Together we can defeat poverty

BACK in 2006, David Cameron said: “I want this message to go out loud and clear. The Conservative Party recognises, will measure and will act on relative poverty.” While even die-hard Conservatives will now acknowledge compassionate Conservatism was a mere chimera, calls for even Labour to abandon the pledge to remove child poverty by 2020 are depressingly fatalistic.

Mainstream economists and media (and even the Joseph Rowntree Foundation) have suggested it is nigh on impossible. Indeed, if one uses conventional economic policy, one has to acknowledge this is the case.

However, if we had taxed simply the increase in wealth of the top 1,000 earners in 2009 at 50 per cent, it would have raised £38bn, six times the cuts imposed by the Tories in 2010.

However, as has been seen this month, even Labour voters are less sympathetic to the lowest earners in society, most of whom work.

This is hardly surprising: as language used by politicians (from all parties) and the media towards those in poverty has coarsened, attitudes harden. George Osborne understands that very well. New Labour never overtly made the case for redistribution.

Reducing poverty is not just about cash although that is a fundamental part. But any attempt to reduce poverty must necessarily be accompanied by a political articulation that poverty is a scourge on society and entirely unnecessary even in today’s times of austerity.

Who decides on vulnerability?

From: George Appleby, Leighton Croft, Clifton, York.

EVERY vulnerable elderly person in England will have a personal NHS worker who will be responsible for co-ordinating all their heath and care needs, the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has promised.

Words, words, words. Do their GPs decide who is vulnerable? How vulnerable? Do they have to pay? What if they can’t afford to pay? Where’s the money come from?

Do all their life long, working contributions entitle them to this free on the NHS?

Oh! When? We are 84. What do we do until then?

From: TW Coxon, West Auckland Road, Darlington, County Durham.

I READ with horror that nurses are to be given lessons in how to appear compassionate! Whoever thought this one up needs treatment.We need nurses to ‘do’ not act. Patients will tell you those nurses who care and are compassionate by their actions. Nursing is about doing, observing, of patience, tolerance, understanding and kindliness. Not acting!

Surely, there is enough drama on the wards of hospital departments without training nurses in the art of acting?

May the Lord deliver us from the next generation of nurses - or should I say thespians!

Dambusters memories

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

WHAT a wonderful programme about the Dambusters that was shown recently. The content and detail were wonderful. Since this happened during my boyhood and at the time I lived near two RAF stations, albeit in Yorkshire not Lincolnshire, it seemed to bring back the memories of watching our bombers setting off late evening to carry out a mission over Germany.

I was, of course, asleep when they returned (Malcolm Barker, Yorkshire Post, May 16). What wonderfully brave men they were, still setting off even though they knew full well they may never return. That is what made our country respected in those far off days.

From: Ken Wilson, Liverpool Road, Widnes, Cheshire.

WITH reference to the RAF St Eval 1939-1959, all ranks from RAF, WAAF and WRAF or next of kin who served in Coastal Command are invited to join RAF St Eval Coastal Command Association at St Eval Church at the Annual Remembrance Service on the Battle of Britain Weekend on Sunday, September 15.

A welcome screen break

From: Trevor Mumford, Rutland Drive, Harrogate.

I AM pleased to say that I have been able to take a very sanguine view of the media interest in the whereabouts of Christa Ackroyd, the BBC Look North presenter (Yorkshire Post, May 16).

Until we moved from Thirsk to Harrogate last year, we received the Leeds edition of Look North and as the price for hearing about local news we had to tolerate Ms Ackroyd’s posturing for the camera and her unfunny jokes 
at the expense of, in particular, Paul Hudson. She invariably showed herself unable to see the funny side when jokes were directed at herself.

Happily, since moving to Harrogate we now receive the North East edition of Look North which, amongst other things, benefits from being a totally Ackroyd-free zone. I am however left to marvel at how even the ever profligate BBC can possible justify the quoted £150,000 per annum of licence payers’ money for Ms Ackroyd’s services.