Your letters - June 25, 2010

Road works no excuse to speed

In view of the impending and lengthy proposed road works in North Trade Road, Battle, this will I fear result in much greater traffic flows through Netherfield itself and in particular down Netherfield Hill, where there is a 30 mph speed limit.

Whilst the vast majority of drivers will I am sure comply with the speed limits on Netherfield Road and Netherfield Hill, we may well be subjected to the small minority who regard traffic signs as merely a suggestion, and I hope that the Police will ensure that the relevant speed limits are complied with during this period for the benefit of residents.

Peter Sutton

Netherfield Hill, Battle

I would not vote for Winchelsea whingers

On reading the Winchelsea Councillor's reports as frequently printed in the Observer, one is given the impression of "whinging old men," who seem to think they were solely elected on a single mandate for a separate Parish Council for our Town.

I for one, as a resident of Winchelsea, cannot remember this being so. Had I known this was the case, I and a number of other residents, would not have voted for them.

We need Icklesham Parish Council with their common sense approach to finance, to keep in check Winchelsea Parish Councillors with their excessively expensive solutions to any given parish problem, particularly when currently, the rest of the Country is facing severe cut backs in Public Sector expenditure.

Donald Cameron-Clarke

Winchelsea Resident

The real cost of scrappage should be known

"So many people have benefited from Labour's car scrappage scheme", so we are led to believe. However, this is a clear case of, "seemed a good idea at the time."

One repercussion of the scrappage scheme is that there are less cars going for MOTs. New cars are exempt from MOTs for, I believe, 3 years. This has resulted in many, many MOT garages and car repair facilities suffering a severe drop in their income. Tax-payers have had to foot the scrappage allowance given to the dealers selling the new cars. Come on, surely you realise that the scrappage money doesn't come from thin air? It comes from our taxes. You might say it's a recycling of money from one section of workers who suffer loss to another that benefit. Scrappage car dealers get their bonuses at the expense of MOT and repair centres losing business.

In a couple of years time these new cars will have to have their first MOT; most will probably get through. Established MOT centres and repairers have planned a desperate course through the recession but now find they have been robbed of their income by the subsidising of our taxes to dealers and manufacturers.

I have never liked the scrappage scheme; in many cases potential classic cars have been irretrievably lost. I believe the cost of repair and MOT for a newish car far outweighs the argument for providing tax-payers money to scrap and buy a new car. The fact that car manufacturers and dealers have been bailed out by tax-payers money, just like the fat-cat bankers, should be cause for concern for all of us. I won't hold my breath that the new government will do anything about it, though.

Tony Smith

Ashburnham, Battle

Smoking is not yet a criminal offence

In last weeks paper D Ibbleigh pontificates on the errors of the smoking public at the Conquest hospital, how dare he, it is not yet illegal to purchase cigarettes.

It is not yet illegal to smoke cigarettes, even in this power mad country where a third of the populace smoke it is the minority in this one instance that still is pilloried, I presume that the sports injury he was complaining about was self inflicted, if he chooses to partake in a dangerous sport that is his prerogative, if the smokers wish to undertake using his words the inhalation smoke and tar that is their prerogative.

If he stops undertaking "sports" he would not be injured and would not need to go to the hospital so would not have to meet the representatives of the silent minority that smoke, outside in all weathers because shelters are not provided, many of them also stupid enough to get injured playing sports even though they smoke which I reiterate is still not yet illegal.

David M Greenfields

Dunes Ave

Camber

Democracy is not just a local issue

If you truly believe in democracy, then it must exist at all levels of governance whether locally, nationally or in Europe.

I would therefore totally agree with Barry Jones (letters 18 June) that it is an affront to democracy that the British government signed the Lisbon treaty without holding a referendum.

Just as great a travesty was inflicted upon the Irish people who having opposed the treaty, were then shamefully made to vote again until they came up with the "right answer".

More recently a President of the European Council was appointed without being voted for by the people of Europe. The Eurocrats have tried to paint this role as a low key administrator, but given that Tony Blair was in the frame, this role is viewed by many as being the "President of Europe".

This brings us back to our "patchwork quilt" of a constitution that has allowed this situation to happen.

The often eulogised Magna Carta has not stopped the march of European bureaucracy and has very little in it for the rights of ordinary Englishmen (as opposed to powerful Norman barons).

