Let them know you don’t believe in spin

They are currently only giving us positive spin, with none of the negatives, on the NHS, unemployment, manufacturing and immigration but all these figures are not up to date facts.

We all know the public sector and council redundancies will not be in these figures for three months or more, with many others still to follow, more losses than gains for sure but we are only told of the few gains.

The NHS is not safe with them. It will be unrecognisable when they have done, even before the impending review and budget cuts there are already major concerns. Important waiting times for appointments and treatment, care, mental health, children’s heart surgery and a massive shortage of midwives may be why stillbirth figures in this country are so high. There is also talk about moving the very fine and recently new breast cancer facility from LGI. Was this a planning error with the cancer centre being at St James’s?

Why can’t these health budget cuts, if needed, be in the areas where they don’t pay prescription and parking charges. Aren’t some people paying more than enough with the recent increases?

As for manufacturing, it is to be hoped the pound stays poor, for our exports to do well. As we cannot or won’t afford to buy much with our costs and our unemployment continuing to rise, no jobs for us boys.

Cameron on immigration is an election joke too late, he is saying as usual what people want to hear, but much too late to change anything after all these very many years uncontrolled.

I hope you already know who to vote for in May. They then may finally get the message, as they need one badly.

B Hepworth, Belle Isle, Leeds

This is why I am concerned...

Dr Ian Jenkins from Bristol, probably a new reader of the YEP, states that it was misleading of me to mention my concern when asked by Yorkshire councillors at a public consultation meeting at the civic hall regarding the review of children’s heart surgery services in England. This review will almost certainly recommend the closure of Yorkshire’s only children’s heart surgery unit as things stand. If so, I am concerned about a small number of East Yorkshire infants with certain conditions having to travel to Newcastle as proposed. Whilst I will listen to and respect another’s point of view, my concern is built from a strong foundation of a vast experience of looking after babies and children with heart conditions from the whole of Yorkshire over many years. In other words, from what I have seen with my own eyes. From my point of view I would have misled the Yorkshire people not to voice my concern during this period of public consultation, a listening exercise where opinions are sought apparently.

Kevin Watterson, consultant paediatric cardiac surgeon

Desperate AV campaigner

David Cameron must be desperate to enlist the help of Labour peer Lord Reid in his No to AV campaign.

Apart from anything else, Mr Cameron solemnly pledged to “reform” the House of Lords, yet instead has enobled more, at 117 in his just 11 months in office, more than any other party leader since 1945. So many, in fact, that at almost 800 members, the House of Lords is in real danger of running out of benches for them to sit on!

Apart from being unelected himself, has Dr Reid forgotten that the Scottish Parliament uses a version of alternative voting, a system he has never objected to! For so much time, effort and money to be spent on campaigning against anything like AV seems rather sinster to me, maybe they are afraid of the real will of the people being expressed.

D S Boyes, Rodley Lane, Leeds