Readers' letters - January 6

No excuses for abuse to medics

I read with absolute despair your article about paramedics fearing for their safety as they go about their jobs (LEP January 4).

It is such a sad indictment of society today when those who make caring for others their career and their life’s work are set upon by the very people they seek to help.

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It beggars belief that nursing and medical staff too are subject to verbal and physical assaults when you consider their roles in society.

I am of a certain generation where police officers were respected, doctors were revered, nurses were loved and cherished and ambulance staff were your knights in shining armour if you were unfortunate in having to make that emergency call.

I wish to place on record my own gratitude, respect and affection for these people gained from my own personal experiences of life.

Rest assured, everybody will need the services of these fine professionals at one time in their lives so appreciate the fact that they are there to help you for no other reason than they care.

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My children and grandchildren are similarly educated to understand 
this.

And this is what is desperately needed – education.

It needs parents to stand up and be counted and administer the discipline that so many are too lazy to instil in their children and, if necessary, their grandchildren.

Educate them and make them realise that when they are sick or victims of crime, these are the people who they are going to shout very loudly for and who will make the difference.

Don’t let wishy-washy do- gooders blame drink, drugs or any other less than valid reason to allow individuals to opt out of blame for these assaults and abuse.

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In life, no matter what, we all carry personal responsibility for our actions.

It is as simple as that.

Jimmy Gilliard

via email

transport

Be less selfish when parking

I agree with the letter about the lack of indicating at junctions and roundabouts but I also have a gripe about inconsiderate parking (LEP Letters, December 28).

Car parking is at a premium in Longridge yet a lot of space is wasted on our streets and roads.

How many times when looking for a parking space do we find cars parked badly?

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By this I mean drivers leaving a large space between themselves and the end of the area allowed on the road.

Such a waste when another car could almost fit but not quite!

The area outside the Co-op in Berry Lane is another example.

There is space for three cars but it is often taken up by two selfish drivers.

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How frustrating when you just want to pop into the Co-op or the chemist.

Come on fellow drivers and think about others when parking.

Ever Hopeful

Longridge

environment

The good and bad of ivy

Rather than resort to a nominal pistols at dawn scenario about ivy on trees, can we simply accept that it seemed a good idea to Blackpool Road allotment holders for the Parks Department to remove ivy as a preventive measure (LEP Letters, December 26)?

When ivy becomes firmly established, its trunk can reach the thickness of one’s leg.

In many situations, it can ruin the look of a tree and would seem capable of overwhelming one, so management is necessary at an early stage.

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Removal from the base of a trunk is an effective deterrent and it needs to be peeled back from the ground, or else it will rapidly get a new hold.

Thomas Hardy’s story, Far from the Madding Crowd, relates that sheep are very fond of ivy, so it may be of some benefit in the right place.

G W Richards

Bamber Bridge

politics

Fed up of old establishment

What an incredible year 2016 was for politics. In the UK we had and won the EU referendum with 17.4 million voting to leave and, in the US, Donald Trump (pictured) won the election to become the next President.

There are elections in both France and Germany this year and, following the Brexit and Trump votes, the clear message to the old establishment is that the people have had enough of them and are demanding real change.

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In Britain, and despite the Brexit vote, the Government is still not listening to the people and are carrying on as per normal – council tax rises, massive business rates rises, railway fair increases, defence cuts and the greenbelt under threat. Yet we are still handing out over £13bn in overseas aid each year (and set to rise)!

Many in our Government are stuck in their ways, just as they are in the Labour and Liberal Democratic parties. They appear to be in denial of the result in June and are reluctant to follow the will of the people.

In 2017 it is our job to hold the establishment to account on all the issues raised and to get our Prime Minister to invoke Article 50 by the end of March this year, without further delays and any watering down of what we voted for.

Philip Griffiths

North West President, UKIP (UK Independence Party)

nostalgia

Book lovers at Boots Chemist

Do you remember Boots Booklovers Library in Chorley? Boots the chemist once had subscription libraries within their stores.

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They were extremely popular and operated very successfully from 1899 to 1966.

In their heyday they had more than a million subscribers. Chorley was home to a branch of Boots library.

In my book, Lipsticks and Library Books, former staff share entertaining anecdotes of wealthy, eccentric subscribers and strict spinster librarians. It tells the story of a privileged elite in a world that existed really not so long ago but which seems very distant from today. I would be interested to hear from anyone who remembers Boots library in Chorley.

Jackie Winter

Dorset

Contact the LEP via email, post or by calling 01772 554537 and we will pass your details on to Jackie

discounts

Are these offers legal?

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Further to the letter from Malcolm Boyce about vouchers (LEP December 31), there are other offers which I find annoying, possibly even discriminatory! I refer to two for one meals, which can be a problem when one is a single person. Also motor insurance, when it is often cheaper to insure two vehicles.

Rather difficult when one is a single householder!

Are these offers legal?

There must be many people in these situations.

I wonder if something can be done about this?

Puzzled singleton

Address supplied

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