May’s divorce offer is an EU masterstroke
the eu negotiators are from small countries with little international diplomatic expertise and might have allowed their personal views to cloud their tactics.
I believe theresa May has played a masterstroke, albeit an expensive one, in agreeing to a large divorce settlement. effectively this has outmanoeuvred european Commission President JeanClaude Juncker.
With the exception of the diehard ‘united states of europe’ advocates, the main worry in Brussels over Britain leaving the eu is that other countries will be obliged to increase their own national contributions to fund the shortfall left by the UK leaving.
An invitation to pay more tax is never popular and could result in voters right across the Continent taking a closer look at the need to be in the eu at all.
If the uK has provided a getout-of-jail card, today’s eu politicians will have sought early retirement before the divorce billions have been spent.
the upshot is that theresa May’s offer has undermined the eu negotiators. undoubtedly, they will be told at some point they are not irreplaceable and their mission has been changed to stop the uK walking away without a deal. so it is probably game, set and match to theresa May! VERNON J. YARKER,
Maldon, Essex.
Pipe down, Heseltine
lorD heseltINe needs to come clean about why he wants to overturn the eu referendum result.
Is it because it infringes parliamentary democracy?
or does he believe it is an essential stepping stone in the path to world government that we have to be part of a Federal republic of europe?
ALAN GRAVES, Reigate, Surrey. MIChAel heseltINe is doing his damnedest to upset the applecart in an attempt to derail Brexit by allying himself with Corbyn.
If he no longer feels able to support the Conservative Party, what’s to stop him doing the honourable thing, resigning the Whip and disposing of his title and house of lords perks? GEOFF NEAUM, Heydon, Cambs.
Unhealthy attitude
BreXIt, we are told, poses the biggest risk to Nhs scotland because of its reliance on staff from outwith the uK.
What a convenient excuse. the biggest threat to the Nhs is decades of politicians failing to reform a wasteful sacred cow.
As for foreign staff, many Britons would be delighted to find work in the health sector.
Instead of moaning about Brexit, let’s see the politicians maximise the opportunities it offers.
D. ROBERTSON, Glasgow.
Sickening shambles
JohN Cooper (Weekender) is right to suggest that throwing money at the Nhs will not solve its problems.
Perhaps more than most organisations, due in part to size, there is an apparent lack of responsibility and accountability. things can go wrong, but the first part of solving these problems is to accept they exist, then see what can be done to prevent similar problems occurring in the future.
In my experience it appears that complaints are simply covered up – right to and including the top.
the Parliamentary and health service ombudsman appears to have little real power.
highly paid Nhs executives appear to avoid, sidestep or cover up mistakes they fear might jeopardise their future payments, both while in work and in retirement.
only a true reform of the Nhs’s management culture will allow a real improvement of standards and better use of existing resources. PETER WILLIAMS, Skelmorlie, Ayrshire.
Dirty laundry
I AM horrified that in-wash scent boosters to freshen laundry are still being sold in supermarkets.
the labels clearly state: ‘harmful to aquatic life with long-lasting effects.’ how on earth can manufacturers produce, and supermarkets sell, such dangerous substances, knowing the effect that they will have?
H. WILLIAMS, Coventry.
Simple solution
the best way to get civilised treatment for laura Plummer is to stop all uK tourism to egypt. that should do the job overnight.
STUART PARKIN, Newquay, Cornwall. I’M FeD up with people who go abroad, break the law of the place they are visiting and then expect our government to bail them out.
laura Plummer took 290 tramadol tablets into egypt, protesting that she did not know they were banned there.
But buying them over the internet carries a warning they are opiates. she’s learned her lesson the hard way. Mrs JOYCE CRICKMORE,
Colchester, Essex.
Driving up prices
WhAt a brilliant idea from the Government to tax lorries by the mile. the lorry owners will put up their charges to recoup the money, and we poor mugs will pay more for our shopping.
the price of raw materials will go up for manufacturers and customers alike, and our exports will rise in price. this will make our world trade ambitions postBrexit more difficult to achieve.
Meanwhile, the Government will pocket the cash from this stealth tax on the general public.
M. TARRANT, Welling, Kent.
Recycled homes
hAve you ever thought that the solution to our unwanted plastic is to recycle it into building materials to make houses with a lifespan in decades? A modern timber-frame, timber-clad house has a life expectancy of 40 years and uses valuable natural resources. how much better to build in life-size lego-type blocks with roof trusses in plastic planks topped with plastic tiles. two problems solved in one go. PHILIP HORTON, Orpington, Kent. hoW strange the Government is bringing in controls to stop us using plastic, but at the same time our money is being changed from paper to plastic.
M. BOUCHIER, Louth, Lincs.
HMS to the rescue
A More fitting role for the new aircraft carrier hMs Queen elizabeth would be as an emergency medical ship.
staffed with a team of doctors, nurses, engineers and sailors, it could be sent around the world at the drop of a hat to help in natural disasters.
the money to finance this could come from the bloated overseas aid budget.
GRAHAM WILLIAMS, Cardiff.
Clegg’s shoddy legacy
APoloGIsts for Nick Clegg say he deserves his knighthood (Mail) as he was one of the most successful liberal leaders.
really? he led his party to electoral wipeout and reneging on manifesto promises for the sake of a coalition Jaguar was unforgivable.
JIM McLEAN, Inverness.