Tag: letters

Letters: EU be the judge

eu flags

Dear Editor

In my many letters over many years I have always highlighted social injustices imposed by our own politicians against working people, and urged the need for ordinary people to work together in resisting further attacks.

We have helped, and have been helped, bu all people in the European Union in passing laws:

  • A maximum 48 hours working week
  • A minimum break at rest from work between shifts
  • Four weeks paid annual leave
  • Paternity Leave
  • Health & Safety at Work rules
  • Equal pay for men and women
  • Making racial and disability discrimination illegal
  • Clean water supplies and pollution controls
  • The right to join a trade union or association
  • And many other benefits

All of these laws were minimum requirements, but could be improved on by individual nations’ own parliaments. Bear in mind it was ALL the member states of the EU who cooperated and agreed these regulations, covering approximately 500 million people.

The main threat posed by those who advocate leaving the EU is to do away with all these laws on social justice and replace them with their own legislation. Why?

Two questions immediately arise:

First, why not improve the existing laws if their intention is to pass better laws – this can be done by any nation in the EU.

And second: Why did they not do it years ago?

When the world is crying out for more cooperation to tackle pressing problems of unemployment, climate change, energy supplies, water and food provision, the depletion of natural resources, those people who want to leave the EU represent the most backward step the UK could take. WHY? And WHO are they?

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letter: time to recapture a social spirit

Miners by Norman Cornish

Dear Editor

Private ownership and control over major parts of industry and commerce does not and cannot operate for the benefit of all. If individuals or groups of investors do not make enough profit they have no hesitation in moving their money elsewhere to do so. It cannot be right that such power to determine if one has a job or not is theirs.

In my long life I have seen some of the poverty and despair of the 1920s and 1930s, and the devastating effects of World War Two, but in 1945 ordinary people said ‘we are going to change things, where the wealth of the country will be used to benefit the people’, and they did so in many ways: the NHS to care for all, taking the essential industries of gas and electricity suppliers into public ownership (and, at that time, the main energy provider – coal mining) and many other public services were also started.

Later, many circumstances contributed to undermine this determination to push forward more changes in society to benefit the people: this allowed the wealthy to regain power and control over our lives.

The very nature of the system of private control and ownership cannot do other than create devastating cycles of poverty and despair for millions of people both here and abroad, as investors fight each other to maximise their profits.

The last fifty years have seen the results of their gross greed and mismanagement; recent events within our own industries show all too clearly they will continue to wreak havoc on the lives of millions – unless these millions regain the determination people had in 1945.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letter: we want PPP answers

gracemount-001

Dear Editor,

Given the recent incidents with Schools in Edinburgh that have been closed down due to the substandard quality offered by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership, I would like to see local Labour candidate for the Scottish Parliamentary Elections, and current Edinburgh Councillor Lesley Hinds explain why this situation arrived.

Considering PPP ( public-private partnership) was part of the Labour party’s policy for a long period time, and while this was introduced when labour run Edinburgh council, the Scottish Executive and Westminster Goverment, I would be interested to hear what the Councillor would have to say on this matter.

Alba Reilly (by email)

Letters: History lessons must be learned

whacko

Dear Editor

The Conservatives have been in power for six years: in that time they have made the majority of people pay in so many ways for the financial crisis that was not of their making. The financial institutions, unscrupulous investors and some very dodgy dealers were the culprits – and they have got away with it.

The Conservatives have not only made the people pay but have also taken the opportunity to pursue their cherished aims of privatising as much as possible, changing society in favour of investors once again. Their main political objective is the breaking of local authority control of public services, initially financially – followed by privately-run services.

Their latest move in England – making all schools into ‘free’ Academies without any reference to the democratic principle of local council elections determined by the people.

Changing a school name is meaningless, but ‘free’ is a very divisive move. It will pit school against school for staff, grants and finding; it will be divisive on pay and conditions offered, divisive on schools in poorer and better-off areas.

So far this applies only to schools in England, but it is better to be forewarned.

This step into the past is very dangerous to all that has been struggled for over generations of activity to make society fair and caring, able to exercise it’s right to decision-making.

