Readers' letters from Saturday 30 Jun 2007

'Silenced by the BBC'

Or maybe, having accepted £100m from a European Union bank, they are under some sort of control. I phoned in to the Radio 4 Any Answers programme about the question, ‘should there be a referendum on the constitution’. I wanted to make the point that the government promised us a referendum, we have not had one, now we want one.  Tony Blair and several other MPs should look up in their dictionaries the word ‘quisling’ – a traitor who collaborates with the invaders of his country – and ask if the cap fits.The Dutch and French said ‘no’ to the constitution, perhaps we need them again as allies to join the true British people and overturn the treaty/constitution which gives the European Union controls over us.However, I could not make these points because the BBC considered questions about power stations in China, whether a young girl should be allowed to wear a ring in school and problems in prisons, were more important than the question of a referendum on the constitution, which was given just three minutes at the end of the programme. If we are refused a referendum, we should demand a vote of no confidence in the government.

Gerald Price, UKIP, Stockport

Banking tips

Since then more new technology has been introduced with the aim of making banking easier and it is often older people who can benefit most from these new ideas. However, many older people are struggling to keep up to date; a recent Help the Aged survey shows that 96 per cent of older people want more help with managing their money in the face of technological changes.  To tackle money manage-ment issues, Help the Aged and Barclays are working together on the Your Money Matters programme. To coincide with the anniversary of the cash machine, there will be special Your Money Matters sessions to help older people get to grips with modern banking technology at Age Concern, Macclesfield. They are also providing a Modern Banking Benefits Guide that will outline how and why older people can harness these services. If you could benefit from the sessions, or a copy of the Modern Banking Benefits Guide, call Help the Aged on 01625 611 948 or visit helptheaged.org.uk

June Whitfield, CBE, Help the Aged supporter

Clever thinking

Rather than congestion caused by an excess of half-empty buses on main routes at peak times, let’s consider reallocating some of those buses and minibuses to journeys across town, in the name of peak time convenience and efficiency – direct journeys from Gorton to Bury, from Chorlton to Salford, from Eccles to Altrincham.It’s not just about the city centre.

Dr Andrew Howes, Manchester

Only good news

However, I am lucky enough to live in a place with good rail links. If congestion charging is brought in, in conjunction with improved public transport and better cycling provision, it can only be a good thing.

Help, not hector

One element among many in this comprehensive plan, which aims to help local residents access the tens of thousands of new jobs being created in the city, does involve exploring the idea of having experienced Jobcentre Plus advisers in selected GPs surgeries. Evidence suggests that people who are in work and earning an income enjoy better health. As the article acknowledged, this idea is in its very early stages. It also notes that the scheme would be entirely voluntary, both for patients and GPs and to suggest that doctors would be asked to ‘snoop’ on patients or ‘police’ benefits is completely wrong. The whole thrust of the initiative would be to support people who wanted to return to work, signposting training opportunities and helping tackle barriers to work. It is about helping people, not hectoring them.

Coun Sue Murphy, Executive Member for Employment and Skills, Manchester city council, Barry Gillespie, Public Health Consultant, Manchester Primary Care Trust

Check-in times are adding to airport misery and delays

Our flight was at 08:00 and, because we had a small child we were unable to check-in online and so we had to wait until the check-in opened (two hours prior to take-off as usual) and we were there on the dot. And it was a good thing we were. The queue for security reached almost to the check-in area and, without any time to relax, have a drink or buy even a tube of toothpaste, we just made our flight, in fact, we arrived at the gate and were the last to board the plane, having stood in line, in hot and uncomfortable conditions, for just under 90 minutes. Just how early does Mr Harrison suggest we arrive at the airport? I see that the airport will be re-siting the security area, which is a good thing. May I also suggest, given that this situation will no doubt persist long into the future, the airlines rethink their policy on check-in times? They should get rid of this two-hour limit for us unfortunate folks unable to use the on-line facility. I must however say that we had exactly the same experience coming back from Barcelona, again caused by the two-hour check-in rule. One more thing, why is there so much inconsistency in what is and isn’t checked by security? We had to taste all our baby’s feeds and unpack the bags etc in Manchester, yet in Barcelona nothing was checked and we could have carried anything on to the plane. It is no wonder there is so much confusion.

Simon Edwards, Manchester