YEP Letters: March 11

Litter: we can make a difference

Jane Taylor, Leeds 17

As someone who has written before about litter, I am absolutely delighted to see reports of Leeds citizens getting involved.

If everyone picked up rubbish that was outside their homes or offices and put it in a bin the cumulative effect would be transformative. Some of the rubbish on the roadside is caused by bin lids not being properly shut so the wind can blow the rubbish around – if everybody could ensure theirs is closed that too would make a difference.

Finally, if people in cars would take their litter home rather than chucking it out the window that would be terrific!

Come on, we can all make a difference to this wonderful city.

Lords’Brexit bill defeat is ‘an act of treason’

David Gibbs, Leeds 7

The latest, not unexpected, defeat to the government’s Brexit Bill at the hands of the House of Lords is nothing more than an act of treason.

I say this because the dictionary definition of treason is “disloyalty to or betrayal of ones country, sovereign or government”.

The Queen had no objection I am sure in letting her government put the question of the UK leaving the EU to the people by way of the referendum.

We the people have voted to leave and this treacherous lot of unelected buffoons seem to be doing their level best to make sure our wishes are thwarted. They should hang their heads in shame. Preferably in the Tower waiting prosecution by the Crown for said treason.

Alan Freeman. Leeds 13

I noted the letter on your Feedback page (March 7) in which Jim Kirk berates John Cole regarding the 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent margin in favour of leaving the EU and then states that he has heard nothing from Remainers about what might have happened if the Remain vote had ‘won’ by a margin of around 52-48 per cent.

Jim clearly needs to be made aware that Nigel Farage is on record as having said that in the event of that happening he would have pressed on to demand a second referendum.

John Wainwright, by email

I see J Cole is still peddling the myth that the EU referendum vote was quite close when the winning margin was well over eight per cent, and is still searching for a way in which his preferred result might have been achieved.

What does he suggest, why that we should have extended the voting franchise to foreigners, adolescents and ex-pat emigrants.

This last group have chosen to make their lives outside the UK but think they still deserve the right to dictate how those of us who still live here should be governed. As Margaret Thatcher famously said of the Maastricht treaty ‘No, No, No!

Get behind the Labour Party

J Walker, Pontefract

In response to last week’s comments by Jim Kirk from Middleton (YEP Letters, March 1), I would like to reply by saying it’s time for Labour voters/supporters/ UKIP supporters, to actually listen to Jeremy Corbyn, not the other way around! I take it Mr Kirk is an ex-voter who was probably a ‘Blairite’ who thinks he is above voting for a true new Socialist Labour politician, or who 
voted UKIP as a protest, so chooses to discredit everything he says?

Alternatively, he is easily influenced by the right wing Murdoch press and media in this country, which constantly tell everyone that he is out of touch - they have done a fantastic job, which they continue to do on a daily basis. Everyone, including Mr Kirk, needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and get behind the Labour Party, the only real alternative and help rid this country of the ‘right-wing’ Tory Party, who do not care about anyone except themselves and their rich and prosperous friends.

Wake up and smell the coffee, as they say.

British expats need assurances

Mrs J Green, Leeds

in reply to Kamran Hussein, the Liberal Democrats spokesperson for Brexit (YEP Letters March 3), who accuses the Conservative government of using families living in Britain and British expats as bargaining chips.

As I understand it, it is that while most EU countries agreed, it was Angela Merkel and Donald Tusk who decided in their wisdom to block the agreement to protect the rights EU migrants and British expats in November 2016.

At present there is not a full reciprocal agreement in place between the EU and Britain, and it remains important part of the negotiations for Brexit.

The workers from the EU are here being paid for their work, they are not working for nothing, partly because our wages and benefits are better than other countries, and if Mr Hussain’s figures are anywhere near the amount of people he suggests are actually working, it would be madness to ship them all back home as soon as Brexit is realised, and quite wrong.

The ones who are not working, on benefits and not contributing to our system are the ones who should leave.

Using the emotive subject of the NHS and care assistants regarding it as a slap in the face to win sympathy is rather passé. Not all are from EU countries and not all speak English as well as they should.

We all know the NHS system is collapsing from lack of money and a better structure, with or without foreign workers input, they are being paid and their job is to care for patients and help to bring them back to health.