Readers' letters: No rule book for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Government

No doubt the topics included lying, adultery and hypocrisy discussed in a man-to-man sort of way, with many a knowing chuckle and Mr Johnson probably completely untroubled.

His response to any scandal is to assume that the public has as little interest in the integrity of government as he has.

So Priti Patel can be found guilty of bullying her staff and remain as Home Secretary. Robert Jenrick can be found to have expedited an unlawful planning decision that saved a Tory donor a large amount of tax and Gavin Williamson can be serially incompetent and still draw his salary.

When no misdeed, no matter how flagrant, is a sackable offence, a culture of impunity spreads through government.

Many people are now saying that there is “one law for them and another for us.”

It is worse than that.

As far as Boris Johnson is concerned, there is no rule book.

John Prance

Penwortham

politics

MP should have been sacked

Well, here we go again.

If it’s not Jenrick breaking the Covid restrictions by driving long distance, allegedly to visit his mum and dad, and then Patel breaking the ministerial code of conduct, now we have “hopeless” Hancock’s cavalier attitude to his own rules regarding Covid that he himself put together.

So the question I ask is what indiscretion does it take for a government minister to get the sack?

And what response do we get from Boris, only to say that “the matter is closed and I have full confidence in him”.

Really!

All that we get from the rest of the Tory Party is support for Hancock but the British people must, like me, be getting sick and tired of this apparently corrupt Government which lacks any respect for the electorate.

There must be some Tory Members of Parliament that are in despair of what’s going on at the moment but are content to toe the party line and keep their heads below the parapet and say nothing and that includes our own South Ribble Member of Parliament.

Any criticism levelled at this Government is always countered by deflecting the question asked by trumpeting the success of the vaccination programme even though it’s down to the scientists who invented the vaccines and our own NHS staff etc who carried out the inoculation programmes.

And so this clown, this buffoon, this spineless man of no honour we call the Prime Minister should have immediately sacked his errant Health Secretary.

Mrs Hancock is the one I feel sorry for.

M Tipper

Penwortham

virus

Rules don’t apply to all

So from June 30, the Balearic Islands have been added to the green list of countries to travel to, currently, but subject to last minute change.

Pay more than £100 for the test (even though the actual cost is £5), and be tracked via a passenger locator form.

It’s quite clear that the ‘rules’ for our ‘safety’ do not apply equally throughout our society.

From the protests against lockdown versus the ones for racial equality; the lack of quarantine for world leaders, football sponsors and their staff versus someone going to France; the restrictions on stadium occupancy versus the Wimbledon final; and then there is the social distancing for people not in your bubble unless you’re a health minister and you’re having an affair.

We can achieve the same levels of health as the world leaders by behaving as they do.

S H

via email

nhs

GP service is very poor

Our GP service is very poor. Since Covid, I have had minor surgery in hospital and an eye test. My husband has also had an eye test as well as dental treatment, but seeing our GP is all but impossible.

Recently, when asking for help with a hand injury which will not heal, my husband asked if a GP would look at it. He already had antibiotics and sent a photo but to no avail.

The advice from the receptionist was, if you want to see a doctor, go to a walk-in centre in Blackpool or Fleetwood! We live near Preston so the next suggestion was go to Urgent Care at Royal Preston Hospital.

Then we read in the newspapers that A&E departments are overwhelmed.

Is it any wonder?

The NHS is not free, we all pay for it in our taxes.

In the case of our GP surgery, we do not feel that we are getting value for money.

Is there, perhaps, a political agenda to prepare us for private health care?

Concerned patient

via email

weapons

Arms demo

The Supreme Court quashed the convictions of four anti-arms trade protesters the other day, accepting that protests that block the road are lawful in certain circumstances.

Many activists have welcomed the judgement, especially as the Policing Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill is debated in Parliament.

Our Government, like many Governments, sees any protest as a threat to its authority, as well it might.

Selling arms is a rotten dangerous business.

Many have been urged to join demonstrations planned for the September 2021 DSEI arms fair, where arms dealers from around the world descend on London to promote their lethal products.

They strengthen Britain’s ties to dictatorships and entrench the Government’s role as a global arms dealer.

It’s no wonder that so many people are moved to protest against it. This Tory Government that makes it their business to interfere with other countries for what they call human rights abuses, is attempting to inflict the most draconian human rights abuse in their own back yard.

Royston Jones

Anchorsholme

All we want are showers at resort

I have just been away overnight to St Annes, a place I’ve visited since childhood.

For me it has just the right amount of things to do to make it a good experience.

There’s the beach and then in quite a small stretch of land there’s a park, mini-golf, a small train, rides, cinema and swim complex, a pub, a boating lake, a pier and a few ice cream shops.

When I come back to Morecambe I can’t help but feel so much more could be done here.

I’m the founder of an open water swim group called M.a.l.l.o.w.s, as Morecambe and Lancaster open water swimmers, we swim in the sea in Morecambe, mainly near the Clock Tower, and also in the River Lune. We currently have around 3,500 members.

Over the year, thousands of these people will come to swim in the sea here and pay for parking and use local shops etc., so a couple of years ago we tried to get a few outdoor showers put up near the beach where we swim so we and any other beach users could rinse off after being on the beach.

At first the local council said no, but then, when Morecambe Bid said yes, the local council was more interested. After a couple of years, it’s become clear that, even though lots of people from Morecambe Council think it’s a great idea, it has to be signed off and actioned by Lancaster City Council and there it seems to hit a brick wall.

I have to email Lancaster City Council and I’m told each time I email that my message has been forwarded to the environment team. Then I hear nothing more, it’s really quite disappointing.

I know Morecambe isn’t St Annes, Blackpool etc, but it’s caught in a big Catch-22 where there isn’t the will to spend and create things to draw visitors, which in turn probably sends potential tourists elsewhere.

I feel very frustrated as I’ve tried to do something positive that will benefit so many people who use the beach and swim in the sea here.

We just wanted a few outdoor showers and it has dragged on for two years plus and hit a brick wall.

It is high time money was invested to draw visitors rather than waiting for visitors to come before the powers-that-be think of investing.

Jon Gibirdi via email