NEWS CHANNEL
Published: 27/07/2010 18:26 -
Updated: 27/07/2010 18:29
SIR -After so many complaints about buses of late can I say something good about the trains? After several summers of commuting home in ‘ovens on wheels’ my trip home is now relatively pleasant by virtue of London Midland simply turning on the air-conditioning before passengers start getting on - so well done to London Midland for making travel a whole lot more bearable.
Sadly the same can’t be said for Virgin Trains; the 1,000 or so commuters who alight from each peak time train arriving at Euston now frequently find themselves shoe-horned in to a single 4ft-wide walkway because Virgin have ‘reserved’ other walkways exclusively for their passengers…and the ‘reservation’ is generally made by half a dozen uniformed Virgin staff with the physique of the average night club bouncer. Unfortunately this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced these sort of bully-boy tactics from Virgin so in future I will use London Midland wherever possible or take the car rather than Virgin.
Richard Hughes
The Green,
Loughton
SIR - In his letter headed “Poor judgement” in MK NEWS of July 21 2010, Mr Paul Williams stated that the increase in VAT introduced in the recent emergency budget would have a “devastating impact on those people already struggling to pay their heating bills and feed their families”. I could not let this pass without comment.
You will recall that the previous government recently temporarily reduced VAT from 17.5% to 15%, restoring the higher rate from 1 January 2010.
Did anyone notice? Can I remind Mr Williams that food and children’s clothes are zero rated and heating bills are subject to a reduced rate of 5% VAT, and this is not being changed?
Out of curiosity I recently calculated the impact that an increase in VAT would have on my weekly shopping bill.
On a typical weekly shop in one of the major supermarkets buying nothing out of the ordinary, I paid £82.53. If the VAT were increased to 20% the total I would have paid would be £82.96.
That is, an increase of 43 pence, the price of a packet of sweets. That is hardly “devastating”.
Andrew Matthews
sent by email
SIR - RE: The story about me winning gold in the transplant games.I just recieved my copy of the MK NEWS and wanted to thank you for writing the article. It's a great read and makes me very feel proud! So, nice one, and I'll let you know how I get on in Dublin. But if I win you might have to make me an offer for the story!
Jamie Lonsdale
Sent by e-mail
SIR - Could someone please explain why Milton Keynes would deserve city status? Strictly speaking this town is a shopping centre with numerous estates built around it. Yes, there are a few amenities; yes, there are reputable companies offering employment and economic growth, but there are also various problem areas (e.g public transport) where you would expect MK claiming to be a modern town being role model.
Name and address supplied
SIR - Shopping centre makes the grade. This is the wrong decision to make this a listed building. What do these people really want? They will kill shopping and business in thecentre:mk; they need to get real and live in the real world.
M Bell
sent by email
SIR - Glad to hear its now a listed building. I was shocked at what they had done to the fountain area and thought it looks terrible considering how long they took to do it. A lot of kids loved the huge pond pool and sitting alongside the occassional swans that would land. The new area now looks awful and I for one will not eat there. A lot of shoppers were shocked by the so called improvement to this rest area.
Gail
sent by email
SIR - It’s been on the cards.
Weren't big cuts facing the city NHS to be expected? With too many people here now the resources, not only the NHS, are unable to cope. We have known it for years, but being denied freedom of speech people who have been badly affected by the situation have been afraid to speak out. Now we all lose out with drastic necessary adjustments to the services - services to which people have contributed all their working lives.
Name and address supplied.
Sent by e-mail.
SIR - What a great job Tesco has done with its latest plans for a store off Tickford Street, Newport Pagnell.
They have really listened to the public concerns re approaches and appearance. They have gone even further by planning to bring the site into contemporary 'green' environmental status.
Of course there are concerns about High Street shopping losses. This is already happening due to the recession, and before the latest plans were announced.
We hope Tesco succeeds with planning permission this time, as we note the success stories of new Tesco stores in Marlow (Berkshire) and Ilminster (Somerset). These towns are traditional like our own. The initial grave concerns for a Tesco store in these places have proved to bring new life instead of disaster.
