Letters - Wednesday October 14, 2020

Bungling Boris the Bullingdon Boy is at it again.

In the Sunday papers it published a list of lockdown areas where the restrictions are being tightened: Bolton 26.78/100 000; Calderdale 35.94/100 000; Hyndburn 29.61/100 000; Burnley 46.11/100 000; and Bury 30.37/100 000.

Compare these with the Cabinet officers’ constituencies which have no local restrictions: Boris Johnson 80.82/100 000; Rishi Sunak 74.45/100 000; Gavin Williamson 96.61/100 000; Robert Jenrick 182.16/100 000; and Dominic Raab 127.20/100 000.

Why no restrictions when these are the super-spreaders? It is a case of ‘Do as I say, not as I do’?

They are imposing restrictions because they have a large majority and they can force the legislation through.

This just shows the total hypocrisy of this shambles of a Government. They are trashing the country, time to go Boris.

Terry Bennett

Dinmore Avenue

Blackpool

Virus

Let us locals handle this crisis

Full lockdowns, partial lockdowns, confusing instructions, test and ‘not’ trace, covid apps that do not work, 10pm pub closures (does the virus get more prevalent after this time?) This incompetent inept Government, that’s supposedly running this country (I wouldn’t trust them to run my bath), needs to take stock and hand over restrictions to local areas that know what’s going on at ground level.

The flu epidemic from 1918 to 1920 infected 500 million people and killed 50 million after disappearing of its own accord. So to finish off, either Covid will eventually die out or the scientists will come up with a Boris ‘world-beating vaccine’ and until then it’s a case of “Don’t panic Mainwaring” because we are not “all doomed yet”.

M Tipper

via email

Politics

All Mps need to back government

Before any serious developments and discussions can take place on levelling up between different parts of the country, there are two elements that need to be dealt with urgently.

The Covid 19 pandemic is obviously a very worrying and dangerous threat on a global basis, which, sadly looks set to be with us for many months until a vaccine is available to protect us.

In the meantime we need to get all politicians, local and national, and the media, to stop political ‘blame calling’ and to be constructive for a change and do all they can to protect the lives of all health workers and the general public.

The second emergency is to get Brexit done. The referendum in 2016 on the single issue of Brexit, produced more votes than those cast at any general election and the result was, of course, a significant majority, both in votes and on a constituency basis, in favour of leaving the EU.

The Conservative majority gained in the last election reinforced the country’s determination to leave the EU.

Sir Keir Starmer said he accepted the result but neither he nor the many Labour, Liberal and some Conservative MPs from constituencies voting ‘leave’ have supported the country’s wishes in negotiations with EU officials to get a fair deal.

Their neglect of their duties in this could well lead to a ‘no deal’ which they all claim not to want. They need to act now and publicly support the Government, and their own constituencies, against the undemocratic EU. Only then will the people in the North of England be able to push for a levelling up.

Ron Firth

via email

Brexit

EU vote will ruin UK’s economy

Not so long ago, these pages were full of letters supporting Brexit and urging the Government to get it done, take back control and let the good times roll.

Now we approach the actual split, they seem to be notable by their absence. The UK has spent £200bn so far on Brexit, far more than the cost of membership, and Boris admits that the best we can hope for is a deal almost as good as the one we had. Add to that the future impact on UK manufacturing, farming, financial services etc, plus the hit to the UK’s most deprived areas when EU funding is withdrawn, and future historians may well look back and wonder at what mentality inspired a prospering country to vote to ruin its economy so comprehensively.

Phil Cray

via email