Readers' letters - September 21

After hearing the comments from the head of NHS Providers last week, it is clear that the Government’s attempts to introduce seven-day services in hospitals are futile without both a massive injection of financial support, and also the recruitment of several thousand junior doctors and other staff.

This leads one to the logical conclusion that the dispute with the junior doctors has been deliberately created by the Tories to undermine the public’s belief in the NHS, thereby paving the way for its full privatisation.

The junior doctors’ fight is not just a fight for the maintenance of safe working practices in the National Health Service, but also a fight to maintain the NHS in public control with all the democratic accountability that this entails.

What is abundantly clear is that the NHS is struggling financially, with trust after trust revealing large financial deficits.

This is resulting in A&E closures, hospital ward and unit closures and extended waiting times. The situation for the elderly and / or infirm is even worse, with care being rationalised or non-existent.

Yet the Government crazily decides to give the green light for the construction of Hinkley Point nuclear power station. The billions wasted on foreign companies charged with building this dangerous white elephant should have been spent on rescuing the NHS. However, Theresa May’s Government, like Tory governments previously, puts profit before the wellbeing of people.

Glyn Powell via email


PM May should reflect on causes

Theresa May’s recent posturing to the UN on uncontrolled migration was a little bit like a serial adulterer giving a lecture on the merits of fidelity in marriage.

Firstly, Mrs May failed to reach UK targets on immigration during her time as Home Secretary, something arguably responsible for the European Referendum result.

Secondly, the refugee crisis is also partly a consequence of UK foreign policy and intervention.

In 2007, the UN estimated that the Iraq war caused two million people to flee the conflict.

This year, the UN estimated that those fleeing Syria had reached 4.8 million.

More than that number also fled Afghanistan during the UK’s and US’s invasion. Surprisingly, recreating war zones and dropping bombs upon people seems to cause them to run away.

Perhaps Mrs May should dwell upon that fact, rather than lecturing the UN about the difference between refugees and economic migrants.

Paul Dodenhoff, address supplied

We need to cut numbers of MPs

We are long overdue for a boundary review, especially as the last review was blocked by the Liberal Democrats during the Coalition years. This review is not “unfair” and most certainly not “undemocratic”. It is an independent review carried out by the apolitical Boundary Commission, so the claims of gerrymandering by some are just a moot point.

A true example of undemocratic practice is Labour leadership contender Owen Smith’s claim that we should ignore the Brexit vote, he wants to ignore 17 million people who voted to leave the EU. I support the boundary review and support reducing the number of MPs to 600. This is what is best for the country, not for the Conservatives.

Christian Cox via email

Football jobs are on the line

Only recently I was watching a game of football on TV and I couldn’t help but notice just how much stress the referee’s assistants are under at every game. Their job is always on the line!

Darryl Ashton, Blackpool