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Sad to say I won’t vote

NAME-CALLING, back-stabbing, scaremongering, lies, accusations amongst other things, kids at playtime? No, the remain and Brexit camps who want the public on their side in the run up to the EU referendum day.

Put that along with the absurd claim by Cameron who said that coming out of the EU could start a war with Europe. Mr Cameron there is more chance of war breaking out in Europe over the Eurovision song contest than there is if the UK pull out.

On the Brexit side we’ve got Tory MPs standing with Farage on a number of immigrants that may/may not come to the EU from Turkey should they get EU status, yes, the same MPs who in the past accused Farage of scaremongering. I shall be 54 the week of the referendum and have voted in every election that has taken place since I was 18, sad to say I won’t be voting in the referendum, in or out. Why?

Simply, because I don’t want either side to benefit from my vote such is the disdain I hold both sides in. One question, how can this government continue to govern the country after June 23? I’ve seen more splits in this government over the past few months than I’m likely to see in the gymnastics events at the Rio Olympics this summer.

MARK WEBB

Old Town

Swindon

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We’ve never recovered

HA-JOON Chang, an economist at Cambridge University and occasionally writes a column in the Guardian newspaper was at his brilliant best on Thursday (19/05/16).

He said Britain has never properly recovered from the 2008 financial crisis. At the end of 2015, inflation adjusted income per capita in the UK was only 0.2 percent higher than in the 2007 peak, this translated into an annual growth rate of 0.0025 per cent a year. Remarkable given that sterling has fallen 30 per cent since the crisis, a devaluation of this magnitude should have regenerated an export boom in manufactured goods.

In the first two quarters of 2010 the Labour government had an annualised growth of 3.1 per cent and after three quarters, four per cent, the coalition had taken over by then and George Osbourne cancelled all work that Labour had going for it.

The electrification of the railway from Paddington to Cardiff signed up in 2009 with Agility Trains, a consortium led by Hitache to build 596 train carriages in a new factory at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, cost £4.5 billion. A school building and repair programme and a house building programme and in 2009 the Engineering Employers Federation were reporting most companies with full order books, thanks to Osbourne and the coalition, dogma and austerity won the day and we are now bankrupt! Electrification of the railway? That’s put back to the next decade.

And now the referendum, it is inconsistent with the principle of parliamentary sovereignty which it seems to undermine by suggesting a source of authority equal or superior to the process of political mandate, general election and government formation. A referendum is frozen in time when policy needs might change.

MJ WARNER

Groundwell Road

Swindon

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Talking about dementia

ALZHEIMER’S Society staff, supporters, volunteers and people affected by dementia came together to mark Dementia Awareness Week at over 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 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 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

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Learning from court

FURTHER to the father winning his “term-time holiday” battle in the courts.

I had a spell visiting magistrates courts to learn about the system. Occasionally a truanting case would come before the courts. It was usually a hard-pressed mother in the dock. Looking as though she had been doing her best to get her child in school. (Dad seldom seemed to be offering moral support). It seemed very unfair. The mothers clearly needed help, not punishment. More people should visit courts. It is a good way to learn about our legal system.

MAX NOTTINGHAM

Lincoln

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Return UK sovereignty

TO ME the most important issue in the upcoming referendum is the return of UK national sovereignty.

It has taken 1,000 years to develop our transparent democracy but now we are locked into the EU which is unaccountable to its population. My claim is that the EU governance is not built on democracy but is an authoritarian cabal of unelected elite.

Let me explain how the EU governance functions. First of all we have the top echelon, European Commission (EC); this consists of 28 unelected commissioners appointed by each member country (for “country” the EU regularly uses the word “state”). Once appointed they are free from any control by elected politicians for the term of their contract.

In fact they elect a President of Europe, (where is the democracy there?) their job is to propose and draft all EU laws, no other persons or organisation is allowed even to propose legislation.

The next level is the Council of Ministers (CM), made up of elected ministers from each country. These meet occasionally to vote and sign laws drafted by the EC. These laws (in the form of regulations and directives) are passed by a majority vote. Note: regulations are mandatory on all EU member countries without amendment, Directives require that something has to be done but details can be left to national governments.

The third level of governance is European Parliament (EP). These are elected representatives from each EU member country in proportion to their population. This parliament bears no democratic features comparable to the UK.

MEPs sit in political groups to promote their mutual interests and not necessarily the interests of their home country. Draft directives from the EC are sent to specialist committees in the EP for consultation, discussion and comment of the draft is strictly limited. When the proposed law is placed before the EP it is usually passed by a token show of hands, in other words the EP is little more than a rubber stamp for EU laws. Where is the democracy, accountability and transparency in this form of governance?

The EU governance is authoritarian and does not come close to being democratic as the UK is accustomed to. While there are many criteria to define a democratic government, the most import test is whether an enfranchised voter can stand for a political position of power? In the EU this is blatantly not possible. Let’s hope the referendum will give the result that returns sovereignty back to the British.

ED GERRARD

Haydon Wick

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Abuse of royal status

LEAKED emails have revealed that Prince Andrew used his royal status to broker a deal for a foreign business consortium in Kazakhstan for which he was set to receive £4 million.

As trade ambassador, his role was to promote British business across the world – instead he is alleged to have foreign corporations win deals to line his own pockets at public expense.

Politicians would be suspended or sacked pending investigation if they did the same.

It’s in the public interest to know exactly what Andrew’s role entailed and to get full disclosure about any deals he made privately while representing Britain.

Most concerning are the palace’s efforts to cover-up this story. What other business deals have the palace swept under the carpet? This constant dissembling not only exposes the prince to accusations of dishonesty, it undermines the integrity of the royal household.

This waster should lose his royal status.

JEFF ADAMS

Bloomsbury

Swindon