Readers' letters - May 5

I read with interest the article by Dr Curtis (LEP, April 26).

He is very fortunate to have been able to retire at 58.

Junior doctors have been offered a 13.5 per cent increase and paramedics and nurses about one per cent.

Nurses and paramedics have no choice but to work weekends, they work 12-hour shifts on a rota basis and only get an increase per hour if they work overtime.

They are front-line workers who have to deal with some horrendous situations. Paramedics have to reach patients within eight minutes, no pressure there then!

If I had my way, any training doctor who decides to leave the country after qualifying would have to work for five years in the NHS or pay back the hundreds of thousands of pounds it cost to train them.

It takes all those in the NHS to work together as professionals, they are all cogs in the wheel, and no one should think they are of more value than others.

Doctors are not gods but are public servants. End of.

Name and address supplied

Quick fixes can be dangerous

Once upon a time – decades ago – I used pesticides, but after witnessing the effect on bees first hand, I have never use one since.

I prefer to use natural methods and this information can be found in books on companion gardening, where you can protect certain plants by planting other plants near them. For example, garlic or nasturtiums will discourage aphids on roses.

Bees are such wonderful creatures and essential to the ecosystem.

We need to move away from looking for quick fixes for our problems in life, as these can – oftener than not – be dangerous.

With patience to achieve solutions, compassion for the bees’ plight, and foresight into what sort of world we are creating, we should do much better.

To this end we need to keep up the pressure on MPs to maintain the ban on pesticides and to prevent big business from making money out of what we don’t need and what will ultimately destroy the planet.

Elizabeth Goudge, Lytham St Annes

Keep this ban for our survival

I am very concerned about our Government’s intention to lift the ban on neonicotinoids which is killing off our bees. Without bees, our crops will not survive, causing food shortages, and there would likely be a knock-on effect on other wildlife.

The pesticides, called neonicotinoids, are banned across Europe because they’re responsible for killing our bees – and bees are responsible for pollinating the vast majority of our crops.

We need this ban to stay in place for our future survival, whereas the Government seems to have just one thing in mind –short-term commercial interests of businesses resulting in higher tax revenue for the chancellor.

Keep this ban in place.

Ian Neary, Clayton Le Woods

Letter meant
so much to us

My name is Margaret Quinn, I am the daughter of Gerard Baron, who we lost at Hillsborough.

Will you thank Denis Lee for the beautiful words he put in the paper about our dad, it meant so much to us all reading it (LEP Letters April 29) .

The picture is actually from my wedding day, not sure where that came from but it was nice to see.

I remember Dad taking us to the post office, he loved working there.

Thank you Denis.

We live in Perth, Australia, but I have been home a few times with the inquest.

I am glad it is all over and it’s great that we got justice at last.

Margaret Quinn, Perth, Australia

Set to destroy health service

There are Tory MPs who make no secret of their wish to destroy the NHS and Hunt’s confrontation with the so-called junior doctors is only the next step in that direction.

The increase in the number of in-hospital weekend deaths used to justify this confrontation has been discredited and, without the support of diagnostic departments, weekend doctors will be predictably less effective than their midweek colleagues.

The Government is not prepared to fund that support. In 1988 Oliver Letwin and John Redwood, whilst on attachment to the private bank NM Rothschild, published their proposals for the free market reform of the “untamed NHS”. In the same year, Letwin published his book Privatising the World and, in 2004, claimed the NHS would not exist within five years of a Tory Government.

Letwin is now a minister for government policy with a special interest in healthcare.

On current evidence he will be celebrating sometime within the next four years.

AH Roberts, address supplied

Fundraising for Poland event

We are taking 20 of our young people from St Clare’s Church to the World Youth Day in Poland, where they will join the Pope. This will take place at the end of July and we are having a few fundraising events to enable them to go.

A car wash is being held on May 7, June 4, and July 2. People will be able to get their cars washed between 10am and 2pm at St Clare’s Church Car Park, Fulwood, Preston. A race night is being held at 7pm on May 13, at St Clare’s Church Hall. A car boot sale at St Clare’s Church will be held on May 14, June 11 and July 9, from 8am to 1pm.

There are limited stalls, each cost £10 and are non-refundable. There will be food and refreshments available to buy in the hall.

Contact me on 07960 117173 to book a stall.

Ann Gardiner via email

Her Majesty or President DC?

Queen Elizabeth or President Cameron / Blair (delete as appropriate)?

No contest.

William Scudamore, address supplied