What did Tony Blair ever do for us?

IN reply to the letter from TW Coxon (Yorkshire Post, May 15) concerning self-serving politicians and spin, all the hard- working taxpayers in our society should ask themselves what did Tony Blair do for this country of ours?

Firstly, he introduced the stock reduction scheme of 2001 for foot and mouth disease at a cost of billions of pounds to the taxpayer (plus all the tremendous suffering involved, both to humans and animals).

Secondly, he took us into an illegal war, causing more death, suffering, destruction and mayhem at an unbelievable cost to the hard-working taxpayer.

He then said about immigrants “Let them all come” and paid out billions of pounds in benefits, with few jobs available (but a good move for votes). Many recipients of benefits are far better off than the hard-working taxpayers who contribute towards them.

In all that time he amassed a huge fortune for himself. Yet Cherie still worries that they will never have enough money. There is a saying: “There is enough in this world for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed.”

Who was it that brought this country to its knees? Tony Blair certainly didn’t help anyone (apart from himself).

From: Paul Morley, Ribblesdale Estate, Long Preston, Skipton.

THE Home Secretary, Theresa May, stated at the Police Federation conference that the police were not being picked on and every part of the public sector was having to take its share of the pain (Yorkshire Post, May 17).

It’s funny but I don’t recall the Government and MPs having pay freezes and their pensions and other parts of their employment contracts altered to detrimental effect. Government Ministers and MPs are only public sector workers after all and should also be sharing this pain.

As one delegate so pointedly stated, the Home Secretary is a disgrace.

If the country’s police officers were to disappear for weeks on end and Parliament was to do likewise. I wonder who would be missed first?

Oops sorry, I forgot, Parliament does disappear for weeks on end for holidays and recesses and the public don’t even notice!

From: P Dransfield, Main Street, Great Heck, Near Goole.

IF Cameron and Co really intend to look to helping ordinary people, they can start by getting rid of those electricity and gas meter reading companies who pay about four pence a unit to the generating companies to read their meters and charge us 25 pence a unit. That is greed, nothing else. I bet they won’t do it.

Then they can get rid of train ticket sellers and give everyone a 50 per cent fare price cut (I think the train adverts are almost obscene).

Science and religion

From: John Gordon, Whitcliffe Lane, Ripon.

LIFE is about faith, hope and love, says Mr Hartford (Yorkshire Post, May 17) but unfortunately it is about a lot more.

Life is the survival of the fittest in a technological age. Religion may help us survive when the various afflictions of living come along such as ill-health and unemployment but a good grounding in science will make us more useful citizens. That is why the school curriculum must provide the necessities for the child and the study of various religious faiths is a luxury we cannot afford today.

In a secular age, a knowledge of Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha is the most we can hope for? RE has become a sort of pub quiz.

Redundancy wrongs

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle.

I REFER to two separate articles (Yorkshire Post, May 17). The first, the leading article, tells how the shamed chief constable of North Yorkshire, Grahame Maxwell, having admitted gross misconduct is nevertheless to receive £250,000 from readers of this paper – you and me, plus many thousands of others simply because his contract provides for this.

I must be missing a trick; in my day if you were guilty of gross misconduct you were summarily dismissed, losing all benefits which had been accrued.

Moving on to the second article, Peter Sandeman, general manager of the famous City Varieties in Leeds, is after 35 years of service, during which he has apparently overseen a near £10m overhaul, to be made redundant.

Doubtless he will receive some redundancy payment, though possible a little short of £250,000.

Where has he, I (and possibly you) gone wrong?

Market idea for square

From: Brian Hughes, Thorpe Edge, Bradford.

I WOULD like Bradford’s Forster Square to be turned into an open air market surrounded by a pretty urban garden.

The open air market stalls would be small pavilions made of steel frames with toughened glass windows.

The present hole would be turned into hanging gardens around its sides with small pavilion-style market stalls occupying the flat floor of the hole.

There would also be a bandstand for brass bands and other musicians to perform in to create a happy atmosphere.

My interest in this idea would be to have an opportunity to use one of the small pavilion style market stalls for a business activity involving nature photography and related media activities.