Contrast this with the US constitution, an easy to read document that starts with the uplifting preamble "We the People in order to form a more perfect Union..." then goes on to put the people firmly in charge of their government, rather than the other way round as it is in Britain.

This enables ordinary Americans to frequently scream "this is unconstitutional" at their politicians and bring legal cases to stop unconstitutional acts of the US government.

The irony of this situation is that many people from these islands had a helping hand in the development of the US constitution and indeed our 1689 Bill of Rights was a direct influence.

So let's bring these democratic principles back home to Britain and write ourselves a proper constitution - one that inspires the people of this great country and puts them in charge of government ...and yes Barry, a constitution that ensures power cannot be given away to Europe without the will of the People !

Clive Bishop

Asten Fields, Battle

De La Warr no longer fulfils our needs

I would like to thank all of the people who have written in concerning the De La Warr Pavilion over the last few weeks. It is obvious that there is a lot of concern that the De La Warr is no longer fulfilling the needs of locals.

Not only that, but it is also now failing to be the visitor attraction that it has been in the past. All of this makes John Betts' letter in last week's Bexhill Observer all the more astonishing.

One thing that John is right about is that the DLWP is OUR own unique and iconic building. However, that is exactly the frustration. It is a wonderful building… it is just poorly managed and no longer serves residents as it should.

I should think that John's letter will have made quite a few residents angry. For him to suggest that residents writing into this newspaper may have never actually visited the building is utterly ridiculous and demonstrates the seriousness with which his comments should be viewed.

He has mentioned a couple of days in which the DLWP has been busy (nice, summery days). Perhaps we could list the other 363 days of the year that the DLWP has not been busy and the evenings in which the DLWP has been in total darkness.

Yes, 363 days is an exaggeration, but there have been far more empty days than full days. It was originally built as an entertainment venue - now we have to look to theatres in Eastbourne and Hastings for entertainment, meaning that all the evening revenue goes out of town (but never mind, the DLWP doesn't have to make a profit).

Now, maybe all that would be okay if the DLWP was actually attracting visitors to Bexhill. But it's not doing that either. Recent independent surveys (Tourism South East, for example) demonstrate that and the only statistics that act as a counter-claim are the unfathomable ones produced by the DLWP themselves. It's a good job, then, that in Alan Haydon's last report he was "avoiding the temptation to rely on statistics."

I actually asked Rother District Council three times to give its response to the Tourism South East survey results (remember that they showed that only eight per cent of visitors came to Bexhill specifically to visit the De La Warr Pavilion in 2009 - seven per cent lower than in 2006) and it refused to answer the question.

At the end of the day, whether or not we like the way the DLWP is being run, we are all paying for it with our council tax money. That means that every one of us has a right to say what they think about it and should be encouraged to make our views known if we aren't happy - without being belittled by others.

Georgina Roberts

Cantelupe Road, Bexhill

Claverham makes a wonderful Leavers Day

With reference to the story in the Friday 4th June edition of the Battle Observer "Young Revellers Keep Police Busy".

I am so pleased that Mr Swatton wrote to correct it. I think the newspaper owe the school and the students an apology for jumping to conclusions.

Claverham make Leavers Day a wonderful excuse for the students to organise the most amazing fancy dress.

We saw some of them walking to school and they looked fantastic. Groups of Storm Troopers, Flight Crew and Spartans. What a pleasure it was to see them!

Carole Coussens

Bexhill

Why can't they give the smokers a break?

WITH regards to the letter 'Stub out smoking at hospital entrance'. I find it hard to comprehend why someone would make such an issue out of this.

Smoking is an addictive habit which as anyone knows who has tried to give up, is easier said than done.

Just because someone has had to go into hospital, doesn't mean that as soon as they walk through the doors, they automatically give up smoking.

In fact it can be made worse as it can be a very stressful time. Gone are the days when you could smoke anywhere.

I could understand D.Ibbleigh's issue if they were welcomed by ten people wielding knives outside the front entrance and threatened.

Also to mention smokers and Osama Bin Laden in the same letter is absolutely ridiculous.

I'm sure our troops fighting for our country would be very proud of the support of the above person who obviously thinks that smoking is a far worse crime than terrorism.

Some people need to take a step back and look at what really matters in the world.

CARL MORTON

Battle Road, St Leonards