YEP Letters: July 27

Magnificent turnout at funeral

Paul C Thompson, Scarcroft

What a magnificent turnout for soldier, Troop Sergeant Major Stewart Cooney.

Royal British Legion branches, standards and bugles, bikers clubs and many others. TV and media coverage.

This begs the question as to how many others of this age group, Second War veterans, many with families, but also those alone in care homes, who at their funerals may go generally unnoticed other than a few words from the priest regarding their efforts during World War Two.

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The decision to scrap bursaries was shallow

R Kimble, Hawksworth

I read the letters by Dr R Harvey and Alex Gillies (YEP July 25) with interest and anger.

The Department of Health and health ministers have decided also to definitely cancel student nurse bursaries in the past week.

The specious and mendacious argument (or rationalisation) for replacing the bursary with loans is to free millions to enable more registered nurse roles in all fields (adult, child and mental health branches).

This is ridiculous and there have been numerous petitions and demonstrations against this move.

All that will happen is that many people considering nursing as a profession will not pursue their vocation because they do not want to end up with large debt.

This will result in the not too distant future in the numbers of registered nurses they want to increase the number of roles for being depleted anyway.

Many, including me, have commented in letters to YEP that politicians are singularly unqualified to do their jobs/roles: Hunt and Burt do not have any qualifications in health care generally and certainly not in nursing, working a few hours a week as a care assistant does not remedy this deficit.

Neither of them are economists either. Yet another shallow decision by people, especially Hunt, who do not believe in the/our NHS.

Can I ask readers if they truly believe student nurses (and student midwives) are pursuing a professional path that, unlike many students, involves both academic study and a full time working week, to lend their support to petitions that are in favour of reversing this decision.

Like the decision Dr Harvey addresses, this decision is going to have a negative effect and this has been pointed out to the DoH.

I have worked for the NHS in psychiatric/mental health nursing since 1971 when my weekly wage as, firstly, a cadet nurse was £3 a week rising to £6 a week when I became a student nurse: this would actually make me more well off financially probably - given the relative value of money at that time - than student nurses living on a loan in 
2016.

And the training I received, in an NHS School Of Nursing was at certificate level, which was less academically challenging than the current diploma/degree level courses based in universities.

An independent Britain

Jean Norfolk, Knottingley

Calls for a re-run of the referendum are just ludicrous.

We live in a democracy where the vote of the majority is the deciding factor, and to call for a re-run just because your team lost is a very juvenile reaction in my opinion. What do these people want - best of three?

Many people, especially the young, mistakenly believe that we have always been part of the EU, because they can’t remember anything else, whereas “oldies” like myself can recall the days when Great Britain was an independent and prosperous nation with citizens who were proud to declare they were British.

There is nothing to fear from standing alone, we have done it before and we can do it again, indeed once we are totally free from the shackles of Europe, we can begin to show the world exactly what we are capable of!

Already there are signs from across the globe that countries are queuing up to do business with us, with major businesses and conglomerates eager to invest in Britain.

Closer to home, we heard recently that China has pledged £1 billion to a huge building programme in Sheffield, and have handed over almost £250 million with the promise that more will follow. This will mean the creation of thousands of jobs at all levels, where British firms will be used to provide British workers with long term employment. Surely, being part of a country that stands proudly on its own two feet is far better than being a tiny minnow being constantly jabbed and poked by the stick of the EU to keep us swimming in the direction they choose for us?

If we had remained within the EU, there is no doubt we would have been compelled to ditch sterling and accept the euro as our currency - and we have all seen the outcome of this in countries like Greece where it will take a miracle for them to recover and survive.

I have seen and heard enough of the EU to convince me that it was sacrilegious of our politicians to place the chains of Brussels around dear old Blighty (Great Britain) in the first place, but to allow them to remain there for 43 years was the most inglorious act they have ever committed!

Leaving EU will not be quick

Alan Slomson, Leeds 6

Readers interested in post-Brexit trade deals should look at the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union which may be found on the web at: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/ceta/

By my reckoning, this agreement, with all its detailed Annexes, comes to 2313 pages. It is naive to think that agreements of this kind can be made quickly, as they have to take into account the detailed interests of many different industries. Pressure on the government to make deals speedily might result in quick deals which betray the interests of British manufacturers and their workers.

Anyone who has been led to believe that leaving the EU will be quick and easy has been conned.

Congratulations to cricketers

Sylvia and Ray Ford, Oulton

Congratulations are due to Yorkshire Schools Under 13 team on winning the ESCA Under 13 County Cricket Festival held in Taunton last week. The boys are a credit to the county and their schools. Well done to all involved! More good news like this please

Environment wrecking crew

John Appleyard, Liversedge

instead of judging Tory Prime Minister Theresa May as a woman we should be looking at her policies.

In her first week in charge her government has brought in policies to force struggling families needing welfare support to call a premium rate number. It is difficult enough as it is living on disability benefits without being charged 45p a minute to call the Department of Work and Pensions.

Theresa May has also abolished the Department for Energy and Climate Change which is a signal that the post - brexit UK will be a disaster for the environment. May has ignored a government report that urgent action is needed to protect Britain from flooding, deadly heat waves, and water shortages caused by global warming. Theresa May and her cabinet are shaping up to be nothing less than an environment wrecking crew.

Looking for the Fleece Fillies

Jan Milner, by email

I was a player with the Fleece Fillies in 1971, we were a group of girls who loved to play football. I am now playing walking football for the Retro Rovers from Doncaster. We have become friendly with the Wakefield Wanderers walking football team and also Rothwell Old Boars. I would love to see if there are any players still in the Wakefield area who played at that time. Maz Williams, Leslie Singleton, Judy Liptrop, Jane Porter are some of the names I remember. We were based at the Fleece pub in Ossett. The women will all be in their 60s or coming up to that. It would be special if we could meet up and even get them to have a go at our new sport of walking football.