Tag: letters

Letters: Don’t be taken in by Tory tactics

Dear Editor

The Tories never stop using the tactic of divide and rule and they are pulling out all the stops to divide the Labour Party and the party from the people to convince voters that only the Tories are electable. They are assisted in this campaign by the majority of the media on which we rely for information.

When the banking industry caused the world financial disaster in 2008 many drastic measures were taken, and, to get the nation’s acceptance, the slogan “we are all in this together” was launched to convince everyone to accept the debt as theirs – and to date we are still paying it.

The divide and rule tactic was and is used against those they call skivers and scroungers, those not in work claiming benefits. This has been followed by compelling people who are disabled to be assesses – by a private company – on their fitness to work, avoiding any medical assessment being made.

Next in line are those on housing benefit, who are at the mercy of rent rises by landlords or who are deemed to have a spare room and face eviction.

These tactics did convince some people – but fortunately not the majority.

The Tories then changed tactics again, blaming other countries and other people for all our troubles and they embarked on a campaign to convince people that everything would be fine if we left the European Union. The Tories were successful in that it has absolutely divided the nation.

The Tories have now returned to their other campaign of further dividing people by stepping up the attack on the Labour Party – and Jeremy Corbyn in particular.

The Tory Party cannot solve problems, as the last eight years have shown, because they themselves are part of the system that governs our lives in the interests of the few.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

 

Letters: Essential services for the many, not the few

Dear Editor

In the medical field funding for research is being directed into preventing disease and ill health. It must seem to most people an obvious and sensible thing to do and will benefit everyone in many different ways.

In the economic field, research and study have been made by many, particularly into the capitalist system under which we all live today.

Capitalism as a system has been greatly aided by new technology developed over two hundred years, enabling almost complete control over the workforce by  a few people. This control is needed to maintain the sytem.

Many improvements to people’s lives have been won through struggles by the workforce but the capitalist system is incapable of working in a progressive, continuous way. It creates slumps, mini booms and further slumps: each slump gets more severe, sometimes leading to terrible wars between countries.

Detailed studies of capitalism show it is confrontational with the workforce to extract the maximum profit from it’s work. This profit is in the form of goods made to be sold, but if the buying ability of the workforce here and abroad are restricted a slump will occur with all the poverty and hardships that follow.

So what is it possible to do?

To start, the major industries essential for everyone’s survival: the energy utilities and bus, rail and tram passenger transport should be taken into public ownership: this would ensure the whole population benefits, not the few.

These actions are political and need laws passed to proceed – only the Labour Party have said they will do it.

But first every Labour candidate for election must make building maximum unity on these issues a priority, and, when elected, act in the declared interests of their constituents by supporting the required legislation.

It can be done; changes can be made to benefit everyone.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: The people can bring about change for good

Dear Editor

Over and over again we are told of the rich getting richer, with fantastic salaries and pay-offs and vast profit making cope with rising prices while the rest of us try to cope with rising prices, particularly of food, with wages held below inflation, it is getting more and more difficult just to ‘manage’. Continue reading Letters: The people can bring about change for good

Letters: Barnardo’s Scotland thanks to supporters in Edinburgh

Dear Editor,

As we start out on another year, I wanted to take this opportunity to say a big ‘thank you’ to your readers and our supporters for their continued commitment to the charity.

Many of your readers have taken part in a host of challenge events and raised funds through, sweat, perhaps a few tears and sheer determination.  Others have supported events as volunteers, and without this army of support we simply wouldn’t be able to function. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our charity, supporting fundraising, working in our services and shops.

By donating and shopping in our 17 stores across Edinburgh and the Lothians your readers have helped our local services, as the profits from retail go directly to support the charity’s work with some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged children and young people.

And finally thanks to you for supporting us by telling your readers about our events, news and campaigns and helping to raise awareness of the work we do in the local communities.

So a big ‘thank you’ to you and your readers for helping us and we look forward to their continued support in 2018.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Crewe,

Director, Barnardo’s Scotland

111 Oxgangs Road North, Edinburgh EH14 1ED

Happy birthday, Tony!

A very happy birthday to Tony Delahoy, who celebrates his 95th birthday today. 

Normandy veteran Tony, who received France’s top honour, l’ Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur, in 2015, has kept the NEN supplied with a regular stream of letters for as long as I can remember.

Londoner Tony’s passion for social justice burns as brightly as it ever has and there’s no sign of the Delahoy inkwell drying up just yet, as the following letters show. Keep up the good fight, Tony!

Dear Editor

There are many people who have the skills and ability in finding solutions to problems that can and do occur everywhere: e.g. fire fighting, repairing and reconnecting electricity transmission cables, telephone cable maintenance, water supply pumping stations, sewerage and sanitation contro. The list of skills needed is indeed a very long one; these skills being supplied by ordinary working people, men and women, on a daily basis.

