Letters sent in from Recorder readers this week.

Time for a more positive outlook

Mr R Vials (former Havering councillor), Elm Grove, Hornchurch, writes:

In respect of the weekly doom and gloom messages from the leader of council, he might like to explain how he equates the statistics from the first lockdown, whereby Queen’s Hospital were utilising 20 wards to contain the virus.

Yet, on this latest lockdown only five wards are set aside for Covid admissions.

Despite fewer patients being admitted yet from the pronouncements it is being implied we are on the verge of being overrun at the hospital.

This is not the case and it is now also getting to grips with all the backlog of the most serious cases who were forgotten earlier. I feel the leader should now begin to show a more positive outlook on what the hospital is really doing and a little less requoting the SAGE line of reporting.

You can’t compare health and money

Joseph Sowerby, Romford, full address supplied, writes:

It is disingenuous of Andrew Rosindell MP to call at Prime Ministers Questions for a “full cost benefit analysis” of measures proposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This is partly because such analysis involves measuring two incommensurable objects, namely the health of the population and monetary gain or loss for the economy; and partly because the range of factors affecting the progress of the pandemic do not allow specific predictions from specific measures.

Instead of trying to score political points, Mr Rosindell might consider the situation of 235 in-patients in BHRUT hospitals (as at November 25) with a positive Covid-19 test result, and the situation of families who have lost a loved one to the virus in this second wave.

He might also consider that his constituency is in a borough that has one of the highest rates of new cases in London, a case rate that is only just now, at the end of “lockdown 2”, beginning to show signs of decreasing.

A government is fulfilling its duty of care for the general welfare of its people when it sustains restrictions to secure and maintain a fall in virus cases. Our elected representatives should support such measures rather than seeking to undermine them.

How would you feel alone with no one to talk to?

Michael J Frost, Peartree Gardens, Romford, writes:

Much is said about the effect of the pandemic on residents in care homes, because they have been unable to be visited by relatives.

They, at least have the company of fellow residents.

What about those living alone in the general community? They have no one at all!

Do you have a neighbour without a family and who lives alone? Imagine the loneliness they may have felt in recent times.

What have you done to see how they are? Put yourself in their position. How would you have felt with nobody to talk to?

Enough said, methinks!

It’s clear MP regrets his comments about college

Thomas Clarke, Ardleigh Green Road, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Candidate For Havering and Redbridge, writes:

Andrew Rosindell’s attempt to deflect his own poorly chosen words by personally attacking me in last week’s Recorder letter will not pull the wool over the eyes of his constituents.

It is now very clear that he regrets the comments in his open letter to Ardleigh Green residents that “the college may have outlived the site in Ardleigh Green Road and perhaps should be relocated”.

He was in attendance at the public meeting on Thursday and backed down from his original comments saying he did not mean the college should be relocated in the near future.

This will be a relief for the college staff, local business owners, students and their families that he had alienated with his open letter filled with such quotes that “Havering College seems to be attracting some of the worst people these days” - many of these people that he attacked reached out to me sharing their concerns.

Interestingly the college confirmed that 85 per cent of the students come from within Havering and that any troublemakers they do have also reside in the borough.

Mr Rosindell can no longer blame outsiders for causing problems and needs to start looking for solutions within his own constituency.

It was fantastic to hear from so many residents, the college and the police at the public meeting and the work that is being done around countering the antisocial behaviour from a minority of students.

However it was again a real disappointment that when the core reasons around why a teenager feels they would need to leave their house with a knife was raised, our MP and the head of the council were silent on the matter.

Mr Rosindell has asked for there to be no party politics on the matter. This is unsurprising when he has already had to backtrack once and it appears that neither he nor the government he is part of has a plan on the big issue around knife crime in London.

It already appears that he would prefer to only hear from residents who share his own opinion - for those that don’t I implore you to continue to speak up against his attempts to spread fear throughout our neighbourhoods.

While our MP is asleep at the wheel I will certainly be continuing to fight for a fairer and safer community for us all to live in.

Hoping for sense from Commission

Cllrs Linda Hawthorn, Ron Ower and Chris Wilkins, Upminster and Cranham Residents Association, write:

We were delighted to see that several hundred residents sent the Boundary Commission objections to their proposal to move Corbets Tey Village area and a number of nearby farms and roads going across to our border with Thurrock Council to Rainham and Wennington Ward.

We wrote to all the homes in this area pointing out the Boundary Commission’s proposals .

A significant section, ie Corbets Tey Village, is in one of the borough’s Conservation areas with a long association with Upminster .

Residents rightly pointed out that there is no direct public transport connection to Rainham, the area is an integral part of Upminster. They shop in the Upminster town centre and their children attend local schools.

Many moved into the area to be a part of the well established Upminster community with its fantastic parks,open spaces and with excellent public transport connections.

Together with our association we also expressed our serious concern.

We hope that the Boundary Commission sees sense and leave the area in Upminster.

