YEP Letters: March 29

Golden oldies still make us smile

A Hague, Leeds 9

Reading Life on Tapp (YEP, March 14) about nostalgia made me realise that memory plays an important part of our life.

Without it we could not judge whether things are better or worse.

We get many old repeats on TV as they don’t make them like that any more.

I remember back in the 60s when out at the club to play snooker, the TV room was full and everyone was laughing.

They were watching Til Death Us Do Part. I had never watched it before but I saw every episode after. Humour is the best way to release us of our worries and to avoid depression, which stiff upper lip types are often prone to.

Our present government does not give us much to smile about, so these golden oldies can be very useful.

Tory tax changes are a step too far

DS Boyes, LS13

Who’d have thought it, that any Conservative Secretary of State would ever have enough of a heart and social conscience to resign over the issue of benefit reductions for the poorest and most vulnerable?

Arch Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith has proved the exception and fair play to him for recognising the need in any Budget not just to benefit big business and the super rich, but to look after those at the bottom of the pile as it were.

Although the proposed cuts for the disabled could meet further opposition in the House of Commons from other Tory rebels which may leave Chancellor Osborne’s plans in some disarray.

But victimising the poor in favour of the rich is far from unique to the Tory party as ‘New’ Labour Chancellor Gordon Brown did much the same.

Remember ‘light touch regulation’ of the banks and city contributing to the 2007 crash? Or his niggardly 75p a week rise for OAPs?

Worse than that, the 100 per cent tax rise for the low paid and retired when he abolished the 10p band, at the same time as taxing millionaires at only 40 per cent, ie less than they pay now!

Every family has, or knows someone else with a disability need, so can sympathise with their plight.

You can only hope that Government will realise that this was a step too far and readjust things in favour of those set to lose out.

Sooner we leave EU the better

RG Davis, Silsden

I HAVE watched and listened to all the so called debates as to whether we should leave the European Union and still no one has painted a clear picture for me.

I then woke up to the news of the bombings in Brussels. When will we, in this country, wake up to the fact that it could be us next?

The sooner we leave this Union the better as far as I am concerned.

We can than have control of our borders; we can decide who we allow into our country; we will not have to answer to the myriad of countries who currently make up the European Union and can then deport the undesirables from our country without fear of intervention from Brussels.

I am a Conservative voter but I just wish we were led by someone with the backbone to make decisions, not someone who just dithers.

Please can we have our country back before it is too late.

Thoughts on the Budget debate

John Boocock, Middleton-in-Teesdale

AS the dust settles on George Osborne’s Budget, it is becoming clear that the fizzy pop tax is perhaps even more of a frill than originally thought.

A tax on sugary drinks alone will not end child obesity.

We need a long term strategy to support parents in all aspects of family life if we want a healthy future for our children.

An ill-thought-out dash towards academy primary schools, with no role for parents in their governance, will not help achieve that – especially given the very recent evidence that academy schools are not the be all and end all for education. The increase in insurance tax premium to be spent on flood defences in York, Leeds, Calder Valley, Carlisle and across Cumbria is estimated at £700m.

Given that the scheme originally mooted for Leeds alone was £190m five years ago, it’s hard to see how the money will be used effectively.

The £13m for Hull’s City of Culture can be welcomed, especially if it is spent wisely producing a long term sustainable benefit for Hull and its communities. However, money being made available for museums to support travelling exhibitions sticks in the craw.

Will this mean that the items removed from Bradford to London will come back as part of a travelling circus?

Business rates will be reduced or will be nil for half of all businesses.

The Local Government Association is already asking for clarification as to exactly what that means.

As part of the Northern Powerhouse deals, councils are expecting to keep 100 per cent of business rates, so just what exactly will any new combined authority be collecting?

One hundred per cent of nothing?

Tell us your care experiences

Amy Parker, Leonard Cheshire Disability

At Leonard Cheshire Disability, we believe everyone should be able to live their lives independently and with dignity while getting the support they need, including everyday tasks such as washing, dressing and eating. These are not luxuries, but essentials.

Sadly, some disabled and older people are still experiencing flying 15-minute care visits which can leave them facing impossible choices like having a cup of tea or using the loo. Others have seen cuts to their social care because of council budget pressures.

We are campaigning for better and fairer social care and would like to hear from your readers about their experiences.

Whether you have received care yourself or experienced it through a friend or family member, please get in touch. Together we can make a difference.

Please get in touch by emailing us [email protected] or writing to us at Campaigns, Leonard Cheshire Disability, 66 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1RL. For more information on our campaign visit www.leonardcheshire.org.

Do they believe their EU case?

Ralph H Sutcliffe,Mirfield

Both sides in the debate have a view on what they believe will happen after the referendum on June 23 but the reality is that nobody knows, so let us look at what is not in dispute and is unlikely to change:

Official population projections indicate that if net migration averages 185,000 a year over the next 25 years our population is set to grow by nearly 10 million people. That’s 10 more cities the size of Birmingham. To put that in context the current rate is 330,000 a year.

The EU turns a blind eye to corruption and waste.

The UK contributes around £33m per day net in contributions to the EU.

Much of our law making is determined in Brussels by bureaucrats who have no accountability to UK voters.

The balance of trade is hugely in the EU’s favour.

It is perhaps significant that the above receive little attention from the ‘remain’ campaigners.

Could it be that, deep down, they don’t believe they have a case to make?

Sleep disruption a real struggle

Judith King, Alzheimer’s Society’s Regional Operations Manager for Yorkshire and the Humber

For most people, the clocks changing this month provides a temporary inconvenience of an hour’s less sleep.

However, for many of the 67,630 people with dementia in Yorkshire and the Humber it can affect their sleep routines and may lead to them waking at the wrong time or struggling to get to sleep.

Disrupted sleep is just one of the many challenges people with dementia and their carers face.

Perhaps your readers would consider joining the 1.4 million people who have become ‘Dementia Friends’ to learn more about the condition and the small ways they can help? To find out more visit dementiafriends.org.uk