YP Letters: Mysteries of interest rates for pensions

From: David Collins, Scissett.
Will the reduction in interest rates spell good news for the property market or not?Will the reduction in interest rates spell good news for the property market or not?
Will the reduction in interest rates spell good news for the property market or not?

I AM a bit confused as to why base rate at 0.5 per cent or 0.25 per cent of itself is such a disaster for pensions (The Yorkshire Post, August 3).

After all if you have £100,000 invested at a rate of 0.5 per cent that amounts to £500 per annum interest and at 0.25 per cent it is £250 per annum. Both are very small beer, so why is one more disastrous than the other?

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If you are talking about the hidden aspects of interest rate movements and how they are seen in the financial world, then your guess would be as good as that of any guru.

As far as Mark Carney is concerned, he was the only person during the whole EU debate to come out with any credit. His measured tones and experience showed through and I am sure things in the finance arena would have been much worse save for him.

From: David Fothergill, Notton, Wakefield.

MY wife filled up her car with petrol after shopping at a Wakefield supermarket last Thursday, and commented that the price was £1.05 a litre, the cheapest for some time. I wonder could we blame it on Brexit, and will the Bremoaners take advantage?

From: John Cole, Oakroyd Terrace, Baildon, Shipley.

THOSE who voted for Brexit were essentially buying a pig in a poke. The Leave side never set out an agreed destination for our nation after exit, and no detailed road map of how to get there. Too many voters were seduced by the siren cry of “take back control”, and are in danger of stranding HMS Britannia on the rocks.

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Our national behaviour is in danger of being as crass and short-sighted as the household that got tired of its abode, packed up, left and locked the door without having a new address to go to.

A further analogy that springs to mind – that of a marriage in difficulties. We were wed to the EU for over 40 years, but are now seeking a divorce. Here we should heed the wise words of the 18th century writer, Samuel Johnson: “Marriage has many pains, but celibacy has no pleasures.”

Alone is not always lonely

From: D Webb, Rothwell.

REGARDING Rachel Reeves MP on loneliness (The Yorkshire Post, August 3). Not all people living alone experience loneliness or seek company and are quite content.

If people do experience loneliness, you have to make sure that any volunteer visitor is a match and has things in common with the person they are visiting. A sense of humour is required, laughter being the best medicine of all.

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I would like to congratulate your Editorial on the same day for bringing the issue of mental health to the fore. In our area, the waiting time is three months for an appointment for people with severe mental health problems, which is a recipe for disaster.

How many times do we read of people begging for help regarding mental health issues? Denied this help, some tragic event then occurs. We have had all the fine words on mental health, we need action urgently.

A pleasure to listen to

From: LN Hirst, Mirfield.

FOR years before we had television I used to listen to the radio for entertainment. It was a pleasure to listen to Brian Johnston and Jim Swanton presenting cricket on the BBC.

There were many excellent announcers who could speak perfect English. Now both on BBC radio and television, and also ITV, there are people who can only speak the American version of the Queen’s English, especially the world ‘yer’ instead of ‘yes’.

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One of the bad habits of presenters, both men and women, is the speed they talk.

How nice to listen to David Attenborough present one of his nature programmes, word perfect and explained to perfection. Not forgetting Alistair Cooke with his Letters from America. I love to hear local dialect.

Romantic moments

From: Mrs M Whitaker, Harswell, East Yorkshire.

HAD a good laugh at Horace & Doris last week. They are on the sofa and Doris closes her eyes and puckers up to Horace, at which he declares “What I said was, I’m feeling rheumatic!”

Similarly, I much enjoyed Sir Terry Wogan’s story of his wife demanding “I want you to make love to me!” At which he replies “Hang on, while I find my glasses”.

Missing out by a whisker

From: Chris Boddy, Springfield Lane, Kirkbymoorside, York.

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WITH regard to David Cameron’s honours list, I feel that Harry the Downing Street cat must be very disappointed.

Words on war

From: Iain Morris, Saltaire.

THE American civil war is regarded as the first modern war. It was Abraham Lincoln who said: “Human action can be modified to a certain extent, but human nature cannot be changed.”