Blunkett could have acted on court fiascos

From: John Wilson, Wilsons Solicitors, New Road Side, Horsforth, Leeds.

THE former Home Secretary, David Blunkett, is absolutely right when he criticises the legal profession for all the shenanigans they get up to to create waste and inefficiency in the legal system (Yorkshire Post, May 21). It’s been going on forever, and it really is a blot on my profession.

Having said that however, Mr Blunkett is a former Home Secretary who had the power to do things about it when he was in office so he’s hardly in a position to throw stones in his glass house.

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In fact, I fear he shows his biases when he describes prisoners being delivered late to court or police or CPS mess ups as “unpredictable factors”. Well actually no Mr Former Home Secretary, they are not unpredictable. They are matters that are under the purview of the Home Secretary, Mr Former Home Secretary. So while you are moaning about others you might as well be clearing out your own stable.

Of course we don’t expect politicians to do very much about the legal profession because most of them are in the legal profession. Nor do we expect politicians to do very much about the things that they are responsible for, because after all somebody might hold them to account.

Helping hand for pensioners

From: Tim Mickleburgh, Boulevard Avenue, Grimsby.

I DON’T agree with J Dowle (Yorkshire Post, May 26) that Inheritance Tax(IHT) thresholds should be raised as a means of helping the elderly.

For the chief beneficiaries of such a move would be the offspring of wealthy individuals, already able to receive £325,000 free of taxation without having done anything to earn it.

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Rather I feel the Government should endeavour to concentrate help on those for whom IHT will never been an issue, bearing in mind that like other groups in society, some pensioners are well off, and some are certainly not.

I personally find it odd that individuals 75 and over can get the gimmick of a free TV licence, while having to pay for essential care at home. I believe that the Government should liaise with pensioners and bodies representing them (eg Age UK) to find out what are the true priortities of those in this age group.

In the meantime, money could be redirected from the perks intended for pensioners, but enjoyed by those still in full time employment. That’d be a step forward in these austerity times.

Shame of cuts in social care

From: Mike Padgham, Chair, Independent Care Group (York and North Yorkshire), Eastfield House, Eastway, Scarborough.

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AGE UK’s report has finally provided the damning evidence needed to force the Government to act on social care spending.

The Independent Care Group (York and North Yorkshire) has argued for years that social care has never been properly funded, even in more prosperous times. Now that spending is being slashed the situation has, as Age UK concludes, reached breaking point.

It is shameful that by 2014 we will be spending, in real terms, £250m less on older people’s care than we did 10 years ago. If things go on as at present, within four years a million people who need care may well be getting no funding support.

We must seize the opportunity to halt this decline and commit to spending an extra £2bn to £3bn on social care.

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Otherwise we will be judged as the generation that turned its back on its older people.

Damage left by Thatcher

From: Tom Howley, Wetherby.

MARGARET Thatcher told her wide-eyed admirer Bernard Ingham that of all the ‘isms’ in the world, none have been tested more to destruction than socialism (Yorkshire Posr, May 26).

Sir Bernard, I know of a ‘ism’ that is still being tested to destruction - Thatcherism.

During her reign of terror, Mrs Thatcher callously ditched the country’s industries and replaced them with the financial spivs of the City of London. She smiled benignly as arrogant young men bought luxury cars and million-pound apartments, drinking champagne whilst lighting Cuban cigars with £5 notes.

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She grinned while selling essential utilities at give-away prices to foreign investors and purred as the likes of Fred Goodwin encouraged fellow-bankers to loan money without regard to repayment. Anything was permissible as long as Fred and his mates received their obscene bonuses, and when the crash came this motley crew were well protected with over-generous pensions and massive pay-offs.

A small group of already wealthy men did more damage to the economy of the country in 30 years than Jack Jones, Hughie Scanlon, ‘Red Robbo’ and Arthur Scargill could have done in several lifetimes.

Now, of course, Sir Bernard and his right-wing friends in the Tory Party can throw all of the blame on Gordon Brown. I accept that Brown made serious mistakes, but will Messrs. Cameron and Osborne - and Sir Bernard Ingham - agree with US President Obama when he told them last week that the Western world, led by Prime Minister Brown of the UK Government, had saved the world from complete meltdown?

Concern over Obama view

From: Simon Mountford, Alexandra Road, Harrogate.

I AM concerned that David Cameron seems to have endorsed President Obama’s misguided call for the boundaries of a new Palestinian state to be based on the pre-1967 ceasefire line with Israel.

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This shows an alarming ignorance of the history of the region and, unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has rejected his call as impractical.

However, difficult as the issue of fair and secure borders undoubtedly is, the real obstacles to peace are going to be Fatah’s refusal to accept the existence of Israel as a Jewish state and Hamas’s refusal to accept the right of Israel to exist at all.

It would be a grave mistake if Britain were to be committed to a policy which has no chance of success and, if it were to be imposed, would inevitably lead to further war.

I therefore hope that Mr Cameron will now take time to study the realities of the Middle East and not just follow the Foreign Office’s customary pro-Arab brief.