Readers’s letters, June 23 2017

The most frequently expressed comment I have heard about Brandon Lewis, our Tory MP, is that he is never in Yarmouth and doesn’t care about the town.

This view has even been uttered, in hushed tones, by some local Conservatives.

I was recently at an event in Yarmouth to which Mr Lewis was invited.

He arrived late, made a brief speech, smiled for the camera and left. He was there for about 15 minutes. I would like to think that with his increased majority following the general election he will in future show his gratitude to his voters by being more visible in the town.

However, with his elevated status as a member of the cabinet, I think that is highly unlikely.

CERI WALFORD

Hawthorn Crescent

Bradwell

Lib-Dems thank you for support

I would like to thank all who voted for the Liberal Democrats in the recent Norfolk County Council election (candidates Tony Harris, Lisa Alston and Kim Mckenzie-Morris) and the general election (candidate James Joyce).

Although not successful this time round in this area we did meet with more success in other parts of Norfolk and will endeavour to serve you in the future.

TONY HARRIS Local contact for the Lib Dems

I’m calling for a by-election

During a discussion with a group of MPs on television one of them stated that the majority of MPs serve their constituents well and have a high degree of public service to uphold.

I would tend to disagree where our own MP Brandon Lewis is concerned, who pre-election would not participate in an open discussion to address the problems caused by universsal credit in this area.

While our MPs have been able to have a holiday from constituency problems for several weeks many in this area are facing financial hardship due to UC and have resorted to the foodbank. I have confirmed with someone who supplies food to the foodbank that the numbers using it during that time have risen and continue to do so on a daily basis.

The other political parties, during their election campaigns, have discussed this problem, the Conservatives did not.

Following the shameful lack of engagement by Mr Lewis over the problem I am calling on him to stand down.

I wrote to the prime minister before she called the election hoping she would rectify this situation, but we have seen how Mrs May reacts when she is confronted by any problem.

I believe we are entitled to call for a by-election as we do not get the service of our MP or the party that the majority voted for.

GARY HELYER Nelson Road Central,

Great Yarmouth

Britain allows us free speech

Obviously the man from Vienna is one of the political correct crowd that agrees in giving rights to those wishing to do us harm. How many returning from Isis in Syria are claiming human rights expecting vast sums of legal aid.

The word “extremism” means fanaticism, and if certain cultures disagree with the British way of life we should be allowed to kick them out of our country, but this does not happen because others shout “human rights!”

These bestial murderers have no human rights and until we joined the EU we made our own laws, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg came along later and forced on us by the do-gooders that abound in Austria, Germany that for many years had no human rights.

Britain has allowed free speech for decades, we have not banned the burka, from the early 20th century we have been a democratic nation, and our laws are made by the people for the people.

It is only when the PC crowd procrastinate that it takes years to remove those persons that have criminal intent, or illegal immigrants that because of the PC crowd are given legal aid to stay in our country. Did not Austria remove several thousand immigrants after Germany opened their borders? What of their human rights? Or is it just Britain that is negligent on human rights? So why do immigrants try desperately try to get here?

JOHN L COOPER

Burnt Lane,

Gorleston

Thanks for help after my fall

Can I please thank the nice couple who came to aid when I fell over near the Gorleston crematorium. I fell very badly on my face and this couple came and helped me up and phoned for a ambulance.

It took over a hour to get there and they never left my side.

I am very grateful to them. If you see this, I have no no broken bones but I look like I have been in a fight.

The date was June 15 at 1.15pm. Apart from my ego I will be alright. Also a lady came out from a few doors away from the crematorium and got me a chair and a drink.A big thank you.

People have been very kind.

THERESA WHITMORE,

Trinity Avenue,

Gorleston

Will UK stick by human rights?

I am not impressed with the letter from Mr Anders Larson concerning John Cooper and human rights. As John is very law abiding I would think that he would never need human rights.

The way Brexit is going the UK will adopt the EU system which means we still can’t deport terrorists because of their “human rights”.

This means the blood sucking lawyers will be given free rein to make their fortune defending these people.

Mr Larson is obviously an anti Brexit supporter and John, myself and a great number of Yarmouth people are Brexit supporters.

