Bankers to blame

IT SEEMS next year’s General Election campaign is upon us. Kris Hopkins needs reminding that the banks, not the Labour Government, were responsible for the 2008 financial crash. Remember the queues of people outside Northern Rock, anxious about their savings? And the subsequent bailout by the government of Northern Rock and other banks like Lloyds and RBS, to the tune of billions of pounds of our money? I don’t recall the Conservatives opposing this.

If the Conservatives are committed to protecting the National Health Service, why is it pressing the NHS to make £20bn of savings by 2020? The result? Longer waiting lists, hospital staff too rushed to talk to patients about treatments, GP services under pressure. We could afford to set up the NHS after the war, when the country was on its knees. We are a rich country, and can afford to fund it now.

Unemployment is falling, but we don’t seem to be more prosperous. Many are feeling the pinch because wage rates are not rising. Too many jobs are low paid and part time. Too many people in work have to claim tax credits from the Government because they are not paid enough to maintain their families. We need not only more jobs, but also a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Joan Knott Eaton Road, Ilkley