Your letters - January 15, 2010

Airing some views on politics

DESPITE the posturing and protestations, UKIP and the Tories are joined at the hip.

Their anti-EU rhetoric both in the Commons and the European Parliament chime perfectly.

The double act of former UKIP leader, Nigel Farage and NHS-bashing, Europhobic Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, is well known.

David Cameron, the Tory leader, who, in a throwback to the Cult of the Personality, has just declared – accompanied by a gigantic narcissistic billboard - the NHS his priority, says he is relaxed about Hannan's NHS rantings.

In the same way Tony Smith, UKIP's PPC here, is relaxed about Lord Pearson, the millionaire Old Etonian Tory, who took over from Nigel Farage.

It must have slipped Tony's mind that Pearson wanted to do a deal with fellow millionaire Old Etonian Cameron, whereby if the Tories held a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty - assuming they won the upcoming General Election - then Pearson would wind up UKIP!

Something else also needs explaining if we are to give credence to UKIP's professed respect for Europeans.

As I write I have before me the UKIP literature from last year's local council and European Parliament elections featuring prominently Winston Churchill in characteristic pose. A child of six can work out the symbolism.

Incidentally, the big story of those elections was the collapse of the Labour vote. UKIP achieved nothing spectacular. In fact its Euro vote actually fell, and opinion polls show its national support back at a low level.

The reality of UKIP is that it is a single-issue party which has tacked on a pick 'n' mix of other issues in order to appear mainstream.

And just one more thing. If the UK really is run by Brussels, why do so many MEPs switch to standing for the national Parliament, including, amongst others, Nigel Farage and my own party leader, Nick Clegg?

UKIP is like that tired old warhorse ufology. Its followers believe the aliens have landed.

STEPHEN JACKSON

Second Avenue

Bexhill.

Horse and foal situation 'desperate'

THE situation regarding horses and their foals is desperate.

The Brownbread Horse Rescue Centre has field workers stretched all over the south. The field workers are sometimes unable to reach these horses in desperate need of food, water and rugs. Some are being put down as they are too poorly to be saved.

We are asking for help from anyone who can generously supply any of the following, which we will gladly collect, if delivery is not possible: horse feed, hay, lead ropes, any tack or horse equipment, rugs and of course 4x4 cars as the normal vehicles are being stranded in the snow.

The centre's address is Brownbread Horse Rescue, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex TN33 9NX. Their website address is www.brownbreadhorserescue.com

Please help if you can.

Jacqui Madders

Volunteer for

Brownbread Horse Rescue

Play area plagued by dog fouling

In last weeks Rye Observer Councillor Potter stated that dogs should be kept on leads in public areas where there is a children's playground.

Surely then that should include the Football and Cricket Salts where there is a children's skateboard park and also where football and cricket is played by adults and younger children.

Over the years this area has been plagued with dog fouling and although many of the dog owners clean up after their dogs, there is also many I have observed miss their dogs fouling, because their too busy talking to one another.

Something has got to be done sooner rather then later on this filthy problem or are Rother District Council who are responsible for this area going to have to pay compensation to anybody that is playing there and gets contaminated due to their apparent lack of intent regarding this sports field.

J.Tolhurst

New Winchelsea Road, Rye

Thanks from heart of community

MY wife and I have run the village shop in Sedlescombe for the last 12 years and have just traded through the worst winter weather conditions in that time.

Due to the fact that the majority of the products we sell are sourced locally we have not run out of vital key products.

We would like to put on record our sincere thanks to Northiam Dairy, Rye Bakery, Carpenters Barn, Barry Shaw - Fruit & Vegetables, Kerry Foods, Asselton Cakes, Country Choice, Bookers and many more. The efforts of all of them enabled us to maintain a daily supply of good, fresh, local produce. We would also like to thank the efforts of our staff who rallied around and helped us cope with exceptional demand.

At a time when so many local shops are struggling to survive it has been gratifying to feel the appreciation of both our regular customers and many others who perhaps we were welcoming for the first time.

We hope that this period will have underlined the benefits of shopping locally.

A little more regular support throughout the year would ensure that local shops and suppliers across the Rother area survive to continue to support the community.

JOHN AND JENNY MAINWOOD

Directors, Sedlescombe

Village Stores Ltd

Underhand fun in Winchelsea Game

THE score of the 2009 Winchelsea Streete Game was not in fact reported incorrectly, but reflected penalties imposed retrospectively on the Blue team, after the discovery that they had been practising.

Massaging the results is an ancient tradition in the Streete Game, but professionalism cannot be tolerated. That the same traditions were honoured by the authors of the WMD dossier is pure coincidence!

The Game Marshall

Raising some concerns over 'EU dictatorship'

TONY Smith's letter (Observer January 8) exposing MEP's skiing holiday subsidies "fiddle" tells us all we need to know about this over-staffed, inefficient and corrupt organisation.

For many years the auditors have refused to accept the dishonest and chaotic accounts of this runaway, out of control gravy train.

How many delegates did the EU send to the recent Copenhagen climate change "jolly"? Isn't it curious how these anti global warning eco evangelists are keeping silent during the present cold snap?

Many English people believe that we are well on course towards an EU dictatorship.

A federal Europe with a single currency and an unelected bunch of loonies extracting more and more tax and taking away more and more of our hard won freedoms year after year.

Isn't this exactly what Adolf Hitler and his gang of power-crazed thugs wanted 70 years ago?

Hitler, of course, was a fanatical anti-smoker and teetotaller. Smoking has been banned in our traditional English pubs (the ones still open!). How long before our excellent locally brewed ales are banned from being served in our remaining pubs?

This may sound far-fetched, but the smoking ban was the thin end of the wedge for freedom. Whose idea? The EU, of course.

The EU, no doubt is a very good thing for politicians, but everything has to be paid for, including skiing holidays"

Better off out.

T ROBINSON

Rye Road

Sandhurst

Questioning whether Rother shines in report...

I HAVE before me an Organisational Assessment issued by the Government's Audit Commission, dated December 9 2009, concerning Rother District Council.

It tells me overall Rother District Council performs well but I question whether the Commission's scoring supports that assertion.

Score 1. Indicates an organisation that does not meet minimum requirements. Performs poorly. Score 2. An organisation that meets only minimum requirements. Performs adequately. Score 3. An organisation that exceeds minimum requirements. Performs well. Score 4. An organisation that significantly exceeds minimum requirements. Performs excellently.

Rother gets 3 out of 4 for Managing Performance but only 2 out of 4 for each of the following :- Use of Resources, Managing Finances, Governing the Business and Managing Resources. Not exactly a glowing report!

Mrs J. E. Goldsworthy

Glengorse,

Battle

A verse tribute to Rye supermarket

On Friday night the snow came down

And completely enveloped our small town.

To Budgens then we made our way

To stock up for a cold, enforced holiday.

The shelves were stacked with bread and meat,

There was enough for all to eat.

Thus a store which many revile

Was crammed with people down every aisle.

All the staff greeted us with cheerful grin,

Wasn't it lucky they came in!

Budgens, as you were a star,

You should know how grateful we all are.

But as I left to trudge for home

I did hear one little moan,

Some clever wit was heard to say,

"Thank God the snow didn't fall on a Sunday".

Lorna Challand

Ferry Road,

Rye