YP Letters: Captive Theresa May dooming us to no deal Brexit

THE more I read the papers the more I wonder if Theresa May is actually in control. The impression I get is of a Prime Minister whose every genuine effort at reaching an agreement is immediately sabotaged by the members of her own party – for whatever reason.

Arch-Brexiteers Boris Johnson and David Davis never seemed to make sufficient progress in negotiations, and perhaps this is why Mrs May took on the job herself.

Before the 2015 election, her party made great efforts to encourage Ukip members and votes into the Conservative fold. They seem to have succeeded to the extent that Mrs May is now their prisoner.

It would be re-assuring to believe that Mrs May is “running down the clock” just as a negotiating tactic. However, the truth may be that she is being forced into a position where a hard Brexit is the intended and inevitable objective of her captors. This is the reality which we all have to face.

From: Brian Sheridan, Lodge Moor, Sheffield.

“GET us out and away from these idiots give us what we asked for forget this Brexit rubbish out means out. Two years later and your (sic) still running around like headless chickens” (Feedback, The Yorkshire Post, February 12). Are sentence construction and punctuation now a dying art? Without correct punctuation, speech cannot be successfully transferred to the page, as proved by the above gibberish.

From: Phyllis Capstick, Hellifield.

IN this country of ours, we pay politicians to carry out the wishes of the majority of the electorate.

But instead we have rotten politicians trying to sort out rotten deals when the result of the referendum, over two-and-a-half years ago, was to leave the European Union.

Homes with no parking

From: S Thompson, Wadsley, Sheffield.

MOST of Sheffield Council’s decisions are not made not with safety or convenience in mind, but with regard to what money comes in from developers.

So for example, despite Government guidelines saying how much off-street parking must be assigned to new properties, it is rarely followed in the less affluent areas of the city, because developers want to make money and so build small houses with no off-street parking.

Sheffield is built on a number of hills with very steep narrow roads, so when a postage-stamp piece of land becomes available, on goes a pair of houses with no off-street parking and planners say ‘it’s on a bus route’.

If you live in a less affluent area of the city, you cannot possibly hold down a job like that of a district nurse for example, who needs a car for visiting patients or an electrician or plumber, and you certainly cannot have a job that isn’t accessible by public transport. This is discrimination.

Living in a less affluent area of the city, your safety doesn’t seem to matter, so roads with cars parked nose-to-tail mean service vehicles and large emergency vehicles can’t get to you.

So how do we help? Complain to the Government, your MP or councillor. It is possible to take out grass verges where it would help, and replace them with permeable surfaces so water can still be absorbed, and reduce the width of some footpaths.

We must never build houses without off-street parking, for our own safety. Many countries around the world have come up with ways of incorporating parking spaces into their homes and places of business. Our planners should study these.

Bus routes are too long

From: Wendie Drammah, Leeds.

NOTHING will change when it comes to bus services in Leeds (Carmel Harrison, The Yorkshire Post, February 6) and we’ll see the £174m frittered away. There are no incentives to get the bus unless you have to.

Why do First continue running ‘circular’ services across Leeds when they know Leeds city centre is a bottleneck? Services such as the 2s, 3s and 3as, 51s and 52s are never on time because the routes are too long.

Make more use of airport

From: Janet Berry, Barfield, Hambleton.

IT is estimated that HS2 will now cost more than £60bn. Many people are against this waste of money. A much better solution would be more flights at Doncaster Sheffield Airport which is so underused at the moment. Also we need to cut foreign aid which in many cases is abused. Why send all this money when we have so many homeless people living on our streets? Charity begins at home. Most people with any common sense would agree to these.

They should pay us to watch

From: Barry Foster, High Stakesby, Whitby.

IT is almost getting now that when we reach a certain age we are held responsible for the demand for hospital and GP appointments, resented for travelling on buses and having a TV. Perhaps someone ought to do something about us all?

I have never subscribed to the view that because I have put something into the pot over all my working years I should get anything. I think it has been a great benefit to me and thank you. But I would not object to paying perhaps a reduced fare on the bus to keep the service going.

As for the TV licence, they ought to be paying us to watch some of the programmes they force upon us each day. It really is great getting older!