Politicians
failing the
electorate

The two latest “blips” concerning our politicians, this time over the Labour Party/Unite Union and the EU Referendum Bill which cleared its first parliamentary hurdle, simply show how false and shallow are the relationships between the political parties and their supporters, with the country suffering as a result from the meaningless controversies.

The Unite/Labour Party arguments show how the Labour Party has been almost controlled by the Trade Union movement and their dependence on the financial support, while the Referendum Bill is equally being controlled by Dave Cameron to ensure that he stays in office until the next election. These two “blips” show how our political scene is failing the public and the country and we need a new clean sweep at the next General Election to put the country back on track to face the worldwide economic challenges.

From: Nigel F Boddy, Fife Road, Darlington, County Durham.

The practice of signing up new members in the branch of a political party to have those people vote for a particular candidate in a selection process is so widespread it has a name: “entryism”.

The solution lies in the hands of ordinary people, not with the police in Falkirk. If you vote for a party all your life, then you need to join and go to branch meetings, at least when there are selection contests. Only a tiny number of party members actually vote for the selected candidate in such contests.

Neither Ed Miliband nor Grant Shapps will tell you that because they are embarrassed by it. This is the elephant in the room of British politics.

Falkirk Labour Party, along with every other constituency association of every other political party, needs more members. The Americans have primaries for voters (not just members) to select candidates. British voters are deeply unimpressed with the MPs we have in Westminster because they were not involved with selecting them as candidates in the first place. Our democracy is in trouble.

Selling off our health details

From: Robert Holland, Skipton Road, Cononley, West Yorkshire.

The Minister for Health, Jeremy Hunt has announced the launch of “Genomics England”. This state-owned entity aims to build a new life sciences industry alongside the NHS.

The private health data of individual patients can be shared with “academic institutes, third sector and commercial companies” under the new health service constitution.

Hunt’s new policy allows patients’ personal data to be handed over to private businesses including BUPA and other “commercial companies”, at a price to be charged by Genomics. Drug firms will be able to use data, such as our personal DNA, to seek our consent to take part in drug trials, if we are in “at risk” groups. This would reduce research costs of drug firms (also they would then be able to target vulnerable patients in “marketing”, of course).

Have we agreed to this complete change in our NHS? No. Have we been warned of this hidden agenda in the new NHS legislation? No. Has this been debated in Parliament? No. Is this change likely to reduce trust in doctors and nurses that they keep private details confidential? Yes.

I would be delighted if one of the Yorkshire Post readers such as David Davis MP, who has a 
good record of protecting individual human rights and respect for democratic process, would assure me via your paper that this is incorrect. “No comment” would confirm fears for the future of our NHS.

Publish and
be damned

From: Hugh Rogers, Messingham Road, Ashby, near Doncaster.

I changed to the Yorkshire Post because I wanted a newspaper which handled national news in an unbiased way, told me what I needed to know in a succinct and highly readable manner, as well as containing feature articles by people who (mostly) know what they are talking about.

I have had no reason to regret my change of allegiance – except in one respect.

Though my grandfather and greatgrandfather were both Larards from Hull, a branch of the family had a woollen mill in Halifax and I live at an address with a Doncaster postcode, I am it seems, debarred from having any letters published because I live at the “wrong” end of the Humber Bridge. The same is true, apparently for anyone else who does not live within Yorkshire’s sacred borders.

There must be thousands of us kicking our heels in forlorn parts of the kingdom with only the Yorkshire Post for solace. Surely Yorkshire people should be known for their generosity towards folk from less happier parts of what Shakespeare termed “this blessed plot”, not for being insular and partisan?

I suggest a special letters section for expatriates who do not tweet, are unrecognised in the halls of Facebook and have minimal interest in the use of mobile phones in supermarket queues.

The bosses are to blame

From: S Watson, Whincover Grange, Farnley, Leeds.

according to your article the defunct, de-mutalised building societies have left debts of £43.4bn (Yorkshire Post, July 5).

Their directors ought to be brought to book and charged with reckless management.

I am also of the opinion that the governors of the BBC ought to be brought to book and charged with running a vice ring.

In the best interests of justice they should stand trial in London and not be allowed to make their escape to Manchester by high speed rail or any other means of transport.