Boost NHS by making the wealthy pay more (From This Is Wiltshire)

Access to NHS care – including knee, hip and cataract operations – is being restricted, data from health trusts in England suggests.

The Freedom of Information Act has revealed that GP magazine shows 90 per cent of trusts were imposing restrictions. NHS managers defend the practice, stating that care has to be prioritised.

The Government’s prior announcements of introducing competition and choice to the NHS now seems all too clear; you can have a choice as long as you can afford it. Cataract operations done privately will cost the patient £2,500 – and that’s at today’s prices.

Wait until you require one in a few years’ time and you will have to pay even more as inflation and profiteering force up the price.

Of course, the Government will trot out the same excuse that ‘there is no alternative’ (TINA, Mrs Thatcher’s favourite acronym) if the NHS is to continue to work efficiently and to survive in the current economic climate.

Well, there is an alternative.

For a start, make the high earners pay the income tax they should be paying and do another U-turn and reverse the last budget announcement that reduced their tax to 45 per cent.

Stop punishing the lower paid and pensioners and the Government might, just might, stand a chance of not alienating the whole of the fair-minded people of this country when the next General Election comes around.

This is fast becoming a ‘no country for old men’ (and women). When they have taken away your free bus pass, free medical subscriptions and fuel allowance, Britain will be in a sad state of affairs; a divided realm where only the strong will survive. Lord Beveridge must be turning in his grave.

John Beale Wigmore Avenue Swindon

Forgotten victims

Reading the reaction of the partner and family of David Ainsworth, the deputy chief constable of Wiltshire (Adver, June 14), who commited suicide last year, I cannot help but feel they have missed the point somewhat by criticising the authorities for the way they ‘let him down’ and ‘did not examine his state of mind’ during the investigation into his behaviour.

It seems they are trying to deflect responsibility and the publicity away from him, and what he was accused of, onto the police authority.

There have been so many glowing reports about the deputy chief constable from friends, family, partner and former chief constable of Wiltshire that I wonder if they have all forgotten just what he was under investigation for. That is, sexual harassment.

This was not the case of just one isolated individual making an allegation, 13 female members of staff raised a total of 26 allegations.

Not only that, the investigation was widened in February 2011 to take in his service at Kent. I sincerely hope that the former chief constable of Wiltshire, Brian Moore, whilst praising David Ainsworth for his outstanding police work, takes time out to apologise to all the female members of staff, who so bravely came forward to report these incidents.

Let’s not forget these women, who have all but been forgotten, are also victims. I just hope they get their day in court and the justice they deserve.

Mr B Tomlin Headlands Grove Swindon

Having a rant

Our once civilised and democratic society, which those of my generation gave their lives to defend, is now in the grip of a massive crimewave which none of us could have envisaged. Responsibility for this ghastly scenario lies, to a large extent, in the uncontrolled levels of immigration condoned by the traitors in Parliament and demonstrated on a daily basis in the media.

An expected response to this situation from the overpaid and cosseted members of Parliament should have results; instead they luxuriate in their privileged lifestyle as the quality of life for the indigenous population is destroyed. A day of reckoning will surely come.

Frank Avenell Beckhampton Street Swindon

No play park

I should like to sound a word of warning to any prospective buyers at the Beaufort Park, the David Wilson Homes’ development in Royal Wootton Bassett.

The houses are excellent. However, over a year ago, when I purchased my dwelling within the complex, I was assured that a children’s play park would be constructed and operational during the current summer.

Word has it that the play park will now not be ready for approximately 18 months. Thus, the local children tear about the streets on scooters making daytime peace and quiet an impossibility; not withstanding the obvious safety issues.

I have conveyed my concerns to David Wilson Homes.

Sadly, they are not particularly interested.

W Perrins Beaufort Park Royal Wootton Bassett

Full steam ahead

I would like to thank Barrie Hudson for his excellent and accurate Remember When column (Adver, June 14).

However, there is one point which I did not make clear in the interview.

When I was invited onto the footplate of a steam locomotive, it was probably a Swindon driver and fireman. The locomotive was a Great Western Railway mogul class 2-6-0. It took place at Cirencester Watermoor railway station.

The kind fireman lifted me at the appropriate time to pull the chain to sound the whistle. To me, as a young child, this was magical. I was hooked on steam locomotives for life.

It was almost unknown for anybody to go to the end of the railway platform. There was a magnificent steam locomotive at Brno Station proudly displaying the Czechoslovakian Star. I waited until half a minute before departure time and took a colour photograph. The female ticket inspector remonstrated with me until the locomotive driver yelled at her to get back on the train. While she was returning to the train I took another camera from my bag and took a photograph, this time with black and white film.

Some friends visited Czechoslovakia and had their cameras visible. They believed they were followed, culminating in them being interrogated for five hours. One of them, a manager, said afterwards the interrogator used words in English which he hardly knew the meaning of.

Bob Grainger Kingswood Avenue Swindon

Mugging appeal

My 13 year old son was mugged and had his phone stolen close to the Oasis on June 16. I would like to publicly thank the police for the way in which they cared for my son.

I would also like to appeal to the lads who were with the thief and ask them to report the him to the police. Fortunately my son was not too badly hurt, even though he was forced to the ground and repeatedly kicked.

Next time this person may have a knife and someone might get badly hurt or even killed. Can you really be friends with a person capable of this? He might even turn on you or your friends and family next.

Someone out there knows this person. Do us all a favour and turn him in and save him from himself because if he kills someone his life will also be ruined when he is caught.

Name and address supplied

Eurozone solution

The way out of the current financial crisis in Europe is for the countries with trade surpluses to buy goods from those countries running trade deficits.

China, Germany and Japan have run trade surpluses for decades and their foreign currency reserves run to trillions of pounds.

If these surpluses were used to buy goods from deficit countries like Greece and Spain, this could put an end to the current financial crisis in the Eurozone.

Steve Halden Beaufort Green, Swindon