The whole working population also supply the knowledge and labour to produce what is needed for us to live or to exchange with goods produced by working people of other countries.

But there are times when this ability to pursue a stable life is halted by financial and individual investors deciding to close down industries that they consider not making enough profit, regardless of the devastating effect of unemployment. The knock-on effect of not having a wage can only lead to cutbacks in other industries as sales decline.

It cannot be right that such power over peoples’ lives should be in the control of investors who, in effect, are just gamblers.

Tony Delahoy

Dear Editor

Wool and Eyes

Today, the ‘in-word’ is productivity. It is said that if the volume of everything produced could be increased it would solve all our problems. But this raises the question: for whom?

Owners of industries would not doubt expect their employees to work harder or faster, with our without new technology, for the same wages. This raises the question: who would be able to buy all this extra productivity, bearing in mind that employers in other countries are doing the same thing?

So just to say that more productivity is the answer to our problems is misleading to say the least. Unless those who make the things have the ability to buy them, industries will start to decline, leading once again to an economic slump that will affect the whole population.

If this is the only plan – mainly for the benefit of the already very rich owners – then it is time this sytem of capitalism gave way … as did slavery, serfdom and feudalism throughout the long history of peoples’ struggle.

Tony Delahoy

 

Letter: Cuts, cuts, cuts

Dear Editor

The continuing cuts in public services of all kinds are taking a dreadful toll on communities throughout the UK, undoing decades of struggle to put them in place.

The continuing fall in the value of wages, particularly now given higher prices every week, should convince the majority of the working population that private ownership of major industries are incapable of any other action.

There have been slumps in varying degrees of severity, the cost of which are passed on to the population: there can be no justification for such callousness in the pursuit of profit-making by privileged financial investors.

All of this show the urgent need for public ownership of at least the essential services: energy distribution, passenger transports of bus, rail and tram, water supply and sewerage – all of these industries should be working for the benefit of all, not a few investors.

We have to move on from the failed system of private ownership; there is no logical reason or sense in not doing so.

Tony Delahoy

Sillverknowes Gardens

Letters: Marie Curie support at Christmas

Dear Editor

Christmas is a precious time for many families, but even more so for many of your readers who may be cherishing every moment they get to spend with a beloved family member living with a terminal illness.

Marie Curie will be supporting nearly 800 people living with a terminal illness in Scotland over Christmas. Across the UK, more than one million people are expected to be supporting a loved one, while facing the possibility that this could be their last together.

Caring for someone at home can be a very rewarding but also an isolating experience. For some, it will be the first Christmas without their mum, dad, husband, wife or partner, which can also be a very difficult time.

People often say that they don’t know where to turn to and don’t know what help is available to them, which is why I am writing to tell you about our free, confidential Support Line

0800 090 2309

which offers practical information and emotional support about any aspect of terminal illness, as well as offering bereavement support too.

To help everyone who may need us during the festive period, our Support Line will be open from Sunday 24 December – Tuesday 2 January.

Support Line open hours:

24 December (10am-4pm)

25-26 December (10am-2pm)

27-29 December (8am-6pm)

30 December (11am-5pm)

31 December (10am -4pm)

1 January (10am-2pm)

2 January (8am-6pm).

Additionally, our trained Support Line Officers are also on hand to offer support via our online chat service at mariecurie.org.uk/support.

With best wishes,

Eamon O’Kane,

Marie Curie Divisional General Manager Caring Services

Marie Curie Hospice, Glasgow. Balornock Road, Glasgow G21 3US

 

Letters: Lonely this Christmas

Dear Editor

Many people with the chronic, neurological condition M.E. tell us they feel very lonely and isolated at this time of year, particularly those who live alone with no family or friends to share the festivities with. A visit, phone call or simply a thoughtful card from a friend could make a positive difference – so if you know someone with M.E., let them know you are thinking of them this festive season.
If you have M.E. and you need information and support, call us on 0117 927 9551 (we’re here until 4pm on 22 December, and re-open on 3 January), or join one of our friendly online forums, open 24/7. You can also read advice from Rose, who has M.E., in her article on coping with Christmas alone at www.actionforme.org.uk/alone-at-xmas
Sonya Chowdhury
Chief Executive
Action for M.E.
42 Temple Street,
Keynsham BS31 1EH

Letters: Tears

Dear Editor

My tears are for all children, women and man who are suffering extreme poverty and starvation

My tears are for all animals, birds and wildlife

My tears are because of all the cruelty and the destruction of trees and natural habitat

But my tears are not tears of despair, they are tears of knowing how different things could be.

We have allowed a relatively few powerful financial organisations to control and exploit – with unbelievable callousness – people, animals and the natural environment for their private profit: these same people having created the biggest financial mess ever seen worldwide and are now passing it on to everyone.

This ‘system’ must be changed. Wealth created by the work of people must be used for the benefits of all people: we would then be able to deal with all these terrible problems.

A.Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens