A ‘Yes’ vote will hurt our small firms

From: Christabel Hallas, Transport Solicitor, Crans House, Stirton, Skipton.

MUCH of the talk of the effect of Scotland leaving the Union has concentrated upon macro economic consequences and little attention has been given to the costs that will fall on many small businesses. Should Scotland vote for independence then many Yorkshire haulage companies who take goods into Scotland will be faced with increased costs in changing their current national operator’s licence to an international one.

Haulage companies are required to employ a transport manager, who has responsibility for the continuous and effective management of the transport activities of the firm. Should there be Scottish independence, then such transport managers will need an international rather than national professional qualification, meaning they will have to re-train. Up until December last year, there was the option for transport managers to top up their qualification to the international one. This is no longer available.

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A “Yes” vote next Thursday would mean the prospect of Yorkshire haulage firms being faced with additional training costs and transport managers having to sit exams, all in order to continue the work which they are legitimately doing at the moment.

From: Geoff Wilson, Forest Crescent, Harrogate.

WITH a “Yes” vote in Scotland looking very possible, it raises a question of the legitimacy of Scottish MPs in Westminster, particularly after the 2015 General Election. If Labour wins in 2015 by virtue of its large number of Scottish seats but does not have a majority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, what would be the constitutional position then?

From: Dick Lindley, Altofts, Normanton, West Yorkshire.

SO at long last our Scottish cousins are being given the chance to take control of their own country once more and I as a patriotic Englishman wish them every success in their fight for independence. I will be particularly delighted when all those Scottish MPs who sit in our Parliament pontificating on our affairs are no longer able to influence the affairs of England.

I presume they will they lose their seats immediately following a successful independence vote. As they are mainly Labour MPs, it will reduce the chances of Ed Miliband and his mates ruling over England and the English for the foreseeable future, I hope.

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I find it rather ironic that this Tory-controlled Government has allowed the Scottish people a democratic vote on their independence while at the same time refusing the British public the right to vote in a referendum for our freedom from the EU until some unreliable time in the distant future.

Big three do not serve us

From: Dick Appleyard, Lingfield Close, Saxilby, near Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

IN all the previous general elections, the electorate has voted either for Conservative, Labour or the Lib Dems. I can’t trust any of those three parties to govern this country any more.

When they are in power, they rule us instead of serve us. They throw away billions and billions of pounds of our tax money and it isn’t to our own good. They introduce a large number of policies that we neither need nor want, even if these policies are very stupid. When we want policies that we foresee that is good for us and is right for us, they don’t want to do them for us.

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They force us to have anything that they say is good for us and best for us, even when we can’t foresee that they are good or best for us. Most people in this country want the UK to pull out of the EU, but all three of these parties won’t let the UK pull out of the EU. What do they do for us nowadays? What’s the use of voting for them again?

No shortage of applicants...

From: Mike Davison, Holmes Road, Bramley, Rotherham.

MANY years ago when the Civil Service pressed for a pay rise, it was alleged Margaret Thatcher had suggested an increase was not warranted. This was based on the premise that the Service always had sufficient recruits and as such an increase was not required to attract new staff. May I suggest this also applies to the House of Commons where there is never a shortage of applicants. After all “we are all in it together”.

Action needed on North’s rail

From: Stuart Law, CEO of Assetz, Assetz House, Newby Road, Stockport, Cheshire.

NEWS of the One North report was a breath of fresh air, rekindling the hope a five-city alliance between Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield would be developed as a rival to London.

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However, what has been given with one hand has too quickly been taken away with the other with some Northern-based commuters facing rail fare hikes of 162 per cent. This risks preventing efficient movement of talent as well as people being able to commute into key cities while living further out.

London has the upgraded Overground and the anticipated Crossrail, so now we need real action and results in the North to prove that the rhetoric and reports are not just hollow attempts to win votes.

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