Britain’s decade of discontent? It was the 1980s
I’m the same age as Richard Littlejohn and can remember the Seventies well (mail). he’s right that there were some awful aspects to that decade, but can I suggest it wasn’t all bad?
there were no beggars, there were no zero-hours contracts because the unions were relatively strong, people with limited education or ability could get a reasonably paid and secure job, houses were affordable, and drug abuse wasn’t the scourge it has now become.
It was the eighties and, to a great degree, the policies of the thatcher government which changed this.
Remember that the next time you shudder at the memory of the three-day week.
Celia Parker, Sheffield. THERE are quite a few things from the Seventies I now look back on with fondness.
I could get to see my own family doctor because no appointment was necessary. And bus conductors helped to speed up journeys.
I could sit in the first carriage of the those old DMU (diesel multiple unit) trains, and watch the driver at work, read rock and pop weeklies such as melody maker, and watch top Of the Pops and the Old Grey Whistle test on TV.
On the three TV channels, I’d enjoy comedies such as Steptoe And Son and Dad’s Army.
I also remember the Saturday morning pictures cinemas put on for kids.
I can still watch those comedies, but I can no longer get Lucozade in its original glass bottle with the orange cellophane around it, nor the cream cheese and onion that mac Fisheries sold in tubs that children could open. Tony Bilny, keighley, W. yorks.
Right to choose
I WAS very interested in Dominic Lawson’s thoughts about the new NhS antenatal screening method to spot Down’s syndrome babies with greater accuracy and the uncomfortable parallels he suggested it has with hitler’s elimination of tens of thousands with learning difficulties (mail).
Dominic and his wife, whose daughter Domenica has Down’s, were criticised publicly after her birth for not having had the tests that might have detected it.
having a severely handicapped son myself, I appreciate the love these children give to their parents.
Down’s children are able to talk, walk, feed themselves and, in many cases, have useful jobs in the community.
however, I believe that a woman does have the right to know if the child she is carrying has a disability, and she can then decide if she wants to terminate the pregnancy or not.
We had all the available tests for our son and nothing showed up. Unfortunately, he had very rare chromosome damage which resulted in him being physically and mentally handicapped.
he still lives at home even though he is in his 30s. he will never marry, have children or a career. When we die, he will be looked after by strangers.
I am glad that we were not aware of his problems before he was born. If we had and continued with the pregnancy, it would have been a terrible guilt to endure.
name and address supplied.
Diane’s gone rogue!
COmRADeS, as you are well aware, Diane Abbott has been one of our most successful agents — her primary role being to infiltrate Labour’s ranks, create disharmony and discredit the party.
however, following her radio interview last week, I believe she has gone too far and can be considered to have gone rogue.
It is at times like these that we miss the loss of Agent Galloway since his defection and count now only on the services of Agent Jeremy Corbyn and Agent Naz Shah. STeven Mann, keighley, W. yorks.
A shoddy club
OVeR the past 60 years, I’ve moved to different parts of the country and joined and left many golf, bowling and fishing clubs.
When you join a club, you must agree to abide by the club’s rules, and on leaving you stop paying the membership fees. Never has any club had the audacity to demand more money after I have left. When Britain joined the then EEC (soon to become the EU), we agreed to this ‘club’s’ rules and paid our membership fee. But we have now decided to leave.
Simple, you might think: we just stop paying our membership fee.
But no: apparently the EU can set the rules on how we can leave and even try to charge a prodigious sum to help pay for future projects it will embark upon.
Let us stop shilly-shallying and leave this undemocratic institution. Britain may have to go through a short period of hardship, but if we all have belief in this country, we shall boom ahead of an EU, which is being swamped by rules and red tape. MALCOLM BOUCHIER,
louth, lincs.
Bed-blocking cure
WITH all this nonsense about bed-blocking, I remember when most major hospitals were linked to a convalescent home.
London’s St thomas’ hospital had one in Kent and the Brompton one in Surrey. Patients were taken there after surgery to convalesce. What happened to them?
l. HOPKINS, Wokingham, Berkshire.
Passport trouble
I HAVE German and British passports, but that doesn’t mean I will be able to keep both after Brexit negotiations have been completed. Under German law, dual nationality is only possible if both countries are in the EU.
Under the worst-case scenario, I could be forced to drop one, and if I keep the British passport, I might have to apply for a visa every time I want to return to Germany after going abroad.
Carol Preininger, Frankfurt.
Thank you, dear NHS
THERE are times, when I hear it criticised, that I feel I’m the only patient in england who is extremely grateful for the NHS.
my husband has prostrate cancer and was recently admitted to the Royal Oldham as an emergency case with pneumonia and sepsis. With excellent care, he survived.
his aftercare included the reenablement team who assisted with personal care for six weeks, as his mobility was difficult. Anything we needed (bed, bath chair, etc.) was given free. Our fantastic GP also visited at home.
Added to this, my husband has had a knee replacement, two ankle fusions and been on trials for cancer. I also have a pacemaker.
We are still very well supported by the NHS and are indebted to its professionals. It offers excellent support and excellent service, all delivered with professionalism and humour.
As a result, we have tried to give support back, and I and my daughter, a nurse, have cycled in India, Vietnam and Cambodia and walked in Peru to raise money for cancer research.
Jean Cole, Manchester.