The Conservatives are proving over and over again they can never represent the interests of the majority of people.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Beware promises made to be broken

Dear Editor

Holyrood

Between now and the election of members for the Scottish Parliament in May, prospective candidates will claim and counter-claim that they are the ones we can trust. When we make our choice we hop that trust is not misplaced – the only help we have in choosing is the past record of the individual or their party.

A close look is needed to avoid being taken in by words and promises that flow freely during election times. Promises made, then broken, are usually blamed on others – whether here in Scotland, the UK or abroad.

After voting we cannot sit back and let them have free rein: this has happened so many times, resulting in a dreadful cost to most of us.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

 

Letter: Save adult single ticket books!

 Lothian_Bus

Dear NEN

As an organisation responsive to the needs of vulnerable people I thought that you might be concerned by the decision of Lothian Buses to stop selling books of adult single tickets.

These tickets are bought by a number of services including many hostels, day centres and food banks. These tickets are used to enable individuals to get to health appointments and engage with vital services.

This decision by Lothian Buses restricts the ability for services to offer such provision. Lothian buses say that paper tickets bought in advance make up less than 1% of total sales. However, these less than 1% are made up of some of the most vulnerable people in our city.

Please sign if you agree with this petition by clicking the link below:

Please circulate around your networks. If you have any questions about this then please email me.
Also, if your service is impacted by this then please let me know how.

Many thanks,

Paul Stevenson

Email: mrpaulstevenson@gmail.com

 

Letter: Crocodile tears over EU exit

euro flags

Dear Editor

Tory politicians and others who the UK to leave the EU are extremely vocal about being able to trade as usual after leaving: they know, of course, how many people depend on this trading for their jobs, so seek to assure them.

If this is so, what other reasons do they have for wanting to leave – and more importantly whose interests are they concerned about?

Their main unspoken objective is to abolish all EU regulations dealing with working and social conditions, health and safety regulations and the environment – all of which have been of great benefit to people working in the UK.

On working conditions, for example:

  • A maximum working week of 48 hours
  • A minimum break of 11 hours rest between working days
  • A minimum break of 24 hours from work in seven days, in addition to the daily 11 hours rest
  • Annual leave entitlement of four weeks minimum
  • Night work of eight hours maximum in 24 hours
  • Equal opportunities for women and men
  • Pregnancy, maternity and parental leave
  • Prohibition of discrimination on sex, race, religion, disability or sexual orientation grounds

So what do they object to – and why?

These regulations can always be improved by the UK Government; the same applies to health and safety and environmental reguations and others that have been of great benefit to the people of the UK.

But this is not their intention, of course – quite the reverse! This is why they want to get out, while shedding tears over how much they care!

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

 

 

Letter: Bring back free special uplifts

Dear Editor

A major problem facing people in Edinburgh is how to dispose of or recycle large unwanted household items. The absence of a free council-run collection service as part of normal recycling leads to the serious issue if dumping.

The scheme currently in place – a charge of £21 to collect up to six items – is unbelievable in it’s lack of understanding people’s ability to pay, or hwo to tackle the problem of disposal if they cannot.

The City of Edinburgh Council must immediately start a free collection service for unwanted household items: this will not only benefit it’s citizens but protect the reputation of Edinburgh as a city worth visiting.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: who cares?

hands

Dear Editor

By the middle of 2016 all patients who have limited life time left will receive palliative care treatment.

In the past there have been other ideas; for example the ‘Liverpool Pathway’ treatment which is now seen as bad practice and was stopped.

A full public explanation of palliative care is urgently needed to give assurance that this latest scheme is based on enhanced individual care, carried out by adequatel numbers of staff fully trained in enhanced caring.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: False economy of funding cuts

NEDAC to close (2)

Dear Editor

Cuts in funding local authority services are happening again this year and will affect every person in varying degrees and add to the contraction in public services: services that are necessary and needed.

There are also other services provided daily by other organisations, mostly run by volunteers with some financial help from the council: these too are facing drastic cuts. Day Care clubs, lifelong learning and literacy classes, mentla health support,, befriending, support and information services, classes of all kinds and -very importantly – community transport to and from activities.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are helped out of isolation every week with all the benefit – both mental and physical – stemming from these services. Curtailing existing funding to these organisations is not only false economy but will see a deterioration in the health of those people affected, causing a far greater expenditure in other health and care costs.

The councils must rethink their attitude to these services – and, above all, their attitude to PEOPLE.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens