YP Letters: Oh, for the life in Labour's promised land

IT’S really good to know that after June 8, my grandchildren will receive 30 hours of free childcare from the age of two, attend schools which have class sizes of 30 children or less, be able to go to university and not pay anything towards the cost of their education.

That myself, my wife and my children will all be able will be able to see a doctor without having to wait, attend hospital and be seen within 18 weeks of a referral being made, because we will have a fully-funded health and social care system with more staff who are better paid as will all other public sector workers.

That the price I pay for my gas, electricity and water won’t increase, I can travel on trains whose fares are being capped (not sure about bus fares?), also not forgetting that my mail will be delivered at least twice daily, and finally what I am really looking forward to is receiving a substantial pay increase like everyone else in the country because we deserve it, don’t we?

The really good thing about all this and much more beside is that it won’t cost me a penny more, because it’s going to be paid for by those ‘nice rich people’ and generous companies who won’t put their prices up, or move elsewhere.

All I have to do is vote for Labour and the ‘promised land’ will be there for me, won’t it?

From: DS Boyes, Upper Rodley Lane, Leeds.

AS the debate on the care of the elderly cost liability rages on, the only solutions suggested so far are Labour’s draconian tax rises on companies and the very wealthy, which in practice 
never work, or the Conservative Party’s arbitrary seizing of people’s personal savings and 
property, on death, of those needing care.

Both are unpalatable to right-minded people, yet there is a very simple solution which would spread the burden on providing such care across the wider population.

That is to impose a special capital gains tax on all domestic residential property sales, not an excessive charge like stamp duty, but a small simple figure percentage amount which would not harm either the 
homeowners concerned or the still very important property market.

It’s not rocket science, and should be a very easy tax to collect, as it would have to be paid as part of the completion or conveyancing to either solicitors or lenders.

It might also help keep house prices down.

This would, by definition, ease the pain of the elderly threatened with loss of assets which they may have left in their wills to siblings, children or grandchildren, as I have done.

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

THERESA May says every vote counts. To that I would reply that some votes count more than others. We are about to participate in yet another travesty of democracy.

The whole process is in effect truncated to 100 seats or so producing a distorted result. This leaves the smaller parties to struggle to make their voices heard at all despite attracting millions of votes from people who are in effect disenfranchised. Proper representation of all shades of opinion should be a cornerstone of democracy.

Such a great country as ours should now have the maturity to reform an outdated and discredited system.

From: Robert Holman, Marsden Court, Farsley.

WHILE every major business on the High Street are cutting their costs by reducing units and staff, what happened to the political policy plan to downsize the number of MPs and local councillors and the seats in the House of Lords, now standing room only? The money saved would more than cover the NHS shortfall or go towards it.

From: David Cragg-James, Stonegrave, York.

SO, what sort of Government do we really want? One responsive to informed majority thinking or one ready to sacrifice democracy to dogma? One that will promote the democratic, or one that will destroy it? One that recognises the desire to protect and fund our health and social care services or one ready to identify altruism with profit? One that cares for the needy in our society and world, or one happy to offer them up to benefit the few?

From: Hilary Andrews, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

THE EU Brexit negotiatiors must be rubbing their hands in glee after the fall in ratings for Theresa May. How much easier it wou be to deal with Jeremy Corbyn. Wonder what kind of UK we would be living in?

From: JC Penn, Holcroft Garth, Hedon, Hull.

THERESA May wants us to vote her in as our Prime Minister again. This time by the public!

She has said that Brexit is Brexit, which I don’t think is an intelligent statement at all, and Theresa May may do this or she may do that. Will anyone vote for her, and why?

From: Max Nottingham, St Faith’s Street, Lincoln.

THERESA MAY has done so many disguised u-turns she should change her name to Theresa Maybe. Even the election date was brought forward after many denials.

Watch out for her changing her stance from fox-hunter to animal lover.

From: Edward Grainger, Botany Way, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.

REGARDING this unnecessary election – given the terrible events at the Manchester concert – I remain convinced that the calling of a General Election at this time, by a Prime Minister with a reasonable working majority and before Brexit negotiations have begun in earnest, is completely unnecessary.

What better example to the magnitude of the situation we face than armed officers patrolling the streets and the beaches at Scarborough. Unprecedented in my lifetime.