Tag: tony delahoy

Letters: It’s got to be Labour

Dear Editor

The unrelenting campaign against Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party generated by the press and television
is a calculated effort to divide and confuse people: division has always been the way to control people.

Since 2010 it has been a main focus and resulted in the coalition between the Conservatives and Liberals, those 5 years did tremendous damage to the living standards of most families.

Since 2015 the Conservatives have continued to make more severe cuts in most public services and
drastically restricted wages and say they will continue to do so.

Despite divisive tactics people at the last general election did elect a huge number of Labour MP’s, about 240,
so the possibility of electing more this time and defeating the Conservatives is very real but only if the divide
and rule tactic is resisted and avoid another coalition.

People have had over 7 years of paying for the financial crisis not of their making, it is time to stop being
taken in and support the only organisation, the Labour Party, who are in a position to defeat the Conservatives.

A. Delahaoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Life or death problems can’t be solved by capitalism

Dear Editor

The working population rightly expect the wealth they produce by their efforts to give them and their families a fair and comfortable life. It is also essential the population has work stability. But we know to our cost every so often a crisis appears and sets everyone back: why does this happen? What are the causes?

The system under which we all live is capitalism, where in the main most of the economy and decision-making is in private hands – so the causes of failure and crisis is theirs, not ours.

In our system of democracy the right to elect Parliament to represent us now happens every five years and against the heavy odds and power of the mainly privately-owned press than can and does manipulate opinion, very many good people have been elected to change the failing system.

Many people are also elected to maintain the capitalist system at all costs, despite past evidence of crisis after crisis: either they are unable to understand or feel the damage they cause, or they have a vested interest in the existing system.

On a national scale it is a disaster for the working population, on an international scale it is extremely dangerous to peacce and the co-operation needed to deal with world problems of climate change, water, food and energy supplies. These life or death problems can be solved – but not by putting profit above everything.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Politicians must support public services

Dear Editor,

Despite the difficulties in the lives of working people of rising prices, restricted incomes and job insecurity, they will resist gross injustices done to others.

This is the real character and humanity of working people who are subject to continuous pressure from the system under which they live to just look after themselves and to believe “ there is no such thing as society”

How can working people express their humanity from their own shrinking resources? The head and heart are willing but the resources are not there: but, in other ways it can be done that would help everyone.

The disgraceful, disgusting situation of working people not being able to pay for adequate electricity or gas supplies for heating cooking and lighting whilst millions and millions of pounds are paid to shareholders in these private companies. These industries should be publicly owned and managed for the benefit of everyone is one such way.

The same should also apply to passenger transport, rail, bus and tram, these essential services are needed by working people to access their places of work. They are not a luxury, they are also important for social and leisure activity.

All these measures can benefit everyone and can be done, expressing humanity in operation. All MP’s, MSP’s and Councillors should be pressured to support and work for this.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Words and Deeds

Dear Editor

Actions by the Tory-led governments of 2010 and 2015 to deal with the financial crisis – caused not by the people, but by banks and financial institutions – was to immediately pass the debt onto the majority of people by restricting wages and reducing funding for services of all kinds.

They also launched a tremendous appeal to the people, assuring them that ‘we are all in this together’. This worked for a while but very quickly their tactic of ‘divide and rule’ was brought into play, blaming sections of the population for being scroungers or skivers, the disabled, those on benefits (particularly those on housing benefit), etc. to justify further cuts in wages and essential services.

After more than six years, people were seeing through their talk of a ‘big society’ and ‘all in this together’ speeches  and began to realise they had been conned. This posed a threat to the continuation of Tory control, so out went David Cameron and in came Theresa May, who said in her first speech as PM she would do things differently, make changes to bring about a more just society and again making a Tory appeal for support from the people. She even claimed the Tories are now the party for working people!

This puts into context the continuous attack on Jeremy Corbyn in the press, in Parliament and other sections of the media. The Tories know his ability to speak the language of working people and therefore his capability of winning an election: this, the Tories fear.

The millions and millions of people who have seen and felt the difference between the words and deeds of the Tories must now reawaken nationwide activity and campaign to make real changes to our society.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Public support for truly public services

Dear Editor

One of the problems and difficulties most working people have is making ends meet. In most cases, and for many years, wages have been heavily restricted but prices have risen and local services have been repeatedly cut back.

It is no wonder people are searching about for solutions, or in some cases someone to blame. The press, television, etc. have entered the fray in a devisive way, fuelling the blame game on individuals or groups, not dealing with the basic causes of being unable to manage.

To survive, everyone needs electricity and/or gas supplies for heating, cooking and lighting – yet the main supply of these basic needs are in the hands of just six companies who extract millions upon millions of pounds for shareholders: money that could be used by the industries to benefit everyone.

This is a crazy way to run essential services; one most people would agree should be changed.

To survive, most people need transport by rail, bus or tram to access their workplace, paying high fares to do so. Again, these essential services are mostly operated by private companies – and again, most people would agree this should be changed.

