People ignoring rules are selfish

Elaine Allouf, Ilford, full address supplied, writes:

While in George Lane, South Woodford, I was very conscious of people not making any attempt to distance from others.

For example, although I was standing right up against a shopfront on a wide pavement, one man practically brushed shoulders with me although there was plenty of room for him to have distanced himself from me.

A good handful of people I know were breaking the Tier 4 rules by staying away from home for several nights, often in areas which were in a lower tier than ours.

The thing all these people have in common is their selfishness. They are not young people but mature enough to know better. In fact they do know better and admit they are doing wrong.

They know the rules and the dangers but probably don’t think it affects them. But what about thinking about the greater good?

I heard from a doctor friend who said that the public aren’t aware of the situation in the hospitals, which are over subscribed, with patients in the corridors.

I am begging people to do the right thing and think of others or we will never rid ourselves of this awful virus. There is no point clapping the NHS staff and others if you are going to ignore the rules, prolong the pandemic and work these wonderful people into the ground. Many are already at breaking point.

We must buy in to the restrictions

Mahabir Sangha, Bethell Avenue, Ilford, writes:

We are where we are but what we do next is all that matters.
I would like to appeal to the community spirit: “let’s all go, all in” to ensure that the latest restrictions get good results.

All we can do as a community is to make sure we all buy in: contain, inhibit and follow the hands, face and space guidelines. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link: please, please let’s all be a strong link.

Survival always kicks into overdrive reactive response but let’s respond with a unified and compassionate team spirit and make the coronavirus fold.

Let’s raise our game to a new high. The hand was dealt a while back, we just need to play it with a sense of responsibility for each other and judicious decency. I’m all in. Are you with me?

National lockdown is right decision

Cllr Georgia Gould, chair of London Councils, writes:

It is heartbreaking that once again we are facing a national lockdown, but it is absolutely the right decision. Covid-19 cases are increasing at a dangerous rate and the NHS is in crisis.
This will be devastating news for all Londoners and will hit disadvantaged families, children, clinically vulnerable people and local businesses hardest of all.

Boroughs are digging deep to protect and support all our communities across the capital, drawing strength from the resilience they have shown over the past year.

However, we will also be clear with national government and others that more resources will be needed to deliver vital local services and support businesses struggling to survive.

Despite the fatigue we all feel, we must all continue to follow public health advice – hands, face and space – if we are to bring down the number of coronavirus cases and hospital admissions in our city.

By working together over the next few months, we have the best possible chance of keeping ourselves, our loved ones and our community safe as the vaccine rollout continues.

Trade agreement makes history

Will Podmore, Clavering Road, Wanstead, writes:

With the historic Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU, Britain has achieved something that no other EU member state has done. We expressed our democratic opposition to the unelected EU oligarchy – many member states have done that – and then we upheld our democratic decision against the EU’s attack.

All other European peoples who have voted against EU constitutions or treaties or austerity packages – the French, the Dutch, the Irish, the Greeks – were either ignored or forced to vote again until they gave the ‘right’ answer.

Britain is the first nation in the history of this anti-democratic, neoliberal oligarchy to uphold its democratic majority vote.

The deal will be good for both partners. Yet the Scottish National Party is against the agreement.

Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, said last year, “If Scotland is dragged out of the EU against its will with no-deal it will be economically catastrophic for Scotland and will cost 100,000 Scottish jobs”.

Yet the SNP has just voted for the no-deal outcome it (wrongly) called catastrophic! The SNP always gets economics wrong.

Mr Blackford claimed last year that “Scotland has subsidised the rest of the UK for most of the last 40-year period.”

It was a net contributor for the 10 years from 1981, thanks to the North Sea oil boom. But Scotland was a net beneficiary in every year since 1990/91, except for 2008/2009. Blackford was wrong: 11 out of 40 was not ‘most’.

We’re here to help care leavers

David Holmes CBE, chief executive, Family Action, writes:

It can be frightening and lonely for young people when they leave the care system. Many may be living on their own for the first time and often will not have a network of friends and family around to offer them support.

However, the charity Family Action runs Listening Works, a free virtual helpline specifically for young care leavers aged 18-27 years old across the UK.

We are here all evening, every evening 6pm to midnight.

So if you are a care leaver, whether you’ve got something on your mind or you just fancy a friendly chat, we’re here for you when many other services are shut or not available.

You can call us on 0808 802 0222, text us on 07860 065 169 or you can have a web chat with us via our website – whatever kind of listening works for you, we are here.

Our trained volunteers can offer you someone to talk to – a listening ear, a friendly voice and a chance to talk openly about whatever’s on your mind. We also offer signposting to useful resources if any specific issues come up and information about other support out there and how to get it.

So if you are a care leaver, or know a care leaver who might benefit, please remember Listening Works is here for you. Please get in touch.