Friday's Letters: Let's inject some fairness into public service pay levels

The politicians and the public sector hierarchy appear to have been left on their more than profitable gravy train, with the prospect of cuts at the bottom of the payroll, as some are more equal than others when you are in charge.

The reason for the deficit, due to overspending, was the continual overpaying of the upper echelons of the public sector when pay increases were negotiated over the past half-century. This brought about the continual widening of the pay gap, together with increases in the minimum wage which made for uncompetitive costs in the private sector and the inevitable closures. Some of the resultant job losses were absorbed in the already top-heavy public sector to keep the unemployment figures lower than they would otherwise

have been, but with the additional costs making the black hole bigger.

We can but hope that the proposed review of pay, pensions and tax will correct all, or most of these anomalies and inject some of the much acclaimed fairness.

The other main change needed is the paying of MPs and councillors. These are posts that should be looked on as an honour to represent their constituents, by people who can afford to do so, having been successful in the past. They should not be considered as nine to five make work jobs, but making decisions after the donkey work has been done by others. I am sure there would be more than enough applicants.

From: Luke J Charters-Reid, Flaxton, York.

I REMEMBER, in the election campaign, the Liberal Democrats fought against the "Tory VAT bombshell" that we will see on January 4 (Yorkshire Post, June 23).

Many people will also remember that the Liberal Democrats promised the abolition of tuition fees. Tuition fees are expected to rise to 7,000 a year. The Liberal Democrats also "lost" their policies on Trident and the EU in the coalition. The question remains, will Liberal Democrat MPs vote against the Budget or will they abstain? How can the Liberal Democrats call themselves centre-left?

I would like to know how the chancellor feels at his cuts to tax credits, and cutting free school meals and cuts to the disability living allowance (DLA).

How does this benefit ordinary families? One thing is for sure, it was a fair budget; the poor will become equally poorer under this VAT bombshell. I wish the Chancellor could see that the private sector won't magically fix itself, and realise that the public sector and private sector are as one: not separate economies in the eyes of the laissez faire administration.

At least the party with the most seats can say they know where they stand.

From: Terry Marston, Lincoln.

WHY is it that each new Tory Government attempts to advance its policies by striking divisions in the populace?

Thatcher's notorious "enemy within" hit at the labouring classes that had seen our economy through an earth shattering world war. Churchill didn't do it on his own.

Now, by tacitly ignoring the attacks on our ageing population, which is being blamed for the nation's structural deficit, Cameron's coalition of temporary government "unity" is giving credence to the "baby boomer myth": that the oldies have had the best of times at the expense of their grandchildren.

Let's remind ourselves of a number (only a few) of the economic facts of life: these "baby-boomers" and their surviving precedents (me included) have been tax-payers all our lives (don't forget VAT) and will continue to be so until our deaths, while our younger citizens in receipt of child and family benefits are still net-recipients and many, as yet, are non-taxpayers (VAT apart).

Our taxes have paid and will pay for their family allowances, NHS and

welfare benefits etc (far more bunce than our parents received for our well-being in the 1940s and '50s) while we now exist on taxable retirement benefit,

Some "baby-boomers" may have run up elements of our public debt – but like soft 'a'pences – they spent a lot of it on their children and grandchildren who are now complaining that they will suffer cuts in the standards that their parents/grandparents funded and made affordable for them.

Lots of parents, single and partnered, owe their family income to unpaid assistance from baby boomers who still continue to "mother" their so-called independent children.

This whole argument is beginning to hark back to Thatcher's "we are not a society". How they love to divide while claiming "we are in this together".

I don't feel any sense of resentment that I am paying for the next generation's profligacy. But I do resent that I am held responsible for it. But blame has always been the name of the Tory game.

Forgemasters decision is blow to Britain

From: John Senior, Birchfield Grove, Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

FOR the past month, I have had 10 photo-voltaic solar panels on my roof, unable to deliver any electrical energy. The reason for this is the lack of an inverter.

These inverters, I am told, are made in Germany, and because of the demand for them in their home market, it is very difficult to obtain them in Britain. My contractor is unable to give me a date as to when I can expect to have one fitted.

