Tag: tony delahoy

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: 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

Letter: Frozen Out

Dear Editor

The freeze on Council Tax by the Tory government was seen by many as a good move to help people; many others said look into the why and the consequences of that action.

The average saving brought about by the freeze was around 50p per week; the shortfall in council income would be made up – but not fully – by a government grant. This money could only be spent on issues approved by the government, with councils having no control, and that is why many people raised the questions ‘why?’ and ‘what consequences would there be?’

Government policy is to cut public services and controlling their finances: the council tax freeze was a step in that direction.

It now seems, at last, that councils are beginning to understand the government’s intention to break local services, decision-making and control.

Councils everywhere will have to pressure the Scottish Parliament to end the council tax freeze and work towards the abolition of the council tax itself, introducing a new fairer tax. In the meantime we have to make sure councils do not attempt to impose large increases but to look at other ways of easing the burden on their communities, for example:

A Tourist Tax, as in other countries

Private schools to pay tax on their income by abolishing their status as charities

Loan deals made by the Council to be renegotiated

These ideas among other things

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: look beyond the label

Dear Editor

Anyone who proposes a solution to a work/life problem from a trade unionist or socialist point of view is rapidly given the label of ‘trouble-maker’ or ‘agitator’. This tactic is far easier to use than advancing an opinion on the issue.

Industries and businesses want to make as much profit as possible, employees want decent wages and conditions of employment and it is inevitable that a dispute will arise at some point over these issues.

Sensible employees have a trade union organisation to speak for them while the employers normally belong to an organisation that supports them. Sometimes no agreement is reached, and the only option left for the employee is the withdrawal of labour which, as a free person and not a slave, he/she is fully entitled to do.

This is where the tactics of giving labels is stepped up by some media to isolate the strikers in the eyes of the general public. This negative approach is used not only in disputes but across a wide range of issues that affect all our lives.

Despite this, however, much progress has and can be made if one looks beyond this divisive tactic and realise that next time, it could be you.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letter: Give us the power!

Dear Editor

There can be very few households in the UK who are not worried by their gas and electricity bills. The advice usually given is to shop around for lower tariffs, but this is no permanent solution. The absolute necessity for everyone to afford adequate fuel supplies is overwhelming but it seems that a few major suppliers have a near monopoly on the industry – and have been making millions of pounds profit.

Just a few examples:

£139 million Scottish Gas, February 2015

£549 million SSE, November 2015

£528 million British Gas (first six months 2015)

£860 million EDF, February 2014

£1.5 BILLION Southern Electric, Jan 2014

And yet there are perhaps millions of people who cannot afford adequate heating!

By any measure, this situation cannot go on like this in the 21st Century. As an essential necessity energy supplies MUST become  publicly-owned industries, working in the interests of everyone; profits made not for private individuals or groups of investors but used to reduce prices and to maintain efficient industries.

Energy supplies must be seen as important to the people of the UK as the NHS has proved to be. Maximum unity of working people is needed to press for these vital public services: it is up to us.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens 

Letters: Something better change

Dear Editor

capitalism

For too long the working population has been told that decision-making on investment is the province of the wealthy and very well off, and it is they who create the nation’s wealth. The arrogance and stupidity of such a claim shows the value they place on the working population’s contribution to that wealth.

Listed below are a few respective contributions:

Investors: It takes minimum effort and little time of one day to move money around through financial markets seeking a higher rate of profit.

Workers: If employed full-time, spend the best part of one whole day working and getting to and from work.

Investors:  Their investment is usually short-term, then switching to maximise profit.

Workers: Their investment is life-long commitment to work.

Investors: Having the power of decision-making to hire and fire and even closing down places of work, showing no responsibility for workers or country.

Workers: Have lifetime commitment to home and provision for the family in all respects.

Investors: Employ tax lawyers to seek ways of reducing amounts due; alternatively hide their money in offshore tax havens avoiding tax altogether.

Workers: Income tax is taken from their wage packets, VAT on products and services.

Further, the political representatives of the wealthy have continued to starve local councils of funds to maintain community life, forcing savage cuts to all services. They now have the audacity to tell local councils to sell public assets of all kinds, buildings and land. This is where investors will step in to make a killing out of the people who created and paid for their public services, buildings and land, maintenance of parks, gardens, sports areas and open spaces.

Can all this be justified? The answer can only be NO, the way things are done must change, because if not there will be no end to the endless cycle of unemployment, hardship and unhappiness.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Saving our public services

Dear Editor

letter (2)

Local authorities are elected to operate a wide variety of services in their areas, services that keep the community functioning. The trend now is to cut back on what is thought not to be necessary, to offload some to private contractors or to get the community itself to be the provider. Continue reading Letters: Saving our public services

Letters: Developing a discussion

Dear Editor

There are many schemes, plans and ideas on how, why and what development should take place in Edinburgh, particularly North Edinburgh; some are official, others from private investors.

Although these us some attempt at public consultation it is mostly: ‘do you wish to suggest amendments to the plan?’ There is little intention to start, as it should, to find out the needs and concerns of the people first.

Official boards are on display in many places advertising areas of land set aside for business or other ‘strategic’ development. One does not see official boards setting aside areas of land for the community to use for leisure and pleasure!

If the rate of development continues as outlined in official plans and schemes there will be little open space left in which to relax and take pleasure in visiting. New plan will follow new plan; a developers’ paradise – Edinburgh must not become a city of buildings and traffic congestion.

A. Delahoy