I am sure John will answer the letter and I hope it is up to his usual standard as when he wrote about East Port and the give away of the Outer Harbour and commercial river.

MIKE SMITH

email

Human rights in the Magna Carta

Perhaps Mr Larson is too busy taking Mr Cooper to task for daring to disagree with his views.

Our human rights legislation was enshrined in the Magna Carta in 1215 and, although not perfect, this formed the foundations of the constitution of the United States of America and numerous other countries. In its past history Europe has seen a nation publicly slaughter its entire aristocracy in cruel and public exhibitions and another establish death camps to wipe out gipsies, Jews, Catholics and mentally retarded citizens and there are many other examples of similar barbarity.

I do not think we have anything to learn regarding fundamental rights as Mr Larson claims.

NICK POWNALL

Seafield Close,

Great Yarmouth

Special place in pupils’ hearts

As a relatively new school governor and chairperson at Alderman Swindell I am disappointed that certain individuals have been trying to influence the consultation process by leaking information to the press long before the process was due to start; they should be ashamed of themselves.

It has been my absolute pleasure to work with the headteacher and staff at Alderman Swindell, it has been a challenging and rewarding three years and I am proud at how well behaved and committed our pupils are, I was especially heartened when a group of year 3 students came together to set up their own campaign to save the school from closure.

Alderman Swindell has a special place in the local community, so many of our pupils are the third or fourth generation from their families to begin their education here and we’re looking forward to a bumper intake in September. I am committed to campaigning to save our school from the axe.

JOHN SIMMONS

Chair,

Alderman Swindell Primary School

Smaller units more effective

As a resident of north Yarmouth three things concern me about these proposals to close Alderman Swindell School and create a single, larger primary school on the North Denes School site.

Firstly, the age range of 2 to 11 years all on the same site seems enormous as far as the development of the younger children is concerned, when much of the evidence suggests that being taught in smaller units is far more personal and effective, a concomitant of this being access and traffic build-up at key times of the day.

Secondly, the consultation document seems to be suggesting the most cost-effective way of using the County Council’s capital budget, which in this case amounts to £6.4m, is to pool it for a single building on the North Denes site.

Yet Alderman Swindell in particular is a highly effective school already as far as pass rates, behaviour and attendance are concerned.

Thirdly, and in many respects the thing that irks me most, is the proposal that the Alderman Swindell School could be used as a complex needs special school to meet the needs of those who cannot be educated in mainstream schools.

A case of the tail wagging the dog if ever there was one at a time when we should be doing our upmost to integrate as many students as possible into the mainstream.

Mick Castle and others should not be so presumptuous as to infer they know what is best for us and we should just let them get on with it, (ring any bells?).

The outcome of this issue is by no means a foregone conclusion.

MIKE SPRAGG

Collingwood Road,

Great Yarmouth

Who banned the park burger bar?

Whose idea was it to ban the burger bar on Bure Park, Caister Road? My sister and I went for a lovely walk with my dog along the river and all round the park thinking a lovely drink and water

Continued on Page 42 Continued from Page 41 for the dog would be at the end.

We were most disappointed to find no burger bar, I imagine a few people like us were a bit shocked to find it gone. I imagine it is the council again. Bring it back.

A C BALLS,

Bradwell

Gardens tribute to our Barbara

May I express my appreciation for the ingenuity and effort of our neighbour Barbara. The gardens at Falcon Court are a tribute to her endeavour and being an example for community deserve a wider recognition and hopefully show the difference council and resident kept.

DAVID KING

Falcon Court,

Great Yarmouth

Library poetry event a success

As leader of the U3A Literature Group, I would like to add to the mention of the poetry event which appeared in the June 16 edition of the Mercury.

Ten members of our group read a very varied programme of poetry, which according to the feed back from several members of the audience, was found to be both entertaining and thought provoking.

The event, which was held with the support of The Friends of Gorleston Library, gave us the opportunity to show our appreciation to the staff for all the help we receive from them for our meetings in the library.

We thank the audience and the Friends for enabling us to raise £200 towards the purchase of equipment for the library.

JEAN MORRIS

Email

Tory campaign ‘was arrogant’

I was very interested to read the letters about the continuing fallout concerning the general election. I was particularly nonplussed by Daniel Candon’s letter that Labour voters are in a state of confusion and denial about what was a very good result for this party.