This is of no great consequence, as the maximum power output is only 1.75kw. However, it is far more serious when we consider the refusal of the Government to help Sheffield Forgemasters with a loan. The small (in comparison to the total population) anti-nuclear lobby managed to frighten the last administration into delaying a decision concerning the replacement of our ageing power stations with some new nuclear ones.

We are now in the position of probably having to build nuclear power stations at a time when the rest of the world is also doing so.

If Forgemasters cannot supply us with the huge forgings needed in these plants, then our nuclear power programme might just find itself in the position I am in with the lack of an inverter. Good one Cameron and Clegg!

From: Adrian Bull, Westinghouse UK, Ashton, Preston, Lancashire.

ON behalf of Westinghouse, I share the frustration and disappointment of your correspondents at the cancellation of the Government loan to Sheffield Forgemasters. However, I must correct Shaun Gray (Yorkshire Post, June 21) when he writes that Westinghouse were reliant on Forgemasters being able to supply the heavy forgings so that we could meet delivery dates to build our AP1000 reactor in the UK.

We already have a supplier for these components in the Far East and we have the option to use the same supplier – or others – for components for reactors we hope to build here in the UK. So our business prospects here remain very much alive.

That is good news for Sheffield, as Forgemasters are currently supplying smaller components to our AP1000 programme in China and there is every prospect that those parts could come from Sheffield for UK reactors too.

Sadly though – it looks as though the really big forgings which the proposed press would have made will now have to come from abroad. But our offer to work with Sheffield on that press, which remains on the table if the 80m can be found elsewhere, is a clear sign of the faith we have in the company's ability to deliver to time, cost and quality.

Radio interference means old sets will be scrapped

From: Karl Sheridan, Selby Road, Holme on Spalding Moor.

THE last Government's car scrappage scheme resulted in many thousands of usable and sound classic cars being crushed for no other reason than satisfying the naive "green" element in our society who would prefer us to buy brand new cars. The fact that buying a new car carries a far greater "carbon footprint" than running an older car seems not to matter one bit.

However, we have yet another scrappage initiative, this time initiated by the BBC: that being a scheme to trade in old FM radios.

Once again, we will see quite usable and beautiful period pieces of our heritage being traded in for modern energy consuming sets able to receive DAB broadcasts.

Again, the "green" gains are questionable, as indeed is the quality and coverage of digital broadcasting that we are being forced to accept.

The "tranny" has been with us since the early 1960s and many surviving sets are icons of design and innovation. I personally own several 1970s and '80s sets all in fine working order, all of them being user friendly and green.

Some of my later 1980s Roberts sets are mechanical pre-select ones, which means they do not drain batteries or loose their stations when switched off – unlike today's sets that consume batteries like no tomorrow, or have be left on standby to retain their memory – yet millions of these excellent sets will be destroyed pointlessly.

Arguably, the reason behind the original car scrappage scheme was not for our benefit or to help the planet, but to keep the undersubscribed and ailing motor industry going, whereas the latter initiative is merely to force us into buying into BBC's digital service – the manufacturers of audio equipment and the

superstores rubbing their

hands in glee at the prospects of boosting their sales.

Since the new coalition Government is preaching doom and gloom, and severe austerity measures, I feel we are all being coerced into spending money that most of us can ill afford, and at the same time loosing our heritage and identity.

Home affront to my village

From: John Findlay, Micklethwaite, Bingley.

I LIVE in Micklethwaite, near Bingley, where there are two applications due for imminent consideration.

Both involve building in and over conservation areas. The one with 450 houses, the Greenhill development, involves building on conservation areas around the canal and listed buildings. The other is for14 houses adjacent to the canal.

I am a house owner in a conservation area. If I prune trees without permission, I can be fined. We in Micklethwaite hope that Bradford Council honours its role, as the principle of conservation itself needs preserving.

Language drive

From: Jack Kinsman, Stainton Drive, Grimsby.

JUST this month, the state of Oklahoma has voted, and passed a law, that all drivers' licence exams will be printed in English, and only English, and no other language. Why can't Britain do the same? Apart from saving a few million pounds in translation costs, it would save many, many lives.

Not on song

From: Ruthven Urquhart, High Hunsley, Cottingham.

IT was sad to observe on Wednesday that Wayne Rooney has yet to learn the words of the National Anthem, and the foreign coach still hasn't fully mastered the English language! An urgent need for extra tutoring required?