Thursday's letters including 'Baldwin doesn’t catch the bus'

The following day, the headline on your paper’s letters page stated, ‘The new bus service is diabolical’. The letters described the service as ‘appalling, beyond a joke, regularly late (sometimes) missed out completely’ and the drivers as ‘unbelievably rude, insulting and swearing at passengers’.

It’s strange how the same bus service can produce such differing perceptions. Who should we believe? The local MP singing its praises – or the people who actually use the service ?

But of course, Mrs Baldwin doesn’t travel by bus. She just jumps on the nearest bandwagon.

David Withey

Malvern

Fracking will harm wildlife

SIR – I wish every success to efforts to make it harder for the government to push through plans for fracking (“U-turn plea on fracking”, Worcester News, April 22).

Whatever the harm done to humans by this activity, the damage caused to wildlife is likely to be massively greater.

In the USA, where fracking is rife, millions of fish and other aquatic animals have been killed through fracking wastewater getting into rivers and streams.

Fracking turns natural areas into industrial zones, and to build large-scale fracking sites, thousands of acres of land must be cleared, directly threatening the livelihood of whole ecosystems due to increased potential for air and water pollution.

A single drilling station can affect many acres, harming birds and nocturnal species that are highly sensitive to disruption.

Unless we say no to fracking, large numbers of wild animals are going to suffer and die through yet another example of the selfishness, arrogance and stupidity of the human species.

Peter Talbot

Worcester

Don’t forget big EU flaws

SIR – With the EU referendum approaching, we hear a lot from both sides of the argument. Recently we have heard from the treasury, where our local MP works, with some predictions for the year 2030. George Osborne’s record on predictions has not been very good, so his predictions on our financial situation 15 years hence are not worth the paper that they are written on. We then hear from Barack Obama, who requires Britain (or David Cameron) to be America’s mouthpiece in the EU.

However, what tends to be forgotten in the ongoing debate about trade and prosperity are the facts that the EU is undemocratic, over-bureaucratic, and obsessed with regulation: and that Brussels is a centre of financial incompetence where the auditors have not signed off the books for the last 21 years! What is more the Eurocrats seem to have nothing but contempt for the people of Europe. And we, the British tax-payers, pay £50 million day to belong to this organisation. To coin a phrase “it beggars belief”!

Richard Chamings Castlemorton Common Stop wasting NHS cash SIR – Your item about patients waiting for operations (April 25) raises the issue of delays to NHS treatment for reasons of weight and smoking.

Yet Worcestershire NHS pays millions of pounds to a private company for an overpriced and inadequate hospital. NHS funds are wasted paying fines to regulators for missing targets, and more money is wasted with one part of the NHS chasing payment from another.

We can be sure that if rationing is allowed for weight or smoking reasons other factors will be added to the list. Worcester Trades Union Council is defending our NHS services and campaigns for the money that is needed to be provided, it is our NHS, let us defend it for all our benefit, contact WTUC at wtuc@btinternet.com.

Pete McNally

Worcester

Trade Union Council, Welland

Obama is a lame duck

SIR – So President Obama says we will be at the back of the queue to trade with if we don’t do as he says and vote to remain in the EU.

Really? Perhaps someone should tell him, we will remember that when he needs our armed forces to assist him.

Actually. Obama didn’t mention that there is no trade deal between the States and the EU.

As for the word “queue”, we are already at the back thanks to the EU and mass immigration.

But who wants to listen to him anyway? He is out of office in a few months, so like all out going presidents, he is a lame duck. If he signs up , and creates a union with Mexico, and let them meddle in the USA affairs, and allows all Mexicans free movement, ill vote to remain in, if not... stick your thoughts, Mr Obama.

GB DIPPER

Leominster