Page 64 Daily Mail, Friday, August 30, 2019
n STRICTLY appears to have
given up on famous contestants
and is now open to the public.
I. HARRINGTON, Axminster, Devon.
n WHY do the Strictly
contestants pull such stupid
faces when they strike a pose?
PETE WILLIAMS, Hayes, Middx.
n PANTO’S Ugly Sisters will be
demanding those outfits back
from the Strictly judges.
DAN HARTLEY, Solihull, W. Mids.
n WILL the telephone lines on
Strictly include one to vote off
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman?
DAVID PITT, Boxley, Kent.
IT LOOKS like a mundane
Strictly this year — another BBC
switch-off!
HELEN PENNEY,
Longborough, Glos.÷Straight to the
POINT
LETTERS
Parliamentary humbug
THE barrage of indignation at
Boris Johnson’s plan to prorogue
Parliament seems extraordinary
after three years of watching MPs try
every trick in the book to overturn
the result of the referendum.
Suspending Parliament is the only
way of respecting democracy,
and the Prime Minister is doing
exactly that.
We should respect and support his
vision to take back control of our
nation from unelected bureaucrats
in Europe. It’s time to get on with
the business of opening up our
commerce to the world and concen-
trating on managing our own affairs.
Rev JOHN EWINGTON,
Barnstaple, Devon.
WHaT are the Speaker and Remainer
MPs on about? They claim the
suspension will prevent Parliament
from debating Brexit. They must talk
very slowly or do not listen, as they
have talked about little else but
Brexit for three years.
Boris Johnson is not stealing our
democracy. He is doing the opposite
by hopefully forcing through the
wishes of the majority expressed in a
properly conducted referendum
against undemocratic MPs who wish
to stop it.
Most people in the country are sick
and tired of it and want it all over.
N. WOODS,
Chilton, Co. Durham.Pray silence
WITH churches closing in record
numbers and Christianity being
eradicated from all aspects of our
lives, it seems the only thing the
archbishop of Canterbury has to do
on Sundays is to try to frustrate the
will of the people.
He would serve his flock better if he
didn’t treat them like sheep.
GEORGE MANN, Nottingham.Turn away health tourists
I WaS appalled to read the Mail’s
report about the abuse of the NHS
by health tourists (Mail).
My husband and I have lived here
all our lives, worked and paid taxes,
but had to pay for private surgery.
My husband needed a knee replace-
ment and was in dreadful pain. The
waiting list was long, so we paid
£10,000 to have the operation done
privately. I had a problem with
trapped nerves in my back, which
cost £8,000 to sort out.
How can health tourists get off a
plane, go to a hospital and be
treated? a total overhaul of the NHS
is needed.
BETTE ALLEN,
Tiptree, Essex.
WHEN I had a severe water infection
on a cruise, I was treated on board
by the doctor in the medical facility.
However, it was stipulated that I
needed to be checked at a hospital at
the next port. I had to pay £200 for a
taxi to the hospital and £250 before aPenguin’s day trip?
That’s bird-brained
A traffic cop pulled over
a driver
With a penguin on the
back seat.
The driver said he’d found
the penguin
Standing alone in the street.
The officer said: ‘My advice
to you
‘Is to take him to the zoo.’
‘OK,’ said the man. ‘That’s just
what I’ll do,
‘And a very good day to you.’
The very next day, on the
same bit of road,
The cop was on duty again.
Along came the man, still
with the penguin.He thought he was
going insane.
In the back sat the penguin,
Wearing sunshades and a
straw hat.
The policeman said: ‘I don’t
understand;
‘It’s time we had a chat.’
‘Well,’ said the man. ‘We did
go to the zoo,
‘It was sound advice, I
must say.
‘He enjoyed the visit so
very much,
‘That we’re off to the
beach today.’
Norman J. Myson,
Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex.Picture that!
a P W n e l a o w d T I r b a b m w £ p t c p t i W o b n t t
Nursery RhymeFor Our Time
Follow-up
Sign language
I WaS enchanted to read Bob
Hunt’s letter about the gas
lamplighter (Peterborough).