These two industries, energy supplies and passenger transport, should operate for the benefit of all. Millions of people would agree with this and vote for it.

The Conservative Party and UKIP will never put working people before the shareholders, the Labour Party would and will do so. This puts the real reason for the non-stop anti-Labour, anti-Jeremy Corbyn campaign into perspective.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letter: Words and Deeds

Dear Editor,

Actions by the Tory-led governments of 2010 and 2015 to deal with the financial crisis (caused not by the people, but by banks and financial institutions) was to immediately pass the debt onto the majority of people by restricting wages and reducing funding for services of all kinds.

They also launched a tremendous appeal to the people assuring them  that “we are all in this together”, this worked for a while but very quickly their tactic of divide and rule was brought into play, blaming sections of the population  being scroungers and or skivers, the Disabled, those on benefits, particularly those on Housing benefit etc, to justify further cuts in wages and essential services.

After over 6 years, people were seeing through their talk of “ a big society “ and “ all in this together “ speeches and began to realise they had been conned. This posed a threat to the continuation of Tory control, so out went David Cameron, and in came Theresa May saying in her first speech she would do things differently, make changes to bring about a more just society and again making a Tory appeal for support from the people, claiming that the Tories are now the party for working people.

This puts into context the continuous attack on Jeremy Corbyn in the press, in Parliament and other sections of the media. The Tories know his ability to speak the language of working people and therefore his capability of winning an election: this, the Tories fear.

The millions and millions of people who have seen and felt the difference between the words and deeds of the Tories must now re-awaken nationwide activity and campaign to make real changes to our society.

A Delahoy,

Silverknowes Gardens,

Letters: The dangers of misplaced nationalism

Dear Editor

Where one is born usually decides their nationality, how one feels about the nation can depend on many circumstances, but usually deep down there is a feeling of belonging. Sometimes it can develop into a nationalism of my nation above everything: we witnessed this during the last century with Germany, Italy, Japan and others. It led to World War II, causing tremendous destruction and the death of sixty million people worldwide.

This century, hopes of national and international co-operation in solving world problems have been aided by the ability of people to travel, visit and settle in different parts of the world – and realising that agreement between nations is to the benefit of all.

Now, because of an economic crisis of capitalism there are very loud vocal calls from many countries, including the UK, to go back to nationalism as a way of solving problems, the number of which are growing worldwide: food and water shortages, energy supplies, climate change, destruction of the world’s forests, the changing nature of diseases, air pollution, all these and more need co-operation and understanding to solve them for the benefit of all.

The historic system of nationalism as expressed by ‘me first’, loudly sought after in many places, is so wrong and dangerous to world peace. Pride in one’s country is a totally different story.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

 

 

Letters: It’s time to neuter the fat cats

Dear Editor

The massive salaries, bonuses, expenses and other payments to ‘top people’ running into billions of pounds is seen by the majority of working people as totally obscene. How on Earth can it be justified, let alone accepted by them with a clear conscience, when the people who actually produce the wealth are struggling to survive, or ‘just managing’?

Even the government says things should change, but saying ‘should change’ does not mean ‘will change’.

Those who receive such payments cannot possibily spend it all, raising the temptation of investing it in tax free accounts. This also affects the majority of the working population by depriving the country of tax payments that could help pay for services like the NHS.

There must be a maximum limit set on the total amount any individual can get and there must also be a total ban on tax havens , all income being subjected to the Pay as You Earn tax.

This is the minimum start required to bring about the changes needed in the distribution of the wealth produced by working people.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

 

Letters: Freedom And Justice?

Dear Editor

We have always been and continue to be told we owe our livelihoods to those that have the money to invest, without their efforts we would be in dire straits.

Of course their motive is to get back more than they invest; if not, they will not hesitate to withdraw their investment and in the process if you lose your job, hard luck.

Their commitment in time and effort is minimal when compared with a wage earning employee who spends certainly not less than 50 years of their lifetime working, to this must be added unpaid time in support by family members.

Without people working producing goods of all sorts, money itself is useless – yet those who hold it exercise great power over our lives.

Who, then, by their efforts should get the benefits of the value of goods produced? The producers’ lifetime of work – or a wealthy gambler on the stock market who also has  power on whether you have a job or not?

As the title suggests, it is their freedom and their interpretation of justice.

A Delahoy,

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: truly the nasty party

Dear Editor

The Conservative government always resorts to playing off one section of the population against another. They tried it against people who have to claim different benefits, calling them scroungers, they tried it against people who have disabilities affecting work possibilities, calling them work shy. This tactic carried on over years did create some division, which fortunately is now being overcome.

Now they are at it again, this time trying to create division between pensioners and young people, saying pensioners are now very financially comfortable at young peoples’ expense!

Always the objective of divide and rule is to impose what they wish on both sections. Watch for the stepping up of this particular effort.

They truly are the ‘nasty party’.

Thank You,

Tony (Delahoy, by email)