WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
From our website
We Need Defence
In response to We Won’t Be Silenced (HIP 303), I’m not for any war. However, we need defence, right? Or should we have no defence and just let any country that feels like it come and attack the UK? We’ll all be speaking Russian soon then.
So if we need defence, we need to buy things like F16s. Someone has to make them. General Dynamics employs a few hundred people in Hastings making parts – not whole systems, and not all for defence but some for luxury goods. So they’d rather they are unemployed instead?
It’s a very biased view. Where would you draw the line? We can probably link all industry to defence systems, so let’s shut down every employment opportunity in Hastings then? I can’t see why you choose to go with “mainly makes products related to war”, while saying nothing about defending our country.
General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defence corporation known primarily for manufacturing Gulfstream business jets, nuclear-powered submarines, main battle tanks, and advanced defence and avionic systems. So here’s hoping, for the jobs of the people, that the Green party have more sense than the journalist here.
Ian Summerfield
Letter
Contra Costa
Dear HIP
In the light of recent appearances in HIP, would you consider starting a conversation with your readership about what a community newspaper is, and what it is for?
I like having a community newspaper, and I appreciate the time and efforts of the volunteers that keep the paper going. For myself, I don’t expect to agree with everything I see because, obviously, different parts of the community have different opinions. I like the way HIP is usually full of information about a range of local, independent and community-friendly projects and businesses.
Usually. But HIP issues 303 and 304 dedicated whole pages to an advert for a coffee-house chain owned by Coca-Cola. There are several reasons why this is, in my opinion, a terrible idea. I’ll stick to the main two.
Firstly, I would expect that as a community newspaper, HIP is against genocide. I wonder if your editors are aware that vast numbers of people, charities and community organisations around the world are taking part in a BDS (boycott, divest and sanction) campaign to try and stop companies from investing in Israel whilst its government maintains its murderous stranglehold on the Palestinian people? It’s much the same as the boycott campaign that people and organisations around the world successfully used to put an end to the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Secondly, the full-page ad for a corporate outlet sits very oddly with your usual content about local businesses, projects, charities and politics – the kind of endeavours, in fact, which are often threatened by the expansion and promotion of big, corporate businesses.
Perhaps you don’t see it that way, or perhaps you weren’t aware that the establishment you are promoting is a Coca-Cola company, and therefore should not, in many people’s opinion, be assisted by community-friendly organisations?
I’d be interested to know your position on this.
Kay Green
Letter
Heritage Responses
In response to Hastings Heritage in Peril (HIP 304), Hastings Borough Council and its officers do need to protect our heritage (and any tourism benefit), but we should all care. The protection and restoration of buildings and monuments must be the norm – not the exception! With the dearth of industry in our area we rely heavily upon tourism to supplement the rates. Not caring about our heritage is to not care about our area’s future. We do need to move forward, but we need to work around our history.
Bryan Fisher
The “above-ground shelters” listed as “in danger” at Robertson Terrace are the outlets for the fans that ventilated the car park when it was originally built. The machinery was removed some time ago along with the ducting which provided ventilation in a time when most cars produced a lot of fumes when running.
Peter Roadman
From our website
Reform in Charge at County Hall
Not even pretending to be objective, are you (Tories Hand Council to Reform, HIP 303)? Minority administrations exist in many councils and do so with the support of smaller parties. If they could have made the numbers, doubtless Labour and the Lib Dems would have supported a Green minority council.
Likewise Reform councillors may not be very experienced, but neither would the Green councillors if they had formed a majority, and they are now running Hastings Borough Council.
Also, consistently demonising Reform as ‘Nigel Farage’s far right party’ is doing you no favours.
Stephen Butterton
I’m extremely concerned. Decent social care was already a major concern for all of us and our families, and so much else too. If East Sussex County Council Reform leadership echoes Kent County Council Reform, which it will, we are going to be in even more dire straits. The result shows the utter mess that Labour nationally has brought to bear at the local level.
While national and local government are not the same, the local political landscape has been influenced by national performance. Starmer has been such an out-of-touch nonentity, an a-political disaster with no political nous, charisma or knowledge, being led by the nose by his handlers at the national level. The Tories were unable to cut through after years of Johnson, Truss and Sunak because no one believes them any more. They cut local government budgets to the bone as it is.
It’s no surprise to many that politically inexperienced voters are fed up and desperate for something different, so have fallen for Farage’s racist-schtick and ‘nationalist’ messages of flag-waving hypocrisy that are meaningless. But just you wait, Reform voters – you will see he is nothing but a shape-shifter who only wishes to garner power and money for himself, like his friend across the water, Trump.
Rosie Brocklehurst
Letter
Cool School
Dear HIP
During this very hot week many schools have closed or curtailed their day length, and who can blame them? We would just like to give a shout out to Sandown Primary School’s response.
On Wednesday our grandchildren came out of school saying they had had “the best day ever”. The school had provided bowls of cold water for the children to put their feet in and wet cloths for their heads as well as other inventive methods of keeping them cool.
Today has defeated even this seemingly indefatigable team, but they deserve great credit for their actions.
Sheila and Charlie Hume
From our website
GP Changes for the Better
Yes, I remember the times when you had ‘your’ GP (‘Medical’ Malaise in HIP 304). Often working alone with no nurse or other specialist auxiliaries, and without the range of diagnostic tests which are now routine. And if ‘your’ GP was rude or just brushed you off (“you’re just a young girl, you’re not important to me”), that was it. Personally, I much prefer the present system with all its stresses and strains.
The government needs to turn its full attention to GP services and primary care generally. They should not be expected to run businesses alongside their medical practice, which means rethinking the contract with the NHS. They need the money to employ new doctors – at the moment those can’t get GP jobs. And I suggest that we should all be prepared to accept appointments with a nurse, or a call from the pharmacist, if that answers our issue.
Bea Rogers
We would love to hear from you.
[email protected]
facebook.com/hastingsindependent
instagram.com/hastingsindependent.
HIP does not endorse the views on the Letters page. They are solely those of the writer.Please be aware we may need to edit letters for reasons of space and we will only withhold names if this is necessary for the protection of the writer
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply