to deliver on the policies embedded in their 80-seat majority.
I have been sickened by the constant in-fighting at the top, appalled by their inability to control striking doctors and railway workers and amazed at their complacency in allowing so many civil servants to work from home.
For the first time ever, i cannot see any political party that deserves my vote at a general election.
Nigel Swann, Milford on sea, Hampshire.
I Have very little faith in the Labour Party, but even they would struggle to match such a level of incompetence and deceit with regard to immigration policy.
Laura davis, brentwood, essex
I AM so fed up with all our politicians ignoring what the public really want them to do that i would vote for Larry the Downing street cat next time!
D. Mcpherson, newton abbot, devon.
Penny-pinching
AS WITH many things today, there is usually a very old reason for some ‘habits’.
The origin of the habit of shop prices being one penny short of the whole pound (Letters) was a way of stopping theft before electronic tills/barcodes.
If the item was say one shilling (the coinage of the time) and the customer paid with a shilling coin no change was needed and so the sales assistant could pocket the coin. no opening of the till needed, and no one any the wiser.
However, if the price was 11 pence, the customer needed one penny change! As one penny was a lot of money then, the customer would wait for the change, meaning the assistant had to ring up the sale and open the till, making theft impossible to hide.
it only became a marketing ploy much later.
DIANE LODGE, bridlington, e. yorks.
Forecasting irritation
WHEN will weather forecasters stop using that irritating phrase ‘the white stuff’ when referring to snow? How long before they start calling rain ‘the wet stuff’?
T. BAILEY, Gedling, nottingham.
Stormont warning
CONGRATULATIONS to those who negotiated the return of the northern ireland Assembly. it took only two years and a reported financial package of £3.3 billion to get them back to work.
Still, credit where it’s due. But please do not hold your breath as history sadly tells us they will fall out again and it will not be long!
DAVID GORDON, Romiley, cheshire.
Footballer’s own goal
FURTHER to the letter comparing the lifestyle of the great Duncan Edwards with that of Marcus Rashford, in 1957 Duncan incurred the wrath of his manager, Matt Busby.
Duncan would, as mentioned, cycle to and from old Trafford on his Raleigh bike. one evening he was stopped by a policeman for not having lights on his bike. He was fined ten shillings in the magistrates’ court and a further two weeks’ salary by Matt Busby for bringing the club into disrepute!
HUGH COLLEY, pembroke.
Trouble on the horizon
I Have just come back from a holiday in Gran Canaria.
On my return to London stansted i was greeted with a chaotic computer-based passport control. This was quite late at night so the airport was far from full. The lanes were incredibly slow with attendants rushing about and passengers having to come out of the gates and start again. My partner and i joked that the airport must be using the Post office Horizon system.
no sooner had the words left our mouths than the computer screen near us crashed and rebooted. As it restarted, there was the fine company logo of one Fujitsu.
PHIL SWAIN, southend-on-sea, essex.
French farce
I READ that the French are to patrol the skies above the beaches with drones and helicopters to look out for illegal immigrants setting out in dinghies for the UK, funded by us, of course.
Are we to assume that the only actual action taken will be to inform our Border Force or RNLI that we have visitors en route?
PAUL MORLEY, skipton, n. yorks.
Passport progress
It’s not all bad news. The week before last i realised my passport expired on February 11.
On Friday afternoon, i applied online for a new one and received text and email acknowledgement. on saturday i mailed my expiring passport to the appointed office and on Tuesday got acknowledgement of receipt. Later on Tuesday i received notice that the new passport was being printed. on wednesday i received notification of passport delivery. on Thursday, my new passport was delivered.
Thank you Passport office and Post office.
CHRIS MAYBURY, fleet, Hants.