Readers' letters

What is it about Theresa May that she does not understand about democracy?

We have had a plethora of decisions since she became Prime Minister that have either ignored the will of the people, or have blatantly denied justice for people throughout the country, despite calls for action to right wrongs.

The decision of her Home Secretary to deny an investigation into Orgreave was offensive to many, whose lives were affected by the police brutality that occurred at South Yorkshire.

Then we hear that local councils will no longer be able to make decisions about pensions investments, meaning that councils cannot divest from companies that have poor records of ethical trading, which takes away control from pensioners having a voice about how their pensions should be invested.

The decision to overturn Lancashire County Council on fracking rights was a blatant attempt to defy the will of the people and thus put democracy on the rack in favour of her brand of monocracy!

Now she wants to develop new nuclear weapons at a time the United Nations are formulating policy to broaden the rules on the test ban treaty, amid widespread apathy about renewing Trident at a time of austerity.

The government’s most blatant anti-democratic card was dealt more than four years ago under Cameron, with the decision to embark on the commercialisation of the NHS.

The worst sleight of hand that any government has ever attempted on such a scale, but she stays silent on her privatisation plans, despite mounting debts and the increased number of private companies she has just approved to run it.

The final blow to her autocratic style however has been delivered by the high court, who has judged her plan for Brexit not to be debated in Parliament as unconstitutional. Perhaps the country needs to debate between democracy and dictatorship as the preferred style of government for Britain!

Roy Lewis via email

People using area as a dump

I am writing this letter which concerns the brilliant job Kenny Deverson is doing to the ginnel off New Hall Lane, where he lives (good on you Kenny). We were brought up with pride.

People need to be educated on how to use bins and a brush and shovel. Parents need to be taught how to dispose properly of rubbish.

I live in the Deepdale area, and some of the buy-to-let and new residents have brought the area down.

School children go to the corner shop on St Stephen’s Road, and then throw empty wrappers and half eaten food everywhere.

It shows how hungry they must be.

There are also weeds on the fronts of houses, as people are too lazy to pull them out.

There’s also flower beds in the area that need taking out as they are full of weeds, nettles and rubbish!

If it was in front of my house I’d make a little garden. They do it in Lytham and St Annes and they even put flowers out.

But not here.

Here they are only used to park cars on or put rubbish in.

Society has gone wrong, the people who have moved or have long gone would not believe what people have turned this area into. They now use it as a dump.

Disgusted Prestonian

Stop ex-MPs’ humiliation

I wonder if readers agree with me that we should give our ex-MPs a decent pension in order to save humiliating themselves and us on TV dancing and other silly game shows, or give them a seat with the other pensioners in the Lords.

Robert Holman, address supplied

Uncle John was on the docks

Reading your article about Preston Dock and its workers, I was suddenly aware that, standing outside Preston Town Hall with the protesters, was my late Uncle John Watson (LEP Retro November 2).

He is the man standing directly behind the one carrying the “We told you so Joe” placard.

John was fiercely proud of being a docker and worked for many years there.

He was a giant of a man with hands like size 10 shovels, never afraid to put his back into the task in hand, and, before working on the docks, he was a stoker on the Fleetwood trawlers for years.

He loaded and unloaded all sorts of cargo on the docks and I remember he once had a bad accident whilst unloading one boat when the crane chains unloading the cargo were taken back up too soon before the lads had let go.

John was taken up off his feet and was suspended dangling by two fingers until they realised and let him back down!

And all he wanted to do was carry on with his job.

Those fingers were never straight after that.

He was on picket duty at the Town Hall, along with all the workers’ unions who came to support them from all over.

It was a sad day when they eventually lost the battle to save their jobs.

They were a loyal band of brothers these men.

Hard working, conscientious, and proud.

It was a trip down memory lane and a time to remember him and all his mates.

Margaret Watkinson via email

Pick your EU dummy up

So dear reader, just before 1pm on November 3, the High Court ruled Parliament will decide on Brexit!

This was as a result of a case brought by a ‘hedge-fund manager’ who told the court that what had been voted on “by the people, for the people” in the Referendum was “un-democratic”!

The following are not my words but The Economist paper: “Hedge-fund managers are renowned for their skills and wealth and consider themselves masters of the universe.”

The Government will appeal but if it goes against what the public voted for I will never vote again, local or national!

Pick your dummy up, Gina Miller.

David Hughes, Bamber Bridge