This is Somerset --
Europe has more to lose than we do
To all those people that tell us it would be a disaster to leave the EU, this is just the sort of scaremongering that we knew would happen.
To start with no trade would be lost with Europe as they would have much more to lose than the UK as they sell far more to us than we to them.
By withdrawing from the EU we would regain our borders, our laws, fishing rights and save millions of pounds that we send to Brussels each month.
We have lost much of our manufacturing which has been moved or is in the process of moving to Europe. It is as if our country is being raped, stripping out all the good parts, and they also are controlling more and more of our utility companies and road and rail transport.
Is it going to be the Royal Mail that next falls into foreign hands?
The EU has been a complete disaster for the UK. Remember we have the whole world out there so let's unshackle the UK from this monster and seek new trading partners and put the "Great" back into our country.
David Pilton-Slade
Fonthill Bishop, Wiltshire
More working people needed in the party
I see that a lot of heat is being generated in some quarters over the political affiliation fees paid by some members of some trade unions to the Labour Party.
In my view, there is a need for more involvement by working people in the party, it having been founded by the unions over a century ago to seek parliamentary representation.
Bearing in mind that company boards never ask their employees about political donations, perhaps it is now time for the question of company donations to the Conservative Party, in particular, to be opened up to individual secret ballots of all employees, as producers of the company wealth?
If anyone wants to find out the scale of the amounts involved relating to Conservative MPs, companies, donors or industries then go to the website at www.searchthemoney.com
In this context, a TUC report (May 20, 2013) revealed that average weekly wages fell by 8.5 per cent between March 2010 and March 2013 and separately many employees are still only being paid the legal minimum wage of £6.19 per hour, leave alone the living wage of £7.45 per hour, needing state benefits to subsidise those wages.
Tony Wardle
Exeter TUC Treasurer
Next health scandal is around the corner
I hope that I am wrong, but I believe that the next major scandal to hit the NHS will turn out to be the current mad dash to downgrade A&E departments and to concentrate all emergency services into centres, often far removed from patients' homes.
The warning signs are already there: extended ambulance response times, more queuing to offload patients, longer waiting times in A&E and a slight but significant increase in the mortality rate for patients admitted as emergencies. This situation can only get worse if closures continue to happen up and down the country.
What percentage of injuries at an A&E are truly life threatening?
I suspect the number is extremely low and that in most cases paramedics would be perfectly capable of deciding which is the most suitable hospital to take their patient to.
Obviously the most critically ill such as major injuries after a serious road accident would go to Gloucester where there is a major trauma unit or to Cheltenham where the patient's condition might be serious and painful but not immediately life threatening.
The thought of just one fully-functioning A&E department for the county is totally unacceptable, particularly as the county's population is forecast to expand considerably over the next few years.
Devon, for example, has four 24-hour A&E departments and Wiltshire three.
Peter Jaques
What have Croatians ever done for us?
Croatia joined the EU on July 1; this was cheered on by the Con-Lib Dem coalition Government and also the Labour Party.
What exactly does Croatia bring to the EU? Croatia has an unemployment rate of more than 20 per cent; youth unemployment is over 50 per cent. Croatia's national income per head is less than half of that which we enjoy in the UK. In consequence, the European Union has allocated 12 billion euros (source: The Sunday Times) – which translates to over £10 billion – in direct funding between now and 2020.
Croatia suffers from widespread corruption; indeed, the former prime minister is currently serving a ten-year jail sentence for corruption.
This time, there are transitional arrangements. However, after the transition is inevitably over, another four million people plus will have the absolute right to live, settle and work in the UK – and to benefits.
Each time a new country has joined the EU there has been yet more mass, uncontrolled immigration. This is the direct consequence of the set policies of Labour, Lib Dems and – especially – the Conservative Party.
The establishment political parties are still cheerleaders for Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and above all Turkey, with its 80 million population, to join the EU.
More worryingly still, David Cameron advocates that the EU should extend "...to the Urals...".
William Dartmouth, MEP
UK Independence Party, Exeter, Devon
My problems is with the pro-cull farmers
In response to the the letter by John Tuck about farmers and bovine TB (Daily Press, July 16) I have always emphasised in my letters that it is pro-cull farmers I have a problem with, so I am not recanting on anything.
Andrew Williams.
West Country Badger Patrol Group
Wartime horrors just as my husband said
Recently, I watched a documentary programme on the RAF stationed in Malta in the Second World War and wondered why there hadn't been a documentary about the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Unit who were in the most bombed placed in the world, as told in the book UXB Malta.
All the details were just as my late husband had told me when he returned to England in 1943 having been there since September 1939.
As soon as he returned to England he was posted to No. 2 BD Unit in London because of his experience.
Queen Mary and her household had to be evacuated when they discovered a 1,000lb ticking bomb in St James Park. I have a newspaper cutting and photo of this actually blowing up and a signed photo by the Queen when she returned later to inspect the hole (with my husband in the background).
Sadly Douglas died in 1976, I'm still going strong at 91½ years old, having done my bit in the WRNS from 1940 to 1945.
Pat Jarvis (Mrs)
Honiton, Devon Reported by This is 14 hours ago.
