The law’s an ass over donkey abusers...
WHEN will the punishment fit the crime? I am referring to the report in the M.E.N. on September 29, when three individuals were given a suspended sentence of 14 weeks and banned from keeping animals for three years after violently abusing beach donkeys, two of whom had to be put to sleep as a result of their treatment.
Driving in a bus lane at the wrong time or parking on double yellow lines would invoke a harsher penalty. How about a lifetime ban and putting the perpetrators in the stocks for the weekend (oh, sorry, I forgot about their human rights). Valerie Wood, Marple
READING with sadness the abuse Blackpool donkeys have been suffering all this time (Abused donkeys had to be put down, M.E.N., September 29).
Please people, do not partake in any animal entertainment, whether it in England or any other country. Animals do not entertain or give rides for fun. R.I.P donkeys. Kelly Connolly, Irlam
Rail review a waste of cash
MORE than £4billion of taxpayers’ money is going into our railways every year according to the Office of National Statistics.
The body responsible for regulating railways, the Office of Rail and Road, has just released an interim report into what caused the timetable disruption which led to passengers enduring long delays and cancellations over the summer. The report found ‘an apparent gap in industry responsibility and accountability.’
This is a gap the Conservative Secretary of State Chris Grayling is paid to fill but he has refused to recognise his part in the summer chaos.
This is a complete abdication of his responsibility to look after taxpayers’ money and ensure that the railways provide a good service for passengers and goods.
If he doesn’t resign he should be sacked for such an appalling failure. Instead he proposes a review of the whole structure of the rail system. This is another waste of money.
We know the fragmented, privatised rail system isn’t fit for purpose and the solution is to bring it back into public ownership with clear lines of accountability so when things go wrong we know who is responsible. Graham Stringer, MP Blackley and Broughton
Check under the carpet
AT the Tory party conference it would be helpful if the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, could reveal the purpose of the Treasury. According to its website, it ‘is the government’s economic and finance ministry.’ I think the finance function now completely outweighs the economic one.
This is analogous to property valuers in most towns. On the high street there are the estate agents, acting for sellers, who will look at their data and estimate the financial value.
Elsewhere, you will find a surveyors’ office that mainly acts for the buyer’s mortgage lender. They visit the property, look under the carpets, inspect the brickwork and go into the loft, and provide an economic valuation taking into account the structural condition. I would have thought that a Treasury worth its salt should be looking under the carpet of our economy to identify the extent of the rot and advise its clients, the purchasing public, which properties (so-tospeak) to avoid and which represent good value. Instead, it seems the Treasury mainly acts like the seller’s agent or, indeed, a fifth member of the cosy club of discredited auditors. Geoff Naylor