SIR- So Francis Lankester (Letters, November 4) wants this country to be like Norway. Well, I am all in favour of that. After all, the Norwegians are very happy people according to the United Nations, nearly as happy as the Danes who regularly come top in the UN annual survey.
  His conversion to the mixed economy using the Nordic model shows great sense. The welfare state in Norway can be described as “universalist” in that it embraces everybody, rich and poor. It ticks all the important boxes like greater equality, social mobility and high trade union membership, which is supported by government and employers alike because that is how they arrange their industrial relations and solve disputes. None of this “private good, public bad” attitude you get here. 
 I could go on about smaller school class sizes, free education from nursery to university, and keeping up housing, health transport and educational provision to accommodate a higher per capita level of immigration than this country. 
 Somehow, I don’t think the anti-EU rogues’ gallery of UKIP and assorted hard right Tories have it in mind to leave the EU and then build a Scandinavian society like Norway’s. I think they expect a neo-liberal independent UK to function outside the EU and not have to sign up to 90 per cent of EU regulation as Norway does, without having any say in how the EU is run.
 Glad you have got the message, Mr Lankester.
PETER NIELSEN
Worcester

Blast from the past is greatly appreciated
SIR - Being interested in local history, I appreciated the detailed supplement covering Berrows 325 in Berrow’s Journal of October 22. I was particularly interested in the early 1950s  editorial staff photograph – page 35.
I would like to identify the part hidden sub-editor in the lower right-hand side. He was LS Cholerton (known as Stan).
 He worked for the Worcester Evening News from its beginning in the 1930s until his death in 1953, aged 49 years.
 During the 1920s he was involved with the Pavilion cinema, Friar Street, Droitwich. In a letter, the Droitwich local historian, H Copson (Nelly), mentions him as projectionist. In her memoires, she recalls fondly her childhood visits.
 Surviving from his time there, are some short newsreels – I hope to have these transferred to DVD.
 B SCHOOLCRAFT
 Kempsey
    
Hotel has no link to employee’s activities
SIR - Regarding a recent court report in your paper, I would like to point out that Mr Max Chamberlain was employed at Colwall Park Hotel from September 22 to October 11, 2015. 
He was employed as a kitchen porter and only carried out a few shifts at the hotel before the company ended his employment. 
The hotel has not been made aware of his convictions and has no link to the activity or indeed Mr Chamberlain himself.
LAURA FISH
General Manager

Tories must repeal the trade union laws
SIR – If the justification for cuts in tax credits is a low welfare, high wage economy as the Tories endlessly parrot, then they should drop the Trade Union Bill, repeal the trade union laws passed by previous Tory governments, and recommend to workers that they join a union and fight for higher pay.
PETER NIELSEN
Worcester


We must fight for the future of our planet
SIR - For the past four Saturdays I have been holding a Vigil for the Earth, on the steps of Elgar’s Statue in Worcester, between 1 and 2pm, and I will be doing so every Saturday at the same time in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP2130) to be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11. 
 I decided to do this because I’m deeply concerned about climate change and its effects of global warming. It is now widely accepted that the effects of climate change is already causing great distress, not only to me, and to the earth, but to countless numbers of my fellow human beings with whom I share this wonderful planet. 
I’m writing this letter in the hope that it will touch the hearts of many people in Worcester and the surrounding area, who share my concern. A concern which extends to the fact that our leaders, local, national and global seem to be  ignoring the need to act now to stem the man-made degradation that is happening in our world today.    
 I also appeal to those as frustrated as myself by the inertia of our political system, and hope that they will join me and others in sending a very clear message to our leaders asking them to act positively on our behalf, for our shared earth.
 There is a great opportunity for ordinary people to affect global policy at The United Nations Climate Change Conference, the objective of which is: “To achieve a binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the  world”, with the overarching goal of the Convention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global temperature increase to 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
 Pope Francis recently published an encyclical called Laudato si’ intended, in part, to influence the conference; and the International Trade Union Confederation has called for the goal to be “zero carbon, zero poverty”, with  their  general secretary Sharon Burrow repeating: “there are no jobs on a dead planet”.  Unfortunately many of our present government’s policies put profit before people, encouraging schemes such as fracking, which poisons the earth, and the proliferation of coal-fired power stations. Both are being funded by organisations outside of the UK which will make vast amounts of money for themselves.
 After Paris, the next huge step for our leaders will be to work out policies which put the earth at the very centre of life – not profit, not economics, not war, not oil, not greed, not exploitation, not who is the right colour, religion,  nationality or political party,  but what it is to live life fully as a human being. 
 There will be a Climate March in London on Sunday, November 29, please join us and visit
www.campaigncc.org/climatemarchlondon
 Many organisations are arranging coaches to go up to London, The Fold at Bransford being one of them. To express an interest in joining us please go to http://goo.gl/forms/SgHkYo2FWi or call 01886 833633.
 JANNE TOOBY
Director
www.thefold.org.uk