YP Letters: Exploitation of the tower blaze tragedy

WHAT an interesting and informative Saturday Essay by Nick Ross (The Yorkshire Post, June 24).

After 15 years campaigning, with tragic history to back the campaign, those in “authority” still refuse to take action.

Advisers should be well informed and listened to. However, I learned, with some surprise, that those in Wales were listening. Why only Wales? And if they can take action, the rest of the UK should be ashamed.

As for Jeremy Corbyn, he should also be ashamed. To go to Glastonbury to rant and rave on the stage to try to influence the younger generation even further is, in my view, disgusting opportunism.

From: Phil Roche, Garforth.

SHADOW Chancellor John McDonnell has claimed that the Grenfell Tower fire victims were ‘murdered’.

There are no doubt many reasons, faults and mistakes to explain but Mr McDonnell should not jump in to make very cheap points for disgusting political gain.

This seems to be becoming a regular trait of the Labour Party.

From: Alan Chapman, Bingley.

HUNDREDS of people have died in the Grenfell Tower tragedy, states Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary, before blaming the disaster on Conservative attitudes to social housing (The Yorkshire Post, June 24).

This is blatant political opportunism from the gutter. Regarding Grenfell Tower, why did the Blair/Brown Labour governments fail to implement fire checks on the block from 1997 to 2010? Most tower blocks are occupied by Labour voters – the Labour Party has not looked after its own.

From: Nigel Bywater, Oak Grove, Morley.

A FATAL fire in a Scottish tower block on June 11, 1999, resulted in a change to Scottish building regulations in 2005, the law change made it mandatory for builders to ensure that any external cladding “inhibited” 
fire spreading.

Despite numerous other fires and recommendations by the coroner, no change to building regulations has been made to building regulations in England.

Scotland has various other things that shows that they have a better functioning democracy.

They have no tuition fees, free prescriptions and rules that allow more public sector workers to stand for election.

Perhaps a reason for Scotland having a better democracy is their parliament which elects members under a proportional system; and they do actually represent the people.

From: John Appleyard, Firthcliffe Parade, Liversedge.

BBC Radio 4 last week celebrated 80 years of our emergency services which were set up in 1937. Today there is hardly anyone without a phone, but we are still reliant on our emergency services to operate in a speedy fashion. It is important that our governments give them the support they need.

Billions for bigotry

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

THE BBC and the other media did not “vilify the DUP for believing in traditional marriage” as Alan Chapman states (The Yorkshire Post, June 26). In no way did they question the value of traditional marriage.

They accused the DUP of discrimination against homosexuals. Meanwhile, this antediluvian bigoted relic can’t believe its luck at the unexpected political hand we have dealt it. It doesn’t bode well for the hard-earned easing of tensions in the Province.

From: David Craggs, Shafton Gate, Goldthorpe.

WELL, that’s it then. We can now say goodbye to the Government’s funding to get the Northern Powerhouse on the move. With a billion pounds going to Northern Ireland, and both Wales and Scotland pressing for some sort of parity, we will be way down the pecking order.

From: Robert Reynolds, Batley.

THE Home Secretary Amber Rudd declared that there is “no magic money tree”. Suddenly, to save their necks, the Tories found £1bn to buy votes from the DUP. So there is a magic money tree.

This is the battleground of a future Labour government. Can money be created? Yes it can and is… by the banks. Should that privilege be in the hands of Government? I believe it should, to maintain jobs and services. Our currency belongs to the people. When Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister he must immediately confront the banking sector. If he does not, then he will be a failure as hope turns, yet again, to despair.

Revisit NHS spending

From: John Kell, Head of Policy, The Patients Association.

AFTER months of alarming media reports about the pressures facing the NHS, many of them well justified, it’s not surprising that there is growing worry among the public. It’s a particularly sad day when dissatisfaction with the NHS outweighs satisfaction (The Yorkshire Post, June 26).

Whether we fund the NHS adequately or not is a political choice – the Government must now face up to that choice, and be candid with the public and patients.

The Patients Association has been calling for the 2015 spending review settlement for health and social care to be revisited, and for spending to be raised to the sorts of levels recommended by the independent Barker Commission and the Office for Budgetary Responsibility.

The Association also called for the transformation of health and social care services under the Five Year Forward View to be continued, but with proper funding.