I obviously take his point that we did not win but this was indeed an historical result in that Labour won an additional 32 seats and increased its vote share from 30.4 per cent to 40 per cent, the largest rise achieved by any Labour leader since Clement Atlee’s victory in 1945.

The Conservative campaign was lazy, complacent and arrogant and now Theresa May finds herself in the invidious position of shoring up her Government with the DUP who are not as compliant as she would like.

I am sorry Mr Candon but this can not in any way shape or form be construed as a ‘great victory’ for the Conservatives. The Queen’s Speech has been considerably watered down and many of the contentious issues have been scrapped. For me this was a ‘watershed’ moment when Theresa May lost her political credibility and her total disconnection with the ordinary man, woman and child in the street.

Now we have Brexit and all this entails and why cannot there be a cross-party input to these momentous discussions. We all want the best for our country but not made in the image of an autocratic entity which results in Britain becoming more marginalised, introverted and largely disenfranchised from Europe.

I feel the now proactive and confident opposition under its rightful leader Jeremy Corbyn can justifiably fight for the ordinary man, woman and child in the street who need this party more than ever before.

JUDITH A DANIELS

Winifred Road,

Cobholm

Wrong site for a Wetherspoons

I had to smile when I read in last week’s Mercury about the human remains in a crypt on the site of the proposed Wetherspoons building in Gorleston High Street.

Perhaps the one above was purposely feeling as many residents do, that it is a totally inappropriate site for such a building, and is helping to delay the cause of this outlet coming to fruition.

I would have thought that there is enough establishments to support in the High Street to cater for most people, hopefully this will not be to their detriment.

C HOPKINS

Bradwell

May appears to be abandoned

Entering Brexit as we are about to, we must present ourselves as a qualified body capable of fighting our own corner. Whatever Theresa May says she must be supported and not left as a lone mouthpiece, even with the great spirit she has.

Please, somebody give her some backing. Do not let her carry this burden alone, this is a party problem. In the beginning she was presented as a party member, now with this ‘you done it attitude’ she appears abandoned.Somebody please offer her a word of confidence and reassurance, tell her we are with her before the whole fighting spirit is knocked out of her.Do not let us enter these talks as a disorderly rabble which will impress nobody. We must put on a unified front, starting now. Otherwise we will finish up as that lone island off the west coast of Europe.

JACK DYE

Gonville Road,

Gorleston

Best season was four trophies

Whilst acknowledging the fact that Great Yarmouth Town Hall FC enjoyed a highly successful campaign, the claim on the back page of the Mercury last week that this was their best season since being formed in 1949 is simply not the case.

In the 1969/70 season they won the Wiltshire Cup, the Norfolk Junior Cup, the League Cup and the Yarmouth and District league Division One title.

This was the first time a team had won all four trophies in the same season.

D J NICHOLS

Hemsby Road,

Martham

Tragedies could become ‘normal’

On February 6, 2014, the then housing minister, Brandon Lewis, told the Commons why he would not make sprinkler systems compulsory in high-rise housing developments: “It is the responsibility of the fire industry, rather than the Government, to market fire sprinkler systems effectively.”

Nobody should claim that the shameful crematorium of Grenfell Towers is his fault, but Mr Lewis was a housing minister who felt that his duty as a housing minister was not to have any power over housing.

He was proudly not in charge of the very thing he was in charge of, because “housing” was so deregulated, privatised and outsourced by his party that there was nothing left for him to be in charge of.

In is only in the aftermath of tragedies such as this that we realise how much authority we have allowed our elective representatives to give away.

Standing in front of a tragedy they were unable to inhibit, surrounded by security to protect them from being confronted by the public like a Quisling, our politicians cannot tell us what we want and need to hear, that we will be taken care of, because they have no authority left to be able to do so.

Who is in charge enough to help us? We robbed Parliament of its authority when we insisted upon a referendum that robbed it of its authority. Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn lost the recent election and aren’t in charge. The House of Lords is threatened, the press are threatening, and the judiciary are being dubbed enemies of a public whipped into frenzy by unaccountable social media.

Until we demand the government of, and by, us starts caring for us, these tragedies will become the new normal.

ANDERS LARSON

Great Yarmouth and Vienna