Johnson has got right idea over trade
I COULDN’T agree more with Rod Slater that negotiating the best terms with the EU is what we all want, but I’m not so apprehensive whether this can be achieved (Viewpoints, February 20).
It wouldn’t be in Britain’s interest for the EU to collapse but the harsh reality is that the EU is in crisis, so it’s essential that negotiations are conducted in a mutually-civilised manner.
In contrast, my personal view of Boris Johnson as a buffoon has been completely dispelled after watching on YouTube his speech at Greenwich on February 3.
His inspirational vision of Britain’s future demolishes much mythology of his intentions, such as wanting to engage in a cut-throat race to the bottom; leave the EU to undermine European standards or engage in dumping – whether commercial, social or environmental.
In fact it should be the UK anxious about subsidies undercutting the economy since France spends twice as much on state aid as the UK and Germany three times – so who is undercutting who?
As for slashing workers’ rights and environmental protection, Britain is already far ahead in one field after another. We have higher minimum wages than all but three EU member states and Britain was the first in the world to have a legal obligation to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Furthermore, since the EU would never agree to sign up to Britain’s rules without control over them, neither should we!
Boris Johnson rightly condemns the lack of leadership from world politicians and mercantilists, who value money as the only form of wealth, plus protectionism which chokes free trade, that diminishes world poverty and is more likely to
Let’s all go Fairtrade
encourage peace by goods freely crossing borders – instead of troops! Bill Newham, Worsley ON Tuesday, February 25 at the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight I went to hear a genuine cocoa farmer talking about what a difference Fairtrade makes to her life and farming, where Fairtrade standards aim to protect and improve the environment and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
Fairtrade pays a guaranteed fair price for a quality product, adding on a premium paid directly to producers.
Most cocoa in the world is grown in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire – countries where small farmers produce the basic material for chocolate treats around the world. Whereas the widely recognised minimum threshold for extreme poverty is £1.40 per day, average earnings for a grower is £1.25; many woman get a rip-roaring 23p a day!
These are the ‘Invisible women’ behind our chocolate. Many of these are family leaders who have to decide, not what to buy, but which child to educate or treat with medicine when ill. They may be able to fill their stomachs with vegetables they grow beside their trees, but their diet will be limited and miserable.
Rosine Bekoin from the Ivorian agriculture co-op CAYAT spoke of spending her Fairtrade dividend on building a decent house for her family and the empowerment she had benefited from at a Fairtradefunded adult education school for leadership. Fairtrade often seems a luxury, but we have to ask ourselves about supporting Fairtrade: “Why wouldn’t you”?
It isn’t just the preserve of the rich – although not up to Co-op’s pioneering level of support, Lidl has a few lines such as ground coffee and some sugars. As Shelly Brown, CEO of the Heatons business ‘Good Life’ said: “Nobody will die without chocolate”. But many will suffer if we continue to allow exploitative products to be sold to us at knockdown prices.
Manchester became a ‘Fair Trade City’ 15 years ago and last year the Council reaffirmed its commitment.
This fortnight let’s all switch to regularly buying at least one FT line or refusing one unfair one. Fairtrader, M16
Simple idea could work
WITH regard to the proposed Metrolink expansion from East Didsbury to Stockport, I think I could save hundreds of millions of pounds of public money (M.E.N., February 7).
I would build a Metrolink stop at the proposed new transport interchange in Stockport town centre with all the usual facilities such as ticket machines, ticket and scanning devices etc.
Passengers would buy their tickets in the usual way to anywhere they wanted on the Metrolink network but instead of boarding a Metrolink tram they would get on a 30-seater yellow shuttle bus to take them the short ride to East Didsbury Metrolink station.
As a 30-seater shuttle bus is being used it would be able to drive into the car park and to within 20 yards of the Metrolink stop and passengers would be able to board the tram directly, as they already have their ticket.
This shuttle bus should take around 15-20 minutes to reach the East Didsbury tram stop depending on traffic conditions. This idea seems such a simple way to connect Stockport to the Metrolink system that I feel I must have missed something somewhere but some ideas are so simple that nobody has thought of them!
For example the wheel was invented thousands of years ago, suitcases many years ago, but no one thought of putting wheels on suitcases until the early 70s! Ray Warburton, Cheadle
Not solving housing crisis
YET again, Fred Done is trumpeting “I am a Salford boy and I want to create something Salford can be proud of”. And yet again, with this new development, there will be no affordable housing included (M.E.N., February 27).
I am sure Salford would be very proud of anyone helping to solve the chronic housing problem – but that would interfere with profits wouldn’t it?
Stephanie Perrin, Salford