Europe has more to lose than we do
To all those people that tell us it would be a disaster to leave the EU, this is just the sort of scaremongering that we knew would happen.
To start with no trade would be lost with Europe as they would have much more to lose than the UK as they sell far more to us than we to them.
By withdrawing from the EU we would regain our borders, our laws, fishing rights and save millions of pounds that we send to Brussels each month.
We have lost much of our manufacturing which has been moved or is in the process of moving to Europe. It is as if our country is being raped, stripping out all the good parts, and they also are controlling more and more of our utility companies and road and rail transport.
Is it going to be the Royal Mail that next falls into foreign hands?
The EU has been a complete disaster for the UK. Remember we have the whole world out there so let's unshackle the UK from this monster and seek new trading partners and put the "Great" back into our country.
David Pilton-Slade
Fonthill Bishop, Wiltshire
More working people needed in the party
I see that a lot of heat is being generated in some quarters over the political affiliation fees paid by some members of some trade unions to the Labour Party.
In my view, there is a need for more involvement by working people in the party, it having been founded by the unions over a century ago to seek parliamentary representation.
Bearing in mind that company boards never ask their employees about political donations, perhaps it is now time for the question of company donations to the Conservative Party, in particular, to be opened up to individual secret ballots of all employees, as producers of the company wealth?
If anyone wants to find out the scale of the amounts involved relating to Conservative MPs, companies, donors or industries then go to the website at www.searchthemoney.com
In this context, a TUC report (May 20, 2013) revealed that average weekly wages fell by 8.5 per cent between March 2010 and March 2013 and separately many employees are still only being paid the legal minimum wage of £6.19 per hour, leave alone the living wage of £7.45 per hour, needing state benefits to subsidise those wages.
Tony Wardle
Exeter TUC Treasurer
Next health scandal is around the corner
I hope that I am wrong, but I believe that the next major scandal to hit the NHS will turn out to be the current mad dash to downgrade A&E departments and to concentrate all emergency services into centres, often far removed from patients' homes.
The warning signs are already there: extended ambulance response times, more queuing to offload patients, longer waiting times in A&E and a slight but significant increase in the mortality rate for patients admitted as emergencies. This situation can only get worse if closures continue to happen up and down the country.
What percentage of injuries at an A&E are truly life threatening?
I suspect the number is extremely low and that in most cases paramedics would be perfectly capable of deciding which is the most suitable hospital to take their patient to.
Obviously the most critically ill such as major injuries after a serious road accident would go to Gloucester where there is a major trauma unit or to Cheltenham where the patient's condition might be serious and painful but not immediately life threatening.
The thought of just one fully-functioning A&E department for the county is totally unacceptable, particularly as the county's population is forecast to expand considerably over the next few years.
Devon, for example, has four 24-hour A&E departments and Wiltshire three.
Peter Jaques
What have Croatians ever done for us?
Croatia joined the EU on July 1; this was cheered on by the Con-Lib Dem coalition Government and also the Labour Party.
What exactly does Croatia bring to the EU? Croatia has an unemployment rate of more than 20 per cent; youth unemployment is over 50 per cent. Croatia's national income per head is less than half of that which we enjoy in the UK. In consequence, the European Union has allocated 12 billion euros (source: The Sunday Times) – which translates to over £10 billion – in direct funding between now and 2020.
Croatia suffers from widespread corruption; indeed, the former prime minister is currently serving a ten-year jail sentence for corruption.
This time, there are transitional arrangements. However, after the transition is inevitably over, another four million people plus will have the absolute right to live, settle and work in the UK – and to benefits.
Each time a new country has joined the EU there has been yet more mass, uncontrolled immigration. This is the direct consequence of the set policies of Labour, Lib Dems and – especially – the Conservative Party.
The establishment political parties are still cheerleaders for Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and above all Turkey, with its 80 million population, to join the EU.
More worryingly still, David Cameron advocates that the EU should extend "...to the Urals...".
William Dartmouth, MEP
UK Independence Party, Exeter, Devon
My problems is with the pro-cull farmers
In response to the the letter by John Tuck about farmers and bovine TB (Daily Press, July 16) I have always emphasised in my letters that it is pro-cull farmers I have a problem with, so I am not recanting on anything.
Andrew Williams.
West Country Badger Patrol Group
Wartime horrors just as my husband said
Recently, I watched a documentary programme on the RAF stationed in Malta in the Second World War and wondered why there hadn't been a documentary about the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Unit who were in the most bombed placed in the world, as told in the book UXB Malta.
All the details were just as my late husband had told me when he returned to England in 1943 having been there since September 1939.
As soon as he returned to England he was posted to No. 2 BD Unit in London because of his experience.
Queen Mary and her household had to be evacuated when they discovered a 1,000lb ticking bomb in St James Park. I have a newspaper cutting and photo of this actually blowing up and a signed photo by the Queen when she returned later to inspect the hole (with my husband in the background).
Sadly Douglas died in 1976, I'm still going strong at 91½ years old, having done my bit in the WRNS from 1940 to 1945.
Pat Jarvis (Mrs)
Honiton, Devon Reported by This is 14 hours ago.