How John F Kennedy’s ‘ask not’ inaugural address should inspire our Covid response – Yorkshire Post Letters

I SOMETIMES feel ashamed to be English in this time of a ‘we want’ and ‘I need’ society. This country has just been through a very difficult time and yet what do we get?

People trying to bring down the Government at every turn when they are trying to give what you want at the same time keeping us safe. Shouldn’t we all be helping and constructive instead of destructive?

What is wrong with everyone? Do they all think that there is a bottomless pit of money that can be brought up in a bucket every time someone thinks they should get more? Even in the summer season, believe it or not, money does not grow on trees.

What happened to resourcefulness and imagination to take us forward and to stop us from going down the slippery pole towards a third class economy or don’t you care about the majority while in your own little bubble?

We are the second generation to be lucky enough to have much easier lives with enough money to eat out, buy takeaways, have foreign holidays and these things have not appeared out of nowhere.

They have evolved because of sacrifices made in the past, and yet here we are moaning and groaning about a little hardship because we cannot access all the luxuries we have become accustomed to. Wake up and grow up those of you who are acting like spoiled children and face reality.

Remember your health is much more important than anything else in your life and remember the selflessness of the people in the country who have worked tirelessly to keep you safe overcome this virus.

Never forget what President John F Kennedy said at his inaugural address: “Think not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”

From: Brian Darvell, Molescroft, Beverley.

YET another Government U-turn on the cards when something that was blindingly obvious to most of us is happening under their collective noses (The Yorkshire Post, June 4).

I refer to the chronic staff shortages now being experienced by the hospitality industry due in part to the heinous ‘zero hours’ contracts and the reluctance of a lot of people to return to these poorly paid jobs.

Scarborough MP Robert Goodwill MP supports limited visas for low skilled and paid workers from abroad, well he would, wouldn’t he?

Robert, you can’t have your cake and eat it (mainly because there will be no one to serve it). You either want labour from abroad or don’t.

You and your colleagues need to decide what you want and stop dithering or you could just speak up in Parliament for better wages and conditions, but you wouldn’t want to embarrass your friends in the industry, would you?

From: Graham Kyte, Boswell Close, Royston, Barnsley.

I WISH Bernard Ingham well in his future years, whether care in an old folks’ home comes about or not (The Yorkshire Post, June 2).

His current views, however, contrast sharply with much of the diatribe he has directed at various socialist politicians over the years regarding the responsibilities of the state in providing essential services which people need.

He is right in saying that care for the elderly, and many other services, have been largely privatised – and it was his heroine Margaret Thatcher with her “roll back the state” views which started this off. Sadly the current Government contains any number of Mrs Thatcher devotees and, until there is a change, the trend is likely to continue.

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

THE Government can find money for all sorts of schemes like HS2, but cannot give a decent pay rise to NHS staff who put their lives on the line on a daily basis, both mentally and physically, and are often abused by the people they are trying to help.

It is high time that there was an overhaul and money spent on essentials instead of the various follies that MPs come up with.

From: Henry Cobden, Ilkley.

THANK you Tom Richmond (The Yorkshire Post, June 5) for pointing out that North Yorkshire’s Mike Padgham, and not Dominic Cummings, deserves the credit for alerting the hopeless Matt Hancock to the Covid crisis in care homes – and lack of reforms. Well said.

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