We say... 'YESCO'.
J & D Fowler, Rivers Estate
Sent by e-mail
SIR - In reply to Robin Taylor's letter in MK NEWS, July 21 there is only one response you can give and that is get a life.
If you regularly attend games are you one of those that asks people to keep quiet during the game.
I thought the vuvuzela brought great atmosphere to what would have been a quiet world cup and feel sad that many clubs want to ban it, We pay our money to attend these games and should have the right to create whatever atmosphere deems appropriate. LONG LIVE THE VUVUZELA
Graham Gravestock
Sent by email
SIR - Re: The Prodigy. One of the best shows I have ever been to, everyone on the bill was fantastic. I got there at 7am and Keith and Maxim came and met us passing us free drinks and giving my mate a free ticket, what great guys!
James
Sent by email
SIR - Simply the best night of my life! The Prodigy smashed it. Big up all the warriors Saturday night!
Jamie O'Brien
sent by email
SIR - You might expect that they'd know how to run a bar at the Bowl by now. By far the worst organised mess in all my concert experiences.
Rob sent by email
SIR - I'm 43 and have been a fan of the prodigy since day one. Saturday's gig was phenominal. Loads of my generation there, but neck and calves still sore from bouncing around!
Richard Salmon
Sent by email
SIR _ Mr Green (Letters, MK News, July 21) makes the same error that too many make. He assumes that as well as bikes, prams will be stored in the communal area. Again what are the facts? There are three pram users (at most!) in the block, and none of them park their prams down there! Of the two others, besides myself, one is a car owner, and he parks it in the space underneath outside. So in practice there never is any blockage of the communal area, except when deliveries or removals are made, and then only for a short time.
The 1974 Act specified "as far as is reasonably practical"; it never envisaged trying to make the whole world in which we live, move, and have our being absolutely accident-free, because short of getting rid of freedom altogether that is an absolute impossibility. Unfortunately, there has slipped into our pattern of thinking the idea that "accidents don't happen, they are caused", which means that someone has to take the blame somehow. This has led to the unhealthy "claim culture", and I do not need to say who really profits from the "no win, no fee" system we have been lumbered with.
Barry Gowland
Penryn Avenue,
Fishermead,
Sadly the same can’t be said for Virgin Trains; the 1,000 or so commuters who alight from each peak time train arriving at Euston now frequently find themselves shoe-horned in to a single 4ft-wide walkway because Virgin have ‘reserved’ other walkways exclusively for their passengers…and the ‘reservation’ is generally made by half a dozen uniformed Virgin staff with the physique of the average night club bouncer. Unfortunately this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced these sort of bully-boy tactics from Virgin so in future I will use London Midland wherever possible or take the car rather than Virgin.
Richard Hughes
The Green,
Loughton
SIR - In his letter headed “Poor judgement” in MK NEWS of July 21 2010, Mr Paul Williams stated that the increase in VAT introduced in the recent emergency budget would have a “devastating impact on those people already struggling to pay their heating bills and feed their families”. I could not let this pass without comment.
You will recall that the previous government recently temporarily reduced VAT from 17.5% to 15%, restoring the higher rate from 1 January 2010.
Did anyone notice? Can I remind Mr Williams that food and children’s clothes are zero rated and heating bills are subject to a reduced rate of 5% VAT, and this is not being changed?
Out of curiosity I recently calculated the impact that an increase in VAT would have on my weekly shopping bill.
On a typical weekly shop in one of the major supermarkets buying nothing out of the ordinary, I paid £82.53. If the VAT were increased to 20% the total I would have paid would be £82.96.
That is, an increase of 43 pence, the price of a packet of sweets. That is hardly “devastating”.
Andrew Matthews
sent by email
SIR - RE: The story about me winning gold in the transplant games.I just recieved my copy of the MK NEWS and wanted to thank you for writing the article. It's a great read and makes me very feel proud! So, nice one, and I'll let you know how I get on in Dublin. But if I win you might have to make me an offer for the story!
