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Taken for fools

Could it be the aspirations of the Swindon Labour Group, outlined in their manifesto for the town, seem more plausible when under the influence of alcohol, “Labour sets out its stall for elections” (SA March 28 2018)?

This “bold” and “much-needed” manifesto was launched in a public house. It seems to me they missed an opportunity. If they had waited a few days they could have launched it on April 1st and attempted to fool us into believing they are capable and should be given a chance to run the council.

There will be many residents who can still remember the absolute disaster inflicted on the town when the Labour Group last controlled the council. These were the days when Labour attempted to fulfil their ludicrous fantasy of gaining city status for Swindon.

In just five years from 1998 to 2003 the Labour-run council increased council tax by almost 60 per cent. Despite extracting all this additional income from the ever suffering tax payers they managed to run council services into the ground.

A key point of their manifesto is “targeting public sector spending in the local economy”. I suggest interpretation of this should be: We will employ excessive numbers of overpaid and underworked bureaucratic wasters better known as managers and administrators; we will ensure hard working members of the public have their taxes increased so we can squander the proceeds on useless schemes and projects; and we promise to run up as much debt as possible.

Whether its on a national level or a local level Labour always have the same policies which lead inevitably to over spending, greater levels of public debt and greater levels of taxation for anyone who works for a living. 

K Kane, Wharf Road, Wroughton

No deterrents

Most days, when I read the SA there appears to be an accident reported. It seems that the number of them are increasing on a regular basis across all parts of the town. In my opinion, the habits of a lot of car drivers gives little or no consideration to the highway code anymore and it’s getting worse by the day.

On a regular basis, speed limits are not adhered to, drivers blatantly go through red lights at roundabouts and junctions, park on double yellow lines, street corners, by pelican crossings, in fact, anywhere. It never used to be this way but it is now. They do it because there is no deterrent.

Similarly, the same can be said about cyclists who ride on the pavement. It’s against the law and dangerous. Pavements are for pedestrians.

You don’t see police in numbers either on foot or patrol cars anymore, nor do you see traffic wardens. So car drivers and cyclists do what they want knowing full well they can get away with it.

This is the reason why accidents are increasing and unless people take responsibility to adhere to the highway code it will not change. I’m sick to death of witnessing such poor habits by car owners and cyclists. 

Alan Wilson, Shapwick Close, Nythe