YP Letters: Politicians should back the police

SPEAKING as someone who served in the police from 1953 to 1984, I have to say I am appalled at the state of funding for the service these days.

The Conservatives were always ready to back us up. In the late 1970s, Labour defied a Royal Commission proposal that the police should get a 22 per cent pay rise. The Labour government of the day imposed a £4.50 rise across the board.

Mrs Thatcher came to power and immediately we were granted the full 22 per cent amount. We had sufficient staff to do the job and investigated all crimes, from theft of milk to minor shop theft.

Country bobbies lived on their beats and knew everyone and were able to prevent crime by continuous contact with their residents.

During the Miners’ Strike, we were able to provide officers for duty at hot spots. The rural area where I now live does not appear to have anyone to police the town, or at least we never see an officer patrolling. I never thought I would have more faith in Labour but I am beginning to think that there are members of that party, like Bradford MP Judith Cummins (The Yorkshire Post, July 3), who would do more for our safety.

From: Terry Morrell, Willerby.

IF we abandoned austerity, the young who supported Jeremy Corbyn could pay it off if and when they grow up – unless, 
of course, Gordon Brown discovers another gold mine in the meantime.

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

according to Plato, a problem with democracy is that it elevates opinion above knowledge. Rarely has the truth of that statement been more evident than in last year’s referendum.

A YouGov poll found that among voters who were graduates there was a 40 per cent lead for “Remain” while amongst those who finished their formal education at 15 or 16 years old there was a similar 40 per cent lead for “Brexit”.

Since the latter outnumber the former, we are now halfway down a slope to national self-harm.

To quote Mark Twain: “It is easier to fool the people than to persuade them that they have been fooled.”

Evidence is now accumulating rapidly that Brexit is going to be a disaster but too many (but not all) who voted to leave are simply closing their minds to the emerging reality because that would be to admit that they had been lied to, and that they had bought the lie.

Minds open to emerging evidence, self-honesty and a willingness to reassess might save us from completing the rupture with the remaining 27 nations of the EU.

From: Phil Hanson, Beechmount Close, Baildon, Shipley.

THOSE on low pay have only the EU to blame for a lack of pay growth. It is a simple matter of supply and demand, we have an oversupply of cheap labour that pegs pay rates for low earners very firmly in the ground.

As long as employers have this, pay will not increase or, at best, will do so very slowly. If migration was brought down to the tens of thousands, that would put pressure on employers to invest, either in training people or automation or both. This, in turn, will increase profitability and self-fund the investments.

The quagmire that is much of the EU is held back by the massive influx of migrants, which clearly demonstrates why we must act in the interests of UK workers first and foremost, while respecting the rights of EU workers who came in before the referendum.

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

THE arguments over Europe seem to have been going on for ever. Perhaps we should now let the dust settle and see what sort of a deal emerges.

Of course we all want the country to prosper but the picture of glorious opportunities awaiting is unconvincing. I am amazed that supposedly hard-bitten politicians should swallow and promote this guff so enthusiastically, given these factors:

1. Our economy is unbalanced and weak in manufacturing.

2. Devaluing the currency is resorted to frequently and irresponsibly to boost exports.

3. The workforce is short of vital skills.

4. Other countries can undercut our production costs in many areas.

5. Vast number of immigrants are required for jobs that our own people can’t or won’t do.

I still think we may rejoin the European Union at some stage, which would be better late than never.

From: Paul Rouse, Main Street, Sutton upon Derwent, York.

BANK of England Governor Mark Carney has now decided that the UK’s personal debt level is too high, despite it being his policy of low interest rates that has created the situation.

Four years ago, I wrote to Mr Carney asking how long he intended to penalise savers in favour of those who over-lent, over-borrowed, and overspent.

The reply was as follows: “During a period of economic downturn, when households are reluctant to spend, a low interest rate can encourage spending, which is crucial to economic recovery. Conversely, a high interest rate has the opposite effect, providing an opportunity to save.”

So, low interest rates and cheap money were part of a Bank of England strategy to encourage consumer spending, which has resulted in the massive debt Carney is now complaining about. The sooner we pack him off back to Canada the better!

From: Paul Muller, Woodthorpe Gardens, Sandal, Wakefield.

IN reply to Brian Sheridan’s inaccurate letter ‘Doctors are not to blame’ (The Yorkshire Post, July 3), doctors must never blame patients for being unreasonable.

Missed appointments are caused because you cannot get an appointment for a minor ailment within one week.

Then within that week, the minor ailment has often got better and so there is no point in seeing the doctor.