Readers' letters - February 5

Oh dear!

Now it looks like the planned Chorley town centre improvements and Market Walks extension are going ahead at the expense of ‘bin’ collections, for which we are now going to be charged!

But there is another problem looming here.

Further changes and cancellation to local bus services mean that fewer people will now be able to get to the town centre to enjoy these improvements.

Those being deprived of these important bus links will also have difficulty in accessing other vital services, including doctors, libraries, opticians, hospitals, etc.

Don’t even think abut blaming the ageing population with their bus passes, who are already carrying the can as ‘bed blockers’, overloading the NHS and subsequently causing the closure of our 24- hour A&E services.

I’m certain that, given the choice, the majority of those with bus passes would willingly pay the going rate for fares to ensure that these bus services are still available to them. Unless the council can bring pressure to bear to ensure these important bus links remain, they may as well ‘bin’ any expansion 
to the town centre.

Graham Archer

Chorley

language

Defending education

I was interested in your photo of the demonstration in front of the Harris Museum and Art Gallery against the State Visit of US President Donald Trump, where a couple of banners were being displayed (LP, January 31).

To the right is a man holding up a handmade banner with the inane comment of ‘INFINATE (sic) DIVERSITY IN INFINATE (sic, again) COMBINATION’.

To the left of the photo is the banner from Uclan UCU with the bottom line being ‘Defend Education’.

I couldn’t agree more, so would the person holding up the inane banner on the right get some education and learn how to spell INFINITE?

Oh, and hold the banner the right way round like the Uclan UCU are doing.

Given the number of misspellings that I see from BBC news captions, he gives me the impression that he works for the Beeb as a caption writer.

Take today where, on the Victoria Derbyshire Show in covering the possible terrorist attack on the Louvre, the word ‘solidier’ comes up on

screen.

Well. Okay, the soldier may have stood solid, but that is no way to spell soldier.

Also why hasn’t anyone from the BBC spotted this spelling mistake and had it corrected?

Still it is not as bad as someone who posts on a website the word ‘sync’.

Readers may be lulled into thinking that this was an abbreviation for synchronisation.

It wasn’t.

It was supposed to be the word ‘since’.

I despair!

Oh, and don’t get me started on those homophones of ‘there’, ‘their’ and ‘they’re’ which some people are too lazy to look up the correct homophone for what they’re (not ‘there’, nor ‘their’) writing and thus leave the reader to do the donkey work to discover what they are really trying to say.

Yes indeed, ‘trying’ is the word for some of us.

Neil Swindlehurst

Walmer Bridge

human rights

On a Trump bandwagon?

I hope that, with all this attention on Donald Trump, the Tories don’t push any unpopular policies through as it would be ideal timing for them. Trump is a massive distraction for us in this country. At least while we focus on him we don’t need to think about issues such as poverty or social care.

I dislike him and am baffled how he got to be nominated, let alone win to become president, yet I suspect he has also become a bandwagon that many people jump on. Do these same protesters care about Tibet, China or Zimbabwe, just to name a few countries whose residents are suffering?

He obviously shouldn’t come here for a state visit but the Queen has been host to many a despot. Trump will not be the first.

Theresa May was friendly with Trump for, I suspect, future trade deals. Why expect her to be any different? The UK Government is also very friendly to China and Saudi Arabia, two countries with massive human rights issues.

I do think a close eye should be kept on Trump.

At best, he is an egocentric businessman with zero political experience playing at being president. But, at worst – and this is what protesters fear – possibly he is a potentially dangerous fascist dictator. The world has plenty of these, and we don’t need any more. But I hope people don’t forget what happens here is also important and also, if you care about human rights affected by USA policies, why not care about human rights elsewhere in the world?

Let’s open our eyes to all the human rights abuses in the world.

Jane

Lancashire

transport

Train puzzle at Chorley Station

After LP published incidents on railway ticket fiascos, I have a question. I live in Chorley, which has three train stations. Two on the line are between Preston through Bolton to Manchester. The third station on the line goes from Preston to Manchester, passing through Wigan.

What if I buy a ticket at Buckshaw Parkway to travel to Manchester and later use the return ticket? But then I find the next train home does not stop at Buckshaw Parkway but calls at Chorley train station. Would I be committing an offence getting off at Chorley?

The other scenario is travelling from Euxton Balshaw Lane station to Manchester and decide to return on the other line to Chorley Station.

All three are within Chorley borough and the return journeys are all shorter than the outward journey.

Paul Helmn

Charnock Richard

crime

Is Yeti culprit for thefts?

Following Mark White’s report of thefts in the Garstang area and the accompanying CCTV footage (pictured, above left) of the suspect (LP, February 3), PC Matt Butcher should focus his investigation on bringing in for questioning the Abominable Snowman, commonly known as the Yeti, although thousands have tried for years without success.

Denis Lee

Ashton.