Letters: February 8, 2017

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Look at the real history

JOHN Stooke’s letter (SA 3rd Feb) is the most pro-Swindon and sensible letter we have seen for some time.

He is absolutely right to question investment in new “heritage and culture” projects when items, particularly buildings, of real historic interest in the town are allowed to rot and decay.

What must unwary tourists think as they happen upon the remains of the Mechanics’ Institute as it is today with trees actually growing out of the gutterings (or so they were last time I walked past) whilst new commercial buildings with architectural merit visible only through the eyes of their creators, eg Falcon House in Fleming way, W H Smith’s HQ building at Greenbridge, appear (and often after 20 years or so disappear) with apparently little thought for their depressing effect on visitors? Even your own offices are to be developed (aka demolished), with only the frontage preserved.

As far as the Mechanics and similar Victorian and Edwardian edifices are concerned, one is tempted to suspect that the ruling capitalists of this borough are happy to sit on their hands until renovation is impossible and then encourage the borough council to take over and later sell off the remains cheaply for redevelopment.

In retrospect it might have been better for the Mechanics’ had the original owner’s hotel development been approved. As it says on the Swindonweb website: “The people who built and developed the Mechanics’ Institute are to be remembered as a remarkable generation. The tragedy is that unless the ambitious New Mechanics’ Institution Preservation Trust achieves its aim of giving the building back to the people of Swindon, our own generation may be remembered as the one that allowed a vital piece of our heritage to crumble, quite literally, into dust.”

Isn’t it about time this sinking Titanic asked outsiders for help with its image rather than relying on a bunch of money-oriented politicians making secret plans whilst hiding in a Cabinet? Remember Digital City UK 2009 (free wifi for all).

TERRY FLINDERS

Upper Stratton

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Pay up for treatment

LIKE thousands of British taxpayers I am filled with dismay when I read of the millions of pounds of NHS money being spent on health tourism, and particularly a couple of recent cases from Nigeria, where, I am shocked to read that, following IVF treatment women are being advised to try to come to Britain for the birth because of the lack of facilities in Nigeria in the event of multiple births.

The most recent case having been refused entry into America and flown back to Nigeria - why was she allowed to board an aircraft at Lagos airport and be flown to Britain when she was in an advanced state of pregnancy? The bill for her NHS care alone is already half a million, not counting the cost of her care which is being met by a charity!

As the UK is giving Nigeria £252million pounds in foreign aid it is quite clear that the costs being incurred by the NHS should be deducted from this sum before it is paid.

FRANK SKULL

Summerhouse Road, Wroughton

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Who’s the hypocrite?

IAN Hunt has done it again. He accuses others of being “dim bats” with “muddled minds” in his conclusion to a letter demonstrating dim batted muddle registering high on the Richter scale.

He says last year’s migrants to the UK, given national insurance numbers, didn’t prove they were refugees. Why would they? The overwhelming majority are not refugees and never claimed to be. He then poses a question about protesters which is completely adrift from reality.

Turning from the ridiculous, we have Des Morgan’s “What about Obama” letter. Des doesn’t like anti-Trump protests. He does us the service of outlining the record of the Obama administration on immigration. It’s true that the policy of scapegoating immigrants and identifying them as a problem isn’t new. But Des repeats the strange charge that demonstrators against Trump are hypocritical because there were no demonstrations against the anti-immigrant policies of Obama. Even if it were true there were no demonstrations then this would be wrong. If masses of people had been awakened to action by Trump’s racism this would be “better late than never” rather than hypocrisy. But it isn’t even true. As far back as 2006 American media were reporting mega marches for immigrant rights. In LA there was a march of half a million. Under Obama there was a continuing set of organising campaigns, marches and occupations of law offices.

I’m sure Des can safely join the anti-Trump protests without fear of being called a hypocrite.

PETER SMITH

Woodside Avenue

Swindon

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Fair funding is vital

THE Government’s “fairer funding formula for schools” should have been just that. It was meant to correct the historic under funding of Wiltshire’s schools. This saw just £5,202 a year for each Wiltshire school student compared to £6,583 in Bristol and £10,524 in Hackney in London.

However, despite the announcement that the new scheme will give our schools an extra £5 million, fairness is as far away for some schools as ever.

Take Malmebury School. Rated as “outstanding” by OFSTED’s independent school inspectors, the Head Teacher has had to warn parents that his budget is to be cut by a staggering 8% in real terms.

The combined teaching unions have also recently produced their own report on the underfunding of our schools. It warns of the budget challenges faced even by those that benefit from the new settlement. The report lists the likely cuts for each school due to rising costs and pupil numbers as funding fails to keep pace with both. Parents who want to know their children’s school’s details can find them at www.schoolcuts.org.uk.

Education is fundamental to the future prospects of every child. It is also crucial to our country’s prosperity especially given the Government’s headlong and dangerous rush towards a “hard Brexit”. Alongside the NHS and social care, education should be a priority, protected area of expenditure. Recognising this, the Liberal Democrats championed 1p on income tax for education and brought in extra money to support pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds through the “pupil premium”.

In stark contrast this Conservative Government have refused to protect education spending. It has created a “fair funding for schools” proposal that is profoundly unfair to school’s like Malmesbury’s and failed to provide the funding Wiltshire children need. It should be withdrawn and replaced by one that does.

DR BRIAN MATHEW

Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for North Wiltshire