YP Letters: Troubles of the EU are playing into the hands of its Brexit critics

IT seems that Italy has an ally in Dick Lindley (The Yorkshire Post, October 30). Buoyed by the fact that three of the six senior posts in the EU are held by Italians, the populist Italian government has embarked on a stand-off over its EU budget.

YP Letters: Columnist’s clear case on EU failings

However, early signs suggest that even the Italian EU officials are far from unequivocal about Italy’s case and fear that the stand-off could be seriously damaging for both sides.

This might suit your correspondent who longs for the collapse of the EU without, it seems, much regard for the plight of member states. Of course the EU is hell-bent on survival: it knows that its relationship with members is symbiotic. So should they.

If memory serves, Italy does not have a great record for political decision-making (World War I) nor stable government. The latter reminds me of Bob Hope’s remark about the English weather: “If you don’t like it, just wait half an hour.”

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.

PHILIP Hammond’s Budget is aimed at helping “the strivers, the grafters and the carers” (The Yorkshire Post, October 30). A choice of words open to interpretation. Striving for? Caring for? As for “grafters”, I presume he wishes us to accept the “hard workers” definition – on zero hours contracts perhaps?

From: Kathleen Smith, Leeds.

RAIL operator Northern should focus on getting the trains to run properly and on time!

It’s ridiculous the amount of times we get a two carriage train on a busy route (Doncaster to Leeds).

It’s really busy as it is when they send four carriages. When they send two, they have to leave loads of people behind or how they just cancel trains without reason. An absolute joke.

From: Philip L Taylor, Milner Street, Lockwood, Huddersfield.

IN an ideal world, essential goods and services should be provided at cost price. Luxury goods and luxury services should be provided at inflated prices. The result being the ordinary man in the street (like me) being happy, and the investor and shareholder also being happy.

From: Iain Norris, Caroline Street, Saltaire, Shipley.

THE so-called ‘‘Leeds City Region’’ is more interested in promoting economic growth in Leeds rather than the Bradford district.