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That’s some brass neck

You’ve got to hand it to these ‘kippers’. They certainly have some brass neck, and they seem like buses. Just when you think they’ve finished running, two come along at the same time!

They all seem delighted to take close to £180,000 a year in salary, expenses and perks, apparently a monster relocation allowance, and a healthy pension for life. All this is happily received from an organisation they profess to despise and detest to a man.

When Nigel was the main man, he managed to collect around him 70 or so mavericks, oddballs and eccentrics. What united them was a hatred of the EU, coupled with a desire to trouser the maximum possible in largesse. Can he now find a further motley collection of xenophobes and closet racists? I’m afraid the less said about our own local proposed candidate the better.

Who can forget Andre Lampitt, Neil Hamilton, Godfrey Bloom, Paul Witten, Gerald Batten. They were also incredibly lazy. Paul Nuttall, he who had the problem with the ‘actuality’, famously admitted his attendance record was flaky (except on payday).

When they did turn up, their voting record was shameful. The UKIP cabal voted against improved lorry cab design rules making it easier for drivers to see cyclists, against more transparency from lobbying firms to curb their influence, they opposed better protection for package holiday makers, they opposed more transparency in medical clinical trials … I could go on.

The UK held 10 per cent of the seats in the European Parliament and in 40 years they have done not one jot to improve the acknowledged shoddy practices, to deal with the abuses that undoubtedly go on or to slow down the bureaucracy’s desire for continuous expansion. Instead they have done nothing at all beyond getting the wheelbarrow out on pay day.

There is undoubtedly a significant minority in this country that hate the EU, whipped up by a narrow populist press, opportunist politicians, exaggerated claims of lost freedoms and an understandable concern about continuing net inward migration of 200,000 plus annually, although now hardly any of this is from the EU.

If we have to return party politicians to the EU, they should be people of vision, of goodwill and positive outlook. Whether this is for our long term benefit or our European friends’ benefit, it will be a big mistake to elect those who only seek to destroy, have nothing worthwhile to say and only want to reclaim their seats on the gravy train.

John Stooke, Haydon End

Why wait for bad rating?

I read the comments from both the Labour and SBC spokesman in reference to the Bobbins care home. What I don’t understand is that do all of the care homes both SBC and private not get the unannounced inspections from either of the main parties that make up the council already?

Or do you not bother and just wait for a negative, failing or inadequate report from the Care Quality Commission, then you all start blaming one another for a bad report. Do you not already make unannounced visits? If not why not? I personally have had the need for adult social care for relatives in both Fessy House and Whitbourne House and I have seen inspections and numerous visits by senior members of the care staff doing unannounced walk throughs asking visitors for feed back and sorting any problems there and then. If Fessy and Whitbourne can do it being totally run by SBC, why can’t the privately owned properties? Problems within care homes should be solved before they become a inadequate rating from the CQC.

John Crook, Haydon Wick