Blair should stop drawing public pension

From: Dr David Hill, chief executive, World Innovation Foundation, Huddersfield.

I WAS amazed to read that our former Prime Minister Tony Blair has amassed an estimated fortune of more than £30m in a mere five years since leaving office and where it was recently reported that he earned a total of £20m last year alone from government advisory work, speeches and consultancy.

But after reading this I was infuriated, doubly surprised and dismayed that after receiving all this vast wealth that he is still drawing the maximum Prime Ministerial inflation-proof pension of £70,000 per annum together with £115,000 a year for allowances to support his public duties, all coming out of the taxpayer.

What duties I would ask for a start? Why is he doing this?

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But what incensed me the most was his arrogance when he was confronted in an interview last year and stated: “If what I was interested in doing was making money I could make a lot more.”

Apparently therefore he still cannot see right from wrong, even out of office? It is about time therefore that Mr Blair lived in the real world of making ends meet, stopped drawing this unnecessary taxpayer’s handout and paid for his own security with £30m plus in the bank which alone makes an estimated £200,000-plus in interest alone a year. In this respect sheer greed at the taxpayer’s expense has no boundaries it appears for some people, even though they may be imprudently entitled to it.

From: Paul Emsley, Newton Way, Hellifield, Nr Settle, North Yorkshire.

SO does the extradition of Abu Hamza and his colleagues to face their alleged charges in the United States mean that the due course of justice has finally taken place (at the cost of millions to the UK taxpayer); or, have the judiciary and the lawyers 
finally milked this case for all 
it is worth and they are now 
going to move onto phone-tapping and Jack Straw’s extraordinary rendition?

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We should never forget who signed the United Kingdom up 
to the Human Rights Act in the first place and what their academic qualification is (Mr A C L Blair QC).

Need for EU referendum

From: Coun Steve Radford, President of The Liberal Party, Sutton Street, Tuebrook, Liverpool.

IN his Andrew Marr interview, the Prime Minister stressed how “radical” his Government was but failed to show how this was being extended to the vital question of Britain’s future EU relationship.

Opining that he did not want to leave the European Union nor accept the status quo, Mr Cameron chose not to clarify what his party or the coalition would do going forward to address the fundamental need to change the nature of the EU.

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How can change be achieved unless we have the option to leave the EU? Instead, he suggested that “seeking fresh consent” from the public on a new EU deal for Britain might instead take the form of a vote for the Tories at the next General Election.

Of course such a fundamental issue of reversing the surrender of sovereign powers from the UK to the EU crosses all party voting lines and can only be resolved by the referendum we were all promised by all the major parties at the last General Election.

We in the Liberal Party support the People’s Pledge campaign for a referendum on the EU.

From: Peter Hyde, Kendale View, Driffield.

HAVING watched the three party leaders performing at their party conferences, I have to say I am not too impressed. Not one has a real workable plan for the future of our country.

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Not one will give us a referendum on Europe. Not one will stop giving money away that we need ourselves and none of them will stand up to Europe and the crazy Human Rights Act as well as its demands for our money.

Why is this not surprising? Simple really, none of them have life experience outside politics and in fact none have any real experience in politics either.Give us Boris Johnston as Prime Minister and let him employ Sir Richard Branson to handle the money.

Concern over charity shops

From: Robert Carlton, Athol Crescent, Ovenden, Halifax.

I WOULD like to complain about something I feel strongly about, but would point out that it is not something I do regularly and when I do, it is not without a good reason.

I support charity shops at every opportunity as I believe they provide so much support to so many people.

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I think I am right in saying that charity shops are not allowed to sell new goods, yet why is this happening on a scale that I can only describe as unreasonable and unfair to other traders in towns and cities?

I want to go into a charity 
shop, buy something and 
come out with a good feeling, 
safe in the knowledge I have been of some support to someone but at the moment I am unable to do this.