Readers' letters - May 16

As our first season in the Championship is done and dusted and our mid-table position is consigned to the history books, I feel the owner, board, manager and players of PNE deserve our congratulations and should be rightly proud of their achievement, having operated at a higher level and competed admirably against clubs with a much larger budget at their disposal.

It is indeed uncanny how, over the years, the fortunes of a football club can fluctuate.

The regrettable incident a few years ago when those pathetic Blackpool supporters sought fit to send a light aircraft over Deepdale, pulling an insulting and provocative banner in its slipstream, basically celebrating and poking fun at our relegation plight to Division One springs to mind.

Historically, there has always been a healthy rivalry between our seaside neighbours since the halcyon days of Sir Tom and Sir Stanley but I would fervently hope that no Lilywhite fan would stoop so low. Fast forward to last weekend when the Tangerines find themselves in an even worse situation, relegated to the fourth tier of football.

I am afraid, as we know in life, what goes around comes around, but as a true football supporter I feel genuinely sorry for those loyal Blackpool fans who have suffered from what would appears to be the maladministration of a once proud club and magnanimously wish them a brighter future, both on and off the pitch. A final vote of thanks to our benefactor Trevor Hemmings, without whose financial support we would undoubtedly be rubbing shoulders with the Seasiders.

Jim Oldcorn, Great Harwood

Fencing with corruption

I was always led to believe that the fence who handled stolen goods was worse than the thief. Is the ready acceptance of huge amounts of money from obviously dodgy individuals and regimes in the purchase of multi-million pound properties in, for instance, London, not on a par with this type of criminality?

Contrast the ease of these transactions with an individual trying to deposit, for instance, cash from a car sale into their local bank account, and the then inquest of how this money came into your possession.

There is a long history of corruption of this nature.

Think of ultra respectable Swiss bankers, who for years took the colossal thefts of the Nazi Regime from all over Europe.

This was further compounded when, after the war, they demanded proof of ownership from claimants, knowing full well that such proof had died, along with the rightful owners in the concentration camps.

There are plenty of countries that will stand alongside those Cameron has accused, it is just that some are better at hiding their corruption.

Denis Lee, Ashton

We’re in the same category

So, David Cameron is at Buckingham Palace and whinging. He says: “Both Nigeria and Afghanistan are ‘fantastically corrupt.’”

Wow! But he forgets to mention the UK which is also in this category specialising in ‘tax-fiddling’ and ‘dodgy’ MPs.

It’s no wonder the Queen looked so bemused. I bet she was thinking: “Who in my Royal Palace invited this cretin to my humble abode? I’m so NOT amused – off with his Tory Eton head!”

Very well said, your Majesty!

Darryl Ashton, Blackpool

I’m sceptical of 
pro-EU debate

The reason the ‘Remain’ camp are saying such silly things is that even they can’t see any logical reason why we should stay in the EU.

Peter Bye, address supplied

EU issues to

be clarified

The time has come for Mr Cameron and his Cabinet to answer three specific questions in black and white regarding the EU referendum – assuming we were to remain in the EU.

1) Can Mr Cameron guarantee total control on immigration and securing our borders, from the EU and elsewhere?

2) Can he guarantee British laws and decisions could always override EU laws, if deemed necessary? For example, who would control our armed forces and the ‘nuclear button’?

3) What does Mr Cameron estimate our total contribution to the EU would be by 2020?

The answers to the above questions could fundamentally alter our way of life. They affect the future of our NHS, schools, housing, roads, in fact our complete infrastructure.

In a crisis, Britain must surely be in charge of its own destiny.

As the Remain Campaign has made so many financial ‘cost’ predictions in the event of ‘leaving the EU’, surely the British taxpayer has a right to know what we would have to pay by 2020!

The Remain Campaign and its leader MUST answer these points clearly and unambiguously

before June 23.

Harvey Carter, Newton

Cyclist perils at traffic lights

There is much said about the Guild Wheel and making sure we preserve it and that contractors understand that we must ensure the safety of our cyclists and

pedestrians.

I have spoken out at every meeting of the North West Preston Liaison Meeting.

I feel the junction of Lightfoot Lane and Mayflower Drive is dangerous in the way it has been constructed.

Unfortunately, Lancashire County Council does not agree as it has done an audit. The council does not see nor use this junction on a daily basis, which crosses the Guild Wheel and safe route to school.

Recently, the council installed traffic lights at Nog Tow junction at the end of Lightfoot Lane and Hoyles Lane.

I have witnessed, on two occasions, cyclists approaching these lights, taking a quick look and then crossing on a red light. Who will be to blame if a car hits them? Cyclists do not adhere to the traffic law and therefore are losing the public sympathy.

Coun Christine Abram, Cottam