‘We have a Labour leader as useful as a chocolate teapot’

I SHOULDN’T be surprised by the mess that the present Government is making of our country but the latest news about signing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and then paying them £9billion for taking it off our hands is just unbelievable.

The Labour Government when it came into power declared a black hole of finances and in order for them to start filling that black hole they first cut the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners (as if that was even going to make a dent in their black hole), then they increased National Insurance, increased the minimum salary, paid a whopping great amount to train drivers and junior doctors, penalised the farmers and then came cuts to various services…all in the name of balancing the books.

Small businesses have folded – just two recently in Harrogate. Staff got laid off in various companies because financially it wasn’t viable any more, big companies like Astra Zeneca decided not invest millions in a new factory because of Labour’s financial policies, and our esteemed Chancellor decides to cosy up to China to get a deal – wow!

And now suddenly the Labour Government decides to get rid of the Chagos Islands and pay Mauritius £9billion – it seems that we have a Labour leader who is as useful as a chocolate teapot and a Chancellor who thinks 2+2 = 10.

Between the two of them they are destroying this country – their statement that it has to be hard before it gets right is a lot of codswallop.

Crippling businesses, getting people laid off so that more go on benefits is not the way to get this country going, businesses need incentives, they need to grow, people need to be able to earn more so that they can spend more, it is really that simple.

No one is winning with this Government right now except for China and Mauritius it seems.

Lynette Mills,

Fishergate,

York

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Locals businesses: use them or lose them

READING the letter from Brian Ledger regarding the closing of local public houses: most local pubs and restaurants fail simply because the locals under use them, and yet expect them to be open for birthdays, holidays, and Christmas for their convenience.

Many years ago a relatively new person in Poppleton was telling me how he’d had to take the battery out of his car, carry it to the local garage for him to charge it up.

And do you get your petrol from home, I asked. “No it’s far to expensive,” was the reply.

Where will you go (for your convenience) when the garage is shut?

And so that’s the problem with local businesses – use them, or loose them.

D M Deamer,

Penleys Grove Street,

Monkgate,

York

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Health secretary speaks ’empty words’

When is the Health Secretary going to stop being a sharp-suited vocal robot and instigate real change in hospital A&E departments.

When a 90-year-old patient is having to sit for 20 hours on a hard chair before receiving any treatment, his statements to Parliament are proving to be nothing but empty words by yet another ineffective politician.

Peter Rickaby

West Park

Selby

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Survey is smokescreen

OF course York council is going to say the introduction of a charge for green waste has been a success.

But as a council tax payer this has just been an extra charge and one less service for our annual payment, which is going up again.

So whatever their survey shows, it’s all a smokescreen to hide the fact we are getting less for our money.

S Robinson,

Address supplied

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