Guidance dressed up as rules

Cllr David Durant, Rainham and Wennington Independent Residents Group, writes:

Once again Cllr Jason Frost has sent an insulting letter to the Recorder accusing me of spreading bizarre and dangerous theories, wanting to break the law, and a “poison tongue” for questioning the efficacy of vaccines (letters, November 27). But the reasons he is wrong are:

The Great Barrington Declaration involves 1,000s of leading experts questioning the harmful make-it-up-as-you-go-along government policy, but whereas I read what they have to say, Cllr Frost, the prime minister and health minister only rely on the best expert advice money can buy!

Whilst a supine Parliament has given the prime minister powers to rule by decree, it doesn’t mean every ministerial whim becomes law negating existing human and employment rights and medical exemptions to be ruthlessly enforced by officialdom.

It’s guidance dressed up as rules that can be judicially reviewed and/or enforced with discretion, which should vary depending on whether you have a Conservative or Communist administration.

Give us daily figures of deaths from other diseases

Mr J M Branch, Little Gaynes Lane, Upminster, writes:

One cannot but agree with Cllr Jason Frost that the crisis associated with Covid-19 (letters, Recorder, November 27) is not a conspiracy theory.

Nevertheless, what we are told about the disease should bear much more scrutiny.

The statistics come thick and fast, and are not only overwhelmingly confusing but often contradictory and, as has been proved recently, even out of date. In short, they are suspect.

Since the start of the pandemic, around the end of March, the number of cases of, and fatalities from, the virus have been given daily, whilst those from other causes are excluded practically in their entirety.

This is nothing short of absurd. Never before, of course, have the effects of a single disease been given such prominence but, as they have, then surely, for purposes of context or perspective, the daily details of cases and fatalities of all diseases should be published - a development, however, that we are unlikely to see any time soon.

Meanwhile we have returned to the ‘tier’ system (of the three tiers the lowest is ‘medium’. Is the word ‘low’ too positive?), more rigorous than previously, as we also await the appearance of a vaccine in the very near future. (Because of my age and health history it looks as though I will be in the second batch to receive it).

But are not the problems of administering it to a population of over 60 million likely to be formidable? We can but wait and see. And although any vaccine’s safety can doubtlessly be assured, will it not be several months before we can be sure of its efficacy?

But even if we do ever get beyond the Covid-19 crisis I still worry that the other problems we are facing at present might well prove to be insurmountable. Quite aside from the possible (probable?) collapse of the economy, the huge national debt and the likely attendant massive unemployment, it doesn’t end there.

Whilst we are all being distracted by this pandemic many groups of “malcontents” are busily working to dismantle, rewrite or even destroy Britain’s history. I fear that our once great country is, on so many fronts, at the point of no return - perhaps it has already passed it.

Why not criticise MP as well?

Mr W Ramsay, Stephen Avenue, Rainham, writes:

Cllr Frost felt obliged last week to write again over Cllr Durant’s views on Covid, but has evidently not thought himself similarly obliged when it comes to Andrew Rosindell’s opposition to the government’s restrictions, with which he clearly can no more agree than when Cllr Durant expresses it.

Although it does not excuse it, the inconsistency here could be from a concern not to confirm local division among the Conservatives on the matter of Covid, to go with the national one.

None among them who reveres Mrs Thatcher can favour the course of the present government, whose leader, ‘Lockdown Johnson’, is not, one would gather, in this category, looking rather to Churchill, perhaps in the belief we are in a world war for our times.

The central question at issue is the proper role of the state, something that cannot be deduced but only decided.

Rightly, it is a question for the people as a whole to decide.

Polluted roads are not inevitable

Caroline Russell AM, Green Party, writes:

Transport for London (TfL) has sent me new data showing that nearly half of all journeys in London were taken by walking or cycling during the first lockdown - 46 per cent of journeys between April and June.

Londoners got a real taste of clean air and quieter streets, and these figures show they got on and made the most of it.

Given half a chance, many Londoners will walk and cycle as their main way of getting around.

Our streets and parks have been so full of people of all ages walking and cycling, and children riding bikes are no longer an unusual sight.

Now the mayor must do all he can to avoid a car-jammed city, and help boroughs provide safe conditions for walking and cycling throughout London for good.

This means bringing forward more money for low traffic neighbourhoods, smooth accessible pavements with tactile paving in the right places and new cycle lanes to link up a city-wide network.

Traffic-clogged and polluted roads are not inevitable, so long as the mayor takes this important action.

Your old stamps can help charity

Terri Bush, volunteer stamp appeal co-ordinator, Bone Cancer Research, writes:

Christmas is coming and soon you’ll be getting Christmas cards in the post!

But what are you going to do with all those used stamps? The Bone Cancer Research Trust has the answer… The Bone Cancer Research Trust Stamp Appeal.

Getting involved could not be easier! All you need to do is save your used stamps or horizon labels from the UK or overseas. If you are a business, shop or public service you could even have a collection box for people to drop off their stamps. Your stamps will be recycled and turned into lifesaving funds.

You can order a free Stamp Appeal pack today by visiting: bcrt.org.uk/stamps.

Or join their Facebook group: Bone Cancer Research Trust Stamp Appeal. Please send your used stamps to BCRT Stamp Appeal, 20 Bowers Road, Benfleet, Essex, England, SS7 5PZ