Letters: August 11, 2016

Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

We should back Corbyn

IT WAS reported in the SA on August 8 that members of Swindon South Labour Party voted against the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn in favour of the little known challenger Owen Smith by 34 to 23 votes.

What makes this particularly astounding is that Jeremy Corbyn has been a very familiar face in Swindon for more than 40 years while campaigning against such landmark decisions as the setting of the iniquitous poll tax rate, marches to support the mine workers, anti-austerity and much more.

No one has worked so tirelessly for the underprivileged than Jeremy.

Being as the Tory party in Swindon has held power locally for many years now it does rather call into question their judgement and effectiveness as, yet again, it would appear that they have backed a challenger who is in favour of privatising the NHS, and said so while working for US drugs company Pfizer while taking home a wage packet of £80,000 per year.

He then had a high-powered job at the BBC, while supporting spending a classified enormous sum of taxpayers’ money on Trident, a weapon of mass destruction and murder of civilian populations, and for the continuance of Tory austerity policies that have done so much to make life a living hell for the poor, disabled, and disadvantaged in this country while fattening the pockets of the already affluent.

The decision was no doubt arrived at democratically but nonetheless is highly questionable in supporting the policies of the current Tory Party with its unelected national leader.

It would seem that there is little difference between them and the Swindon South Labour Party.

Because of the ineffectiveness of the area’s Labour opposition and its willingness to suffer the status quo, it would appear the council’s Tories will now be able to look forward to many more years in power, while wasting an additional fortune of council taxpayers’ money on more white elephant projects.

It surely would have been far better for the South Swindon Labour Party to face the fact that Jeremy Corbyn is popular in the country and has swollen Labour Party membership to 500,000 which has overtaken that of Tony Blair.

and resigned themselves to the fact that their ineffectual stance in the end will count for very little, whilst sadly having the effect of supporting the redundant ‘business as usual’ policies.

It would seem the Swindon South Labour Party has been willing to listen to the media and the anti-Corbyn detractors who insist he could never be a Prime Minister, and who have used the fact that he has a different approach to the old style of stale confrontational politics, and wishes to do the work that needs to be done in this country so as to change it into a much more equal and less divided and brutal place.

Jeremy has countless years of experience and will not allow himself to be diverted by the normal yah-boo politics the British people have been given little choice over for countless years.

G A WOODWARD

Nelson Street, Swindon

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Mela stymied by council

I’M WRITING in response to recent news that the Swindon Mela has been cancelled this year. It is outrageous that this event has been stymied because of Swindon Council bureaucracy.

I am aware of at least one other community group which has found it difficult putting on a large event when needing council co-operation.

The Swindon Mela is a showcase for South Asian art, culture and food.

The one-day event is held in the Town Gardens and promoted by Swindon Mela Limited, a not for profit company. The event is organised by the Swindon Mela Project Team who are all volunteers.

As the Swindon Mela made clear in their statement, the main reason behind the decision to cancel the festival has been adverse pressures, costs and regulation imposed on the organisation by the council.

The rising costs for street trading licences imposed on individual stallholders and a 25-page application form required by the authority to allow them to attend the event has resulted in a substantial drop out from stallholders who have supported the event in previous years.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the Swindon Goan Festival, which attracted thousands of people last year, has also had to reorganise its venue because of Swindon Borough Council.

The Swindon Goan Festival offers an opportunity for the Goan community, one of Swindon’s fastest growing communities, to showcase their culture to the whole of Swindon.

The Swindon Goan Association (organisers of the Swindon Goan Festival) have been thwarted at every attempt over this summer to obtain a license to hold this festival as an outdoor event.

First of all they struggled to get co-operation from the council to obtain the license they required, then they were told the license had been issued only to then understand it hadn’t.

Thankfully, the community organisation has now arranged to hold the event at the Punjabi Community Centre where they do not require the same licence and I hope people will be able attend and learn more about Goan culture.

The fact these cultural events have either had to be cancelled or rearranged due to an over-bearing and sometimes incompetent council bureaucracy shows the council still hasn’t shown a willingness to properly support volunteers in organising important community events.

