YP Letters: Time for David Cameron to mind his PMQs

IN his Saturday columns, Tom Richmond invariably makes reference to David Cameron’s conduct at Prime Minister’s Questions and that it “should not be like this”.

Since Jeremy Corbyn became Leader of the Opposition, he has attempted to soften the tone of PMQs and make it less confrontational but without a great deal of success.

Yet, when David Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party, he is on record as stating that he would end the ‘yah-boo’ politics of PMQs on the basis that the British electorate were sick and tired of cheap political point scoring across the floor of the House of Commons.

This turns out to have been yet another of Cameron’s false promises.

Yet, if he changed his stance, he would have the support of Jeremy Corbyn, I feel sure.

From: John Appleyard, Firthcliffe Parade, Liversedge.

JEREMY Corbyn did not 
mock David Cameron’s 
mother at Prime Minister’s Questions, as suggested by 
Kate Proctor (The Yorkshire Post, February 25).

Unlike Mr Cameron, Mr Corbyn is against such personalisation of politics.

It was Labour MP Angela Eagle who said Mr Cameron’s mother was opposing cuts in Oxfordshire where she lives.

The Prime Minister’s nasty response to Mr Corbyn was scripted and exposed his snooty background and what most people think; namely that he is a toff. David Cameron’s antics every Wednesday are so pathetic that he demeans the office of Prime Minister.

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.

HATS off to Gordon Lawrence for his summary of the increasing duplicity of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ (The Yorkshire Post, February 24). He mentions Sir Bernard Ingham’s wise advice to avoid becoming ‘professional whingers’.

Could I point out that the wisdom of this professional Yorkshireman emerges from the smug security of Surrey?

From: D Webb, Rothwell.

PRODUCT recall – The George Osborne Northern Powerhouse. Major fault: not supplied with on switch. Now superseded by The Northern Powerless.

NHS ‘political football’

From: Dr Hilary Andrews, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

DESPITE being a retired doctor myself, I find myself agreeing with Jeremy Hunt and The Yorkshire Post that the young doctors are now playing political football with our 
NHS.

Working Saturdays is not an unreasonable thing. How many other jobs require their staff to work on this day?

Most of them will have families too. They say they will leave the NHS and go to Australia. I’m afraid not.

If, and this would not be a certainty, the Australian Medical Association accepted their applications, they would need to do Australian exams and then find themselves spending at least three years in an under-resourced outback area working longer hours than they do here before they could move to a place of their choice.

It is time for them to accept the Health Minister’s generous offer and get on with the work they say they love – looking after patients.

Staying safe is in the bag

From: Molly Preston, Austwick, near Settle.

ONCE again an account of a holiday robbery, via David Sampson’s letter to The Yorkshire Post, although there was a happy outcome after the initial drama.

Handbags are an open invitation to robbery. Much safer to keep your documents etc in a bag around your waist or in a wrist purse.

Better be safe than sorry.

Listen to the moderates

From: John Hall, Pennithorne Avenue, Baildon.

COULD I recommend that readers use the internet 
to look up Breaking the 
Silence to hear accounts from 
non-extremist Israelis 
about their times in National Service and the abuses of 
human rights they took part 
in or witnessed?

We in the “free” world 
should support the aims 
of decent, moderate Israelis 
and Jews from around the 
world in their efforts to 
bring justice to 
Palestine.

Lidl tackles litter menace

From: Ruth Harris, Highmoor Crescent, Leeds.

The LIDL supermarket chain 
is to start an anti litter 
campaign in the UK.

Do you see lots of litter? I see it all over the city. I am sure it is a countrywide problem. I, a householder, clean up in Moortown.

What a never ending job 
it is.

Lessons on EU from the 1970s

From: Mrs V Lloyd, Kirkhamgate, Wakefield.

IN reply to the letter from Hugh Rogers (The Yorkshire Post, February 22), I couldn’t agree more with his description of the NHS.

During the 1970s, the whole country was in shackles from the unions, with a strong lobby determined to stop us joining the European Union.

I also didn’t want to join but changed my vote and have regretted it ever since, like a lot more of my generation have done.

Let’s hope we succeed this time.