Readers' letters - May 26

As we all get ready to elect MPs to the House of Commons, it might be worth considering the fact that the House of Lords is totally unaffected by the democratic process.

Whatever we may say about MPs, at least they have to submit themselves to a democratic verdict at every election.

Lords, however, are not democratically elected and cannot be removed (they are a bit like EU bureaucrats, really).

There are more than 800 lords.

They are appointed by the Prime Minister and, once they are in the House of Lords, they are there for life.

There are currently 98 Lib Dem lords.

When you consider there are only nine Lib Dem MPs out of 650, a fairer allocation of Lib Dem lords would be about 12.

Their current allocation may have reflected their greater standing a few years ago.

Clearly, we need to introduce a system that enables the de-appointment of lords when their party’s standing in the Commons is substantially reduced.

The proportion of lords for each party should broadly reflect each party’s standing in the Commons, for that Parliament.

This should be re-assessed after every parliamentary election.

Tim Hunter

Address supplied

politics

Back to 1970s? Yes, please

Peter Hyde tells the letters page that it would be a disaster to return to the 1970s with the Labour manifesto (LP Letters, May 19). In the Labour manifesto, there are commitments to renationalise the railways, buses, Royal Mail, and set up a publicly-owned energy supplier. This has been met with the predictable cries of ‘the hard left’ wanting to take us back to the 1970s by the right wing press.

It is important that people don’t get misled by the establishment attacks but remind people calmly – with facts and figures – of how the post-war mixed economy, with high levels of public ownership, worked much better for the majority of Britons than today’s privatised, zero hour, banker-friendly model.

Only the most blinkered ideologue or self-interested fat cat could argue that the situation in regards to rail travel, buses and energy supplies is better for the majority than it was in the 1970s.

Prices have risen sharply above inflation and wages, causing real hardship to millions, services have been cut or greatly reduced and the taxpayer has been left out of pocket as huge sums have been shovelled to the private operators.

Labour’s manifesto can only be good news for the ordinary British citizen who has been ripped off since Mrs Thatcher started to restructure the economy for the benefit of banking and financial elites.

Back to the “dreadful” 1970s, when we could hop on a train or bus at the drop of a hat without worrying about the ticket price and didn’t dread the next energy or water bill landing on our door mats? Yes,please, Jeremy Corbyn. Do bring it on.

Royston Jones

Address supplied

sport

Thanks for all your support

As the 2016/2017 season draws to an end, AFC Longridge of the Lancashire Sunday Football League would like to say a big thank you for the support received from the local community. Grassroots football continually relies on the generosity of our local community to continue to operate and compete each season.

We would like to thank Tom Bond for his annual sponsorship and Chris and Alan Odix at the Forrest Arms for their continued support.

The club would like to say a special thank you to Kenny Brookfield and the Old Oak and their regulars for the amount we receive each season from Jossy’s Bonus Ball. Kenny kindly took this over after Alan ‘Jossy’ Walmsley sadly passed away in 2013.

In the last three seasons, it has raised in excess of £1,500 for the club – a fantastic amount.

As we continue our association with Rib Rovers and Chipping FC, we would like to congratulate both teams on their promotion to the Premier Division of the Mid Lancashire Football League.

We would also like to offer our congratulations to Longridge Town FC on their success this season.

Hope all our local teams enjoy the summer break and we wish you the best for the 2017/18 season.

Paul and Lorraine Harrison

Secretary and treasurer AFC Longridge

tragedy

Shocking and cowardly

To target young children at the Manchester arena is shocking and cowardly.

Surely it’s time we clamped down.

Sharia law courts should be banned under English law.

The burka should be made illegal. It’s a barrier to integration and communication.

Halal slaughter is cruel and should be banned.

This is not just a criticism of Islam, kosher slaughter is equally cruel.

CCTV needs to be installed at abattoirs urgently.

Recent cases have shown cruelty to animals about to be slaughtered.

CB

Fulwood

NHS

Tackle all this waste first

I get a little confused and annoyed that the NHS is reported to be in crisis and needs more money when history has shown that money invested in the NHS shows very small improvement.

It all seems to get spent in administration and the ‘fat cats’ at the top.

It is time that the administration in the NHS started to stand up for the appalling job they are doing in managing the money they receive.

We are approaching one of the most important decisions for decades – let’s have some real home truths.

We shouldn’t cry wolf for more money, given the amount of money not used efficiently during 2016, and several years before that, when PFI hospitals led to health trusts paying a charge before they actually turned on a light or saw a patient.

This is a legacy from the last Labour administration.

John R Blundell

via email