EU needs us more than we need them
PEOPLE want conclusion to negotiations with the EU, but the recent survey shows some confusion (Brexit: what you think now, 2 years on? M.E.N., April 23).
Propaganda, misinformation and plain lies are rife by vested interests attempting to brainwash the public into changing their mind. Some may see the EU as a socialist utopia and others as an economic wonderland; depending on their political persuasion.
Labour leader Corbyn has throughout his political life been against membership of the EU, as was his socialist mentor Tony Benn and arguably our best peacetime prime minister in the last century, Clem Attlee; who put the country back together after WW2.
They recognised it was a protectionist racket for big business to enrich the rich and minimise wages with a costly, all powerful, unaccountable bureaucracy that subjugates national sovereignty, while keeping prices high with punitive tariffs. Labour wants power to change our country into a failing semi-communist state and will say and do anything to get it; yet it’s difficult to understand socialist sentiments about the EU with such high unemployment across southern Europe.
Economically, the customs union argument ignores inconvenient facts. The disastrous Euro almost imploded in 2012 and only QE has kept it glued together; whilst the EU banking sector has £866billion bad debts.
The inward looking EU is losing world trade to burgeoning eastern economies with more business flexibility so we need to be free to take advantage. Foreign investment into the UK shot up to £197billion in 2016 compared to £33 billion in 2015 and has the lowest unemployment since 1971; whilst London is still the financial centre of the world.
It’s plainly obvious that the EU needs us far more than we need them and the sooner they adopt a more conciliatory attitude, the better for all concerned! Bill Newham Worsley
Trust market caused chaos
TAMESIDE and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust caused car park chaos at their first Artisan Market of the new year.
As the first Trust to ban all sweet things from their restaurant and vending machines (cutting revenue), they offer a reprieve once a month where the vast choice of sweets, cakes, pies, and other goodies are on sale.
Although the Trust has problems on the best of days with car parking spaces, members of the community trying to park for hospital appointments have been subjected to a caravan of circling the car parks. A few patients going for appointments made their frustrations known as it took them longer to find a space or made them late for their appointment.
Maybe the Trust should spend their time looking after patients, as the last inspection by the Care Quality Commission stated that “patient care and patient care for the elderly required improvement,” instead of running markets that contradict their healthy food policy. Local health campaigner Paul Broadhurst, Dukinfield
Field not so unremarkable
IN March a planning application was notified for 80 houses on fields adjacent to Hebron Street and Brownlow Avenue, Heyside, preempting the yet to be agreed draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.
In a consultation letter prior to this, the proposed development was illustrated and the fields referred to as “This unremarkable looking site”.
Coincident with this, around mid -March, I was awake before dawn and in early light saw the wheeling flight of birds appearing and dipping below the roof horizon. Northern golden plover returned again. One such sighting is enough to last, and be cherished for, a lifetime.
I first saw them here thirty years ago from Bullcote Lane. I have never seen a book illustration that does them justice.
Each spring, following hard on the retreating edge of winter, they come to precisely these damp fields on the northern edge of Greater Manchester. They find this place somehow remarkable to rest, feed, and recharge before lifting northward to Iceland or Scandinavia.
They leave the fields to nesting lapwing, snipe, a host of other resident birds and the summer migrants for whom these wet pastures, ponds and drystone walls are journey’s end.
We too are left here, to count again the costs of speculative, land devouring ambition and make our protests and defence of shared environment. Laid back, Heyside