Letters - January 14, 2016

Dr Clayton’s slavish allegiance to the Tory Party is obvious. His Corbyn obsession is, however, fatuous set against the reality of the tortuous contortions of the Conservative party.

Increasingly, the Government is split over Europe, with a raft of issues challenging their leader. David Cameron has reneged on most of the policies he assured the electorate were safe in hands, including:

Promising “we are all in this together”;

To put climate change first;

Create well-paid jobs for 18-year-olds;

To improve public services;

To reform the Health and Social Security system etc.

The reality is that councils have faced an astonishing 79 per cent in budget cuts since 2010. Libraries, children’s centres and other vital service cuts meaning job losses. The NHS budget is forced to make £22billion in savings. The institute of fiscal studies shows universal credit cuts will hit the poorest, as well as the bedroom tax which has plunged so many into debt. The hardest hit being couples who own their home, on low incomes and have children.

On climate change he promised to set targets for reducing carbon. Reality is he has cut subsidies for renewable energy and instead backs the shale gas industry.

Reality for the young is that unemployment for the under-25s has soared to its highest rate since 1993. Housing benefit is stripped back for young people, who cannot earn the national living wage under 25 years. Teaching grants have been cut to universities.

Please Dr Clayton, your party needs to put its own house in order before questioning ours!

Roy Lewis

Blackpool North Constituency Labour Party

ENTERTAINMENT

Thanks for giving my son such a lift

Now the curtain has come down on a second, well-supported Polka Dot productions’ panto at Lytham’s Lowther Pavilion, I want to applaud the company for their contribution towards those with special needs.

A year ago I complimented them for making a visit to Aladdin such an enjoyable experience for my autistic grandson, who can’t speak or follow a script, but gets his pleasure out of sights and sounds.

I don’t know whether it was as a direct result of me registering my appreciation, but this time Polka Dot devoted one performance of Cinderella specifically to catering for the less-able who could be unsettled by flashing lights, rising smoke or water squirted their way.

On last year’s evidence I’m sure Jonathon, 15, would have handled a normal show. However, because the company had arranged a ‘special’ one, we felt it only right to attend. And I could tell from the moment we walked in that he loved the atmosphere.

This time there was a wonderfully thoughtful gesture when a ‘magic key’ happened to be under Jonathon’s seat and the fairy godmother (Rebecca Grayson) retrieved it and put her arm round him. To see his face, which was a mix of shock and intrigue, was a joy to behold.

If Jonathon could say thanks, he would. I’ll say it for him and we look forward to seeing Polka Dot back next year.

Michael Young

Clive Avenue

St Annes

ENTERTAINMENT

Let’s get Bowie’s outfits to Blackpool

It’s perhaps an ambitous plan at present, after the sad loss of David Bowie this weekend, but I wonder if the Grundy Museum in town could, at some point in the future vie to exhibit some of David Bowie’s stage costumes. The Grundy put on a superb exhibition of the Supremes’ Motown costumes a few years back on loan from the V&A Museum in London. It would be fabulous if, after its world tour, Bowie’s outfits could come to Blackpool. I’m sure it would be a major draw.

Diane Silva

Hall Park

Lytham

ENERGY

Fracking decision ‘anti-democratic’

In his latest letter backing fracking, David Haythornthwaite refers to people who are against fracking as having been conquered – I know this has got a lot of people’s backs up (Your Say, December 31).

Whether you are for or against it this is not the sort of thing you should be writing.

If fracking goes ahead it will only have been achieved by seriously anti-democratic means – our County Council, after much serious thought, voted to refuse permission, so they obviously thought the process is riddled with danger. Then our Government puts the decision into the hands of one man with obvious connections to the industry who overides our elected councils decision, which means effectively we have no democracy in this country.

John Williams

Ballam Rd

Lytham

CHARITY

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Chief Executive

Action for ME