In denial over Ebola emergency

I AM getting very concerned about the Ebola outbreak. I think that all developed country governments are still in denial.

If it spreads to any large city, it will not be possible to eradicate it because of the long incubation time, allowing it to be passed on un-noticed.

The cause of the present outbreak is that the aid to suppress it in the West African counties has not been supplied in time (that is the key failing to date, a lack of speed), and it has moved from outlying villages to large conurbations.

Indeed I think it may have passed the point where any amount of foreign aid will arrest it. As a result, “isolation ward” tactics just have to be brought into play: I think uncontrolled air travel from the affected counties just has to be stopped – catching people at point of entry is a joke.

Isolating the affected countries would redefine the problem and allow the rest of the world to concentrate aid on the affected countries. This would surely be a lot more successful than watching it start up all over the world.

Also, I have not heard a squeak from the big pharmaceutical companies, who must have numbers of failed antiviral medicines that they could blow the dust off in this emergency.

In my estimation, Ebola is heading up to be a tragedy for the whole human race. It has to be regarded as such. To watch it spread to other counties as a result of air travel would be a tragedy that history would judge harshly.

Growth not austerity

From: Allan Davies, Heathfield Court, Grimsby.

JOHN Cole (The Yorkshire Post, October 3 and 7) has made a couple of very good contributions to the debate on the defcit, in particular, emphasising the beginnings of recovery in 2009-10. A comparison of the paths followed in the UK and USA from 2008 onwards is instructive. Both economies followed similar growth paths for the first two years as both pursued stimulatory policies. The USA continued with these policies, and the American economy continued to grow.

Mr Osborne shifted to austerity policies in 2010 and we had two to three years of stagnation.

All of this was entirely predictable for there is a mass of historical evidence that such policies have always produced these results.

I quote Keynes: “Take care of employment, and the budget will take care of itself.” It is far better and easier to reduce the debt with a growing economy than by reducing government spending. It is also a more socially just way of doing so.

From: Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

MAYBE I am an insignificant Tory voter, have been for 50-plus years, now an old geezer, once described as a war baby, born circa 1940, when possibly every family had someone connected with the Armed Forces when they were great, with a proud navy, army and air force.

Today, we still have a Conservative government which I believe could be as great as the Churchilian one, except for one problem.... David Cameron.

Apart from decimating our armed forces, he cannot connect with the people of Great Britain as it is today. The ordinary folk believe he can never relieve himself of his “posh” background, no matter how hard he tries.

It is in his blood, like so many of his friends, who just do not understand the working classes. My late Scots father and mother still voted Conservative, because they believed Winston Churchill saved Britain. However, I do not believe David Cameron can save Great Britain.

From: Jack Kinsman, Stainton Drive, Grimsby.

THE Government says it is taking “measures” to stop the return of IS terrorists returning to the UK. What “measures”?

If the Government can allow these people into our country and give them our money, housing, health care, and 
dole money while they are trained by fanatic preachers (who we cannot get rid of), 
just how are they going to stop them from re-entering this country?

Carry on cruising

From: Hilary Andrews, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

I JUST met Alistair Darling on the Queen Mary 2 crossing the Atlantic from October 8-16. How can he take time out during a Parliamentary term when I can’t take my grandchildren out of school for an educational trip in their term times?

Not cricket any more

From: Neil S Roy, Hull.

AT about 6am the other morning I made a comment “it is just not cricket” to my grandson who is 17 years old and he asked me what I meant.

An hour later after explaining to him about the phrase meaning that you kept things fairly 
correct in the game, the back pages of all the papers – and the Kevin Pietersen revelations – just showed how far the game had descended into a farce.

I used to watch every Test Match and others on the TV 
but since Rupert Murdoch 
got his hands on it and 
changed the system I have not watched a match or been to a match since.