Warm words about community events from council press releases do not mean the council is prepared to properly support and appreciate the challenges of volunteers to deliver these events.

The council needs an urgent review of all aspects of how they deal with local volunteers in managing and staging community events.

The Swindon Mela organisation have said they would like to bring forward their festival in future years and there will no doubt be other community organisations looking to deliver large-scale events.

So the need to review our practices is imperative and the Labour Group will support the council with such efforts if they do this.

CLLR JUNAB ALI

Swindon Labour Group Deputy Leader

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Don’t destroy services

ONCE again David Renard has used his leader’s column (SA August 4) to promulgate right wing political propaganda.

In writing about the national debt and his belief in the consequent necessity to change the way our services are provided (ie sell them off, give them away, privatise them or cut them out completely) he trots out the same old clichés concerning “living within our means” and “difficult decisions.”

While most people understand the need to address the issue of the national debt, I also believe that the majority do not wish to see our public services destroyed as we know them in order to deal with it.

The UK remains one of the richest nations in the world, so it is nonsense to say that we cannot afford to provide libraries, along with a range of other services, to our communities.

It is all about choices and those who argue on cost grounds against the continued provision of our public services should admit that they do so from a political viewpoint of fundamental opposition to such universal provision.

Sadly, long after Cllr Renard has departed as leader, the people of Swindon will continue to suffer from the destruction of our services, perpetrated by his Tory administration.

BOB CRETCHLEY

Parham Walk

Grange Park, Swindon

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Too many men’s letters

I WAS interested to see a reader had had enough of the space given on the letters page to the EU referendum. How right he is.

I get annoyed at the number of letters accepted for printing that are from men. Maybe the ladies do not join in the debate as the subjects do not interest them. Who knows?

I read each letter published and note the same “old boys’’ names appear regularly. Even on non-political subjects on and on they go – even on domestic happenings in their life.

One could truly come to the conclusion that it is a man’s page.

The fun letter recently over a chap’s purchase of a new mobile is an example. It appears such comical experiences from a man are worthy of a giggle.

However, the usual letters from women cover thank yous for kindnesses received or comments on shows.

The Adver needs more feminine input. Most papers have a women’s page each week. We have strong views, even if domestic and boring to men.

Happenings in our lives are equal to men’s obsession with politics and sport.

We now have a lady leading the country – she has her say. So come on editor, support your women readers. Give us a chance to write about our lives, even if they seem boring to men.

Maybe Adver columnist Gill Harris will take up our case. Now she is worth reading – a breath of fresh air. Well done Gill.

BETH

Hill View Road

Swindon

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Grammar school ban

PEOPLE of all political leanings will welcome Mrs May’s decision to lift the ban on grammar schools.

Grammar schools were abolished by the Labour Party in the 1960s in an act of social engineering driven by ideology rather than the needs of young pupils.

The fact that grammar schools were providing a leg-up for youngsters from poor or modest backgrounds meant nothing to the likes of Shirley Williams and Anthony Crosland – both scions of a gilded educational elite.

Britain needs a broad mix of schools to provide the maximum freedom of choice for parents. The restoration of grammars will add immeasurably to this.

Mrs May’s decision is based on pragmatism, not ideology. It is based on what works.

Moreover, it is a bold step to creating the kind of genuine meritocracy that can only bode well for our country.

JD LANCASHIRE

Fisherton de la Mere, Warminster

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Fix parking problem

SOME time ago, my daughter, who lives in Oakley Park off Dorcan Way, contacted the council about how, when she goes out with her pushchair, she has to go on to the road as the pavements are blocked by vehicles.

The council said it was better for the vehicles to be on the pavements, as then fire engines could get through.

Recently a fire engine was blocked by these very cars. The crews had to knock on doors to get the vehicles moved so it could get through.

So can the council have a re-think and sort out the parking problem? It is caused by bad planning and one space per household, when most houses now have several cars.

Her partner, driving out of the estate, faced with even more parked cars, had to go over to the right side of the road to pass the vehicles and to see around vans which block the view.

The time is fast coming when someone will not be able to stop and an accident will occur

Can they get this approach road bend to be double yellow lined to stop these incidents?

T REYNOLDS

Wheeler Avenue, Swindon