Letters: May 28, 2016

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Wonderful coverage

IT was very kind of Gary Loyden of the Swindon Philosophical Society to heap praise on the Swindon Festival of Literature (Letters 19th May).

His comments about the Festival and its organisers are much appreciated.

But his implication that the Adver has not supported the Festival with appropriate coverage is incorrect.

We have been delighted not only with the features and previews in the Adver during the run up to the Festival but also the daily page leads and reviews once it was underway.

But for the absence of star ratings for events, the Adver’s reviews rival those of The Scotsman for the Edinburgh Festival!

And these reviews are read and recited by many of our authors, their publishers and their fans nationwide, which helps put Swindon firmly on the festivals map and enhance the town’s reputation.

Many thanks Adver!

MATT HOLLAND

Swindon Festival of Literature

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Complete waste of cash

AFTER reading Mr Crook & Mr Wilson’s opinion on the state of grass verges in the town, (not for the first time Mr Wilson), Mr Crook rightly points out that people have nowhere else to park.

Now I’m not expecting Mr Heenan and his gang to get motivated any time soon to make this situation any better, they will probably tell you one of two things – not a priority, or no funds available.

I would invite anyone to drive around Wichelstowe and take note of the obscene waste of money that has been spent there.

There are SIX sets of mothballed traffic lights, lights at the Eyam and Langdean junctions, where mini roundabouts would suffice, a pathetic bus priority lights system over four lanes, what is that all about? Just a bus only lay-by either side would be adequate.

Its over-complicated and a complete waste of money.

And the big one, the Waitrose junction, easily the busiest junction on that entire road, and a roundabout takes care of the busy traffic very nicely thank you.

And that tells you everything you need to know about the way our money is wasted around our town.

Oh I nearly forgot, we are going to have lights on the Greenbridge Roundabout, can’t wait for that!

I wonder if they’ll start out part time or be relegated to that status later. Bets are on.

ROBERT WEBB

Park North

Swindon

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Saying anything to win

ARRON Banks, the money behind Leave EU, said when on a visit to the US (as reported in an article by Bloomberg on May 10) “If it were up to me, I’d privatise the NHS.”

Banks is not alone on this issue in the Leave camp. Daniel Hannan is a prominent Vote Leave voice and he has referred to the NHS as a “60-year-old mistake”. Hannan, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and Douglas Carswell (the latter now UKIP’s only MP) all co-authored a book that advocated privatization of the NHS yet Vote Leave are campaigning on a “Save Our NHS” slogan.

With those leading the drive to leave the EU wanting to see our NHS sold off, it makes you wonder if they truly want to save an organisation they plan to dismantle or if they are just willing to say whatever it takes to win the referendum.

Considering they feel the NHS is “no longer relevant in the 21st century” perhaps they are backing Brexit instead due to the fact that leaving the EU will lead to the kind of economic hit that makes deregulation and privatisation of the NHS seem like an economic necessity.

ALEX HEGENBARTH

Head of Britain Stronger In Europe, Swindon

Lynmouth Road

Swindon

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Read beyond headlines

BILL Williams gives the game away on how his views are formed when he writes he lets the Daily Mail headlines do the talking for him. I beg every one both favouring in or out to read more than the headlines, papers are notorious in having headlines that are not supported by the story beneath them. Only the other day the Sun was censured by the independent press standards organisation (IPSO) and made to print a retraction for the headline that the Queen favoured Brexit which wasn’t supported by the story beneath.

He later states that the EU or European Disunion as he calls it (why does he persist with this silly joke) has plans to impose upon us, held in abeyance until after the referendum. He gives no example or source for this ridiculous claim. So I looked it up. I did find two plans – one to do away with roaming charges on mobile phones and one to tighten up on the disparity of car prices across the EU. At present British car buyers pay £2,000 more than the EU average for new cars.

As I have said many times before, don’t believe me or Bill, Des Morgan, Steve Halden, the Better In correspondent Alix Hegenbarth, or any one else. Look it up!

STEVE THOMPSON

Norman Road

Swindon

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Bright future beckons

ALONG with the polling card came a leaflet from the “Britain Stronger in Europe” group listing all which they see as reasons to vote “remain” at the referendum. They tell us to keep it until June 23. I would suggest we keep it longer, much longer, and in a year re-read it. Cross off those promises and pledges which have been broken.

Of the 11 claims on the leaflet, not one is true or will be found possible to keep should we remain in the EU.

Ask yourself just one question about it. If all that they claim is true then why would David Cameron have spent months over the winter trying to reform Europe? It was a task in which he failed to obtain a single, meaningful, change.

Even the “in-siders” agree that the EU needs reform and “reduced red tape” to be successful but none of this is possible from within; we have tried for over 40 years to get those changes our country needs and obtained not one.

If there was a word of fact in that leaflet why would we need any changes to the way the EU works?

It was blown out of the water by a damning new leak from Whitehall over the weekend which shows that being unable to make our own trade deals (Treaty of Rome makes it impossible) is costing this country £2.5 billion per year in lost trade with South America alone; how much is the EU ban on us doing our own trade costing us worldwide? And that is just one example.

Outside, freed from the petty restrictions and squabbles which are so damaging to the UK, we could, and would, be surging ahead to wealth, prosperity and a bright future.

Inside we remain merely a star on someone else’s flag, a puppet of Brussels and heading for dismal future.

The choice is yours on June 23.

GREG HEATHCLIFFE

Okus Road

Swindon

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Unlock the shackles

WHAT an interesting game Barrie Hudson has come up in deciding which way to vote in next months Referendum.

Surely it cannot be that difficult to deduce the difference between being 100% in charge of our country as opposed to letting the little Hitlers in Brussells run our lives !

It is as simple as that.

We were conned on two occasions that we were voting to join a purely European trading market when in fact joining a political union.

So Barrie forget all this rubbish that trade is still the only thing on the menu, which is all that the two comedians Dave and George are talking about.

Let’s therefore get our politics back from the EU and our trade will not suffer one iota. There is a huge market out there for the taking.

It’s what we have always been good at, which is a damn sight better than the rest of the EU put together.

Those that are trying to tell us different are the individuals whose personal wealth is in danger.

Simply vote out to unlock the political shackles which bind us to a Soviet style bureaucracy we find ourselves in.

IAN HUNT

Hill View Road

Swindon

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Confront dementia

ALZHEIMER’S Society staff, supporters, volunteers and people affected by dementia came together to mark Dementia Awareness Week at more than 600 events around the country, including more than 60 in the south west.

We asked people to confront the condition head on and I was touched by the notes people wrote, including this one: ‘Dear Dementia, I would rather not have had you, but I’m learning to live with you, with a lot of help from my friends at Alzheimer’s Society and my wife. It’s not the end of the world!”

It is important that we continue talking about and confronting dementia so that we build on the awareness raised this week.

Alzheimer’s Society is here for anyone affected by the condition and there are lots of ways we can help you.

Call our National Dementia Helpline on 0300 222 1122 or visit alzheimers.org.uk/DAW

ANGIE NEWING

Operations Director for the South

Alzheimer’s Society