Jamie Lonsdale
Sent by e-mail
SIR - Could someone please explain why Milton Keynes would deserve city status? Strictly speaking this town is a shopping centre with numerous estates built around it. Yes, there are a few amenities; yes, there are reputable companies offering employment and economic growth, but there are also various problem areas (e.g public transport) where you would expect MK claiming to be a modern town being role model.
Name and address supplied
SIR - Shopping centre makes the grade. This is the wrong decision to make this a listed building. What do these people really want? They will kill shopping and business in thecentre:mk; they need to get real and live in the real world.
M Bell
sent by email
SIR - Glad to hear its now a listed building. I was shocked at what they had done to the fountain area and thought it looks terrible considering how long they took to do it. A lot of kids loved the huge pond pool and sitting alongside the occassional swans that would land. The new area now looks awful and I for one will not eat there. A lot of shoppers were shocked by the so called improvement to this rest area.
Gail
sent by email
SIR - It’s been on the cards.
Weren't big cuts facing the city NHS to be expected? With too many people here now the resources, not only the NHS, are unable to cope. We have known it for years, but being denied freedom of speech people who have been badly affected by the situation have been afraid to speak out. Now we all lose out with drastic necessary adjustments to the services - services to which people have contributed all their working lives.
Name and address supplied.
Sent by e-mail.
SIR - What a great job Tesco has done with its latest plans for a store off Tickford Street, Newport Pagnell.
They have really listened to the public concerns re approaches and appearance. They have gone even further by planning to bring the site into contemporary 'green' environmental status.
Of course there are concerns about High Street shopping losses. This is already happening due to the recession, and before the latest plans were announced.
We hope Tesco succeeds with planning permission this time, as we note the success stories of new Tesco stores in Marlow (Berkshire) and Ilminster (Somerset). These towns are traditional like our own. The initial grave concerns for a Tesco store in these places have proved to bring new life instead of disaster.
We say... 'YESCO'.
J & D Fowler, Rivers Estate
Sent by e-mail
SIR - In reply to Robin Taylor's letter in MK NEWS, July 21 there is only one response you can give and that is get a life.
If you regularly attend games are you one of those that asks people to keep quiet during the game.
I thought the vuvuzela brought great atmosphere to what would have been a quiet world cup and feel sad that many clubs want to ban it, We pay our money to attend these games and should have the right to create whatever atmosphere deems appropriate. LONG LIVE THE VUVUZELA
Graham Gravestock
Sent by email
SIR - Re: The Prodigy. One of the best shows I have ever been to, everyone on the bill was fantastic. I got there at 7am and Keith and Maxim came and met us passing us free drinks and giving my mate a free ticket, what great guys!
James
Sent by email
SIR - Simply the best night of my life! The Prodigy smashed it. Big up all the warriors Saturday night!
Jamie O'Brien
sent by email
SIR - You might expect that they'd know how to run a bar at the Bowl by now. By far the worst organised mess in all my concert experiences.
Rob sent by email
SIR - I'm 43 and have been a fan of the prodigy since day one. Saturday's gig was phenominal. Loads of my generation there, but neck and calves still sore from bouncing around!
Richard Salmon
Sent by email
SIR _ Mr Green (Letters, MK News, July 21) makes the same error that too many make. He assumes that as well as bikes, prams will be stored in the communal area. Again what are the facts? There are three pram users (at most!) in the block, and none of them park their prams down there! Of the two others, besides myself, one is a car owner, and he parks it in the space underneath outside. So in practice there never is any blockage of the communal area, except when deliveries or removals are made, and then only for a short time.
The 1974 Act specified "as far as is reasonably practical"; it never envisaged trying to make the whole world in which we live, move, and have our being absolutely accident-free, because short of getting rid of freedom altogether that is an absolute impossibility. Unfortunately, there has slipped into our pattern of thinking the idea that "accidents don't happen, they are caused", which means that someone has to take the blame somehow. This has led to the unhealthy "claim culture", and I do not need to say who really profits from the "no win, no fee" system we have been lumbered with.
Barry Gowland
Penryn Avenue,
Fishermead,
