YEP Letters December 6

Has anyone ever voted to be worse off?

I AM not able to find any example where anyone ever has voted to be worse off. Can anybody think of one?

Neither can I find reference to any vote when we were asked our view about transferring our sovereignty to the European Union (as opposed to the EEC)?

If there had been one, we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in now.

Police crackdown on drink and drug driving

Police have warned drivers that they will be out in force this week and through December. West Yorkshire Police has just launched its annual Christmas drink and drug driving campaign and drivers in Leeds and across West Yorkshire will be stopped by officers for breath tests. “Every year we deal with a number of fatal or very serious incidents on our roads. In 2017 more than 800 people were seriously hurt and 43 people died in road traffic collisions. A number of these have been because of the influence of drink and drugs. This has led to the deaths of innocent drivers passengers and pedestrians leaving the awful task for many officers having to go and tell a family that their loved one isn’t coming home. “West Yorkshire Police have a breathalyzer kit in every Police vehicle and if you are drink or drug driving across the region you will face the consequences of your actions.” We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some of them said on social media..

Shaun Pears

I reckon you’re more likely to be caught the morning after. People don’t realise they can still be over the limit. Think! Should you be driving?

Can you get the bus or call a taxi to work instead, especially the morning after your Christmas party, if it’s mid week?

Tom Clarke

Would think their priorities would be stopping crimes such as drug dealing, knife crime, ram raiding and other such serious crimes. Too much effort I suppose.

Andrew Schofield

Yes, still a police officer, same powers but clue’s in the title. They specialise in traffic. They will deal with knife crime, drug dealing when stopping vehicles.

They police the roads not local communites and city centres were these crimes you mention mainly happen. I have never heard of a knife crime happening in the middle of the M1.

More people die on the roads then anywhere else so makes sense to me to concentrate on drug and drink driving.

Rob Brearey

Serious crime such as death by dangerous driving? More people killed daily by drink/drug/speeding/dangerous drivers than are murdered. Yeah, let’s ignore them shall we?

I can assure you plenty are brought in daily for the offences you have mentioned.

Dan Brown

Surprises me how many people smoke weed whilst driving and think it’s perfectly acceptable. Makes me mad.

Philip Smithson

Bring it on, especially if it catches the drug drivers.

You can’t drive in rush hour traffic these days without smelling weed from the cars in front.

Shirley Clubb

The police are here to cover a variety of tasks and this been one of them. Good, I hope they catch them, a person who does drugs or drinks then drives deserve all they get the only people they are thinking about at the time of doing this is themselves. What if one of your relatives was killed by a drink driver they wouldn’t be slagging the police then when they knocked on your door to tell you the sad news. The only people that don’t like the police are criminals, I for one appreciate them putting their own lives at risk on a daily basis to look after our communities. Well done to all our emergency services who do a great job all year round.

Seán Gormally

It’s actually amazing how many people disregard articles about other serious offenders being caught and prosecuted when it comes to the police enforcing traffic laws. Always hear the same outcry “they should be out catching rapists and murderers.” They actually do! If you’re scared, don’t drive like an idiot! Problem solved!

Stephen Brook

Good. Actually I think the main problem is shifting to drugs and driving. The more doped up, drugged up and drunk drivers taken off the road the better.

Sanctions benefit nobody

David Mitchell, National Chairman, The British Polio Fellowship

A new report by the Work and Pensions Committee has agreed with campaigners that the benefit sanctions imposed on people with disabilities or other health conditions are ‘arbitrarily punitive’.

At what point will the government listen to the concerns of MPs of all parties on this issue?

Many of us warned the chances of sanctions being successful was doubtful and the committee describes them as ‘counterproductive’. The tragedy is, this is no real surprise to anyone involved. We in the third sector have heard cases of unnecessary hardship and I agree with committee chair Frank Field, that the approach is ‘pointlessly cruel.’

Indeed, the former chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Andrew McDonald described the process as ‘Kafkaesque’ having sampled it for himself. This situation helps nobody – not the claimants, nor the country.

The British Polio Fellowship and other charities are routinely ignored on the issue and it is hard to see what the government gets out the status quo.

Perhaps Brexit is drowning out this and other matters deserving a serious re-think.

Winter is coming and a struggling NHS, coupled with a cruel benefits system is a recipe for a disaster.

Let’s all hope it doesn’t come to that.

People with polio and PPS in need of application support can visit www.britishpolio.org.uk or call us on 0800 043 1935.