My father was a lamplighter
until September 3, 1939, when
the lamps were put out after
war was declared. Previously,
in school holidays my father
would put a cushion on the
crossbar of his bike and, aged
seven, I would accompany himon his rounds. We lived in a
tiny house with only one
gaslight. On winter nights, I
was often sent to put a penny
in the meter, which was in a
dark cupboard where my
father kept his spare gas
mantles and carbide. The
smell was awful!
Mrs Janet E. Halfpenny,
Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts.Anagram
The Australian slang word
‘stoked’ used to mean
‘extremely thrilled, pleased or
chuffed’, e.g. if/when a bloke
achieves an event in his life/
anyone beats a Pom; that’ll
be him!
=
Needs redefinition, however,
after the Ashes match, when Ben
Stokes came good and smashed
the ball all over Headingley in
a truly beautiful example of
patient skill!
Chris Sturdy,
Barns Green, W. Sussex.This England
SPOTTEd in a local paper by
Tom Green of Bolton, Lancs:
‘The open day provides a
chance for people to pick up
vital safety advice to protect
themselves and their families
from their local firefighters.’÷ SEND your contributions to Peterborough, Daily Mail Letters, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.FROZEN LIMIT: During the
hottest August Bank
Holiday on record, I
spotted this local hazard
warning for motorists.
Martin Beasley,
Surbiton, Surrey.email: [email protected]
Oh dear, the Queen
wonders sadly
Why some younger royals
are behaving quite badly,
If only they’d listen she’d
give advice gladly
Each time they’re slagged
off in the Press.
The public aren’t pleased
with the Sussexes’
lifestyle,
Travelling around in
private jets — meanwhile
Prince Andrew’s connected
to an infamous paedophile,
Oh, what a right royal mess!
By contrast the Queen
never puts a foot wrong,
How lucky we are to have
had her so long,
Through good times and
bad she has stood staunch
and strong,
Ever since she was that
young princess.
I. G. Fenner,
New Milton, Hants.Limerick
Well, that was a great
game of cricket,
Which we finally won by
one wicket.
And with Stokes at his best
We could win the next Test —
But you’ve no chance of
getting a ticket!
Mike Horgan, Wirral.The Mail is published by ANL, 2 Derry St, London W8 5TT. Printed by Harmsworth Printing (Thurrock) Essex; Reach Printing Services (Oldham)
Ltd; Smurfit News Press Kells; JPI Media Ltd Portsmouth; Newsprinters (Broxbourne) Ltd. Newsprinters (Knowsley) Ltd. KP Services (Jersey)
Ltd, Recoprint Sagunto, SL, Valencia; Recoprint Dos Hermanas, SL, Sevilla; TFPrint, SA, Tenerife; Omniprint, SA, Mallorca; Mediterranee Offset
Print SA, France; Europrinter, Gosselies, Belgium; IRIS A.E.B.E SA; Estetik Yayincilik As, Turkey. Deposito legal: M. 10.489-1966 8/6/09
FLYING VISIT: We saw this
seagull waiting patiently
outside a fish and chip
shop in Hastings.
Barbara Howcroft, Bolton.Write to: Daily Mail Letters,
2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT
email: [email protected]consultant would even see me. a
cash machine was in the hospital
reception to facilitate this.
The philosophy was no payment,
no treatment. There were no racist
or vulnerability considerations.
I was insured so I could claim back
the payments. The NHS must get its
act together when dealing with
health tourists.
RON CHRISTIE, Lincoln.Stitched up
WHEN my wife cut her leg on holiday
in the U.S., the local a&E was nearly
empty. If you have to pay, you’re not
likely to walk in with anything that is
not an emergency.
While she was receiving 64 stitches
in her leg, a clerk asked for my credit
card and debited $600. The final bill
for her treatment mounted up to
several thousand dollars.
The american health system is
very efficient when it comes to
paying. No credit card? The hospital
will arrange a high-interest loan. It’s
a pity the NHS has scruples about
taking money from health tourists.
TIM KENNY,
Cavendish, Suffolk.
MY daUGHTER-IN-LaW broke
her ankle in Tenerife and had to pay
£200 before receiving any treatment,
despite having a European Health
Insurance Card and travel insurance.
Following payment, she had an
X-ray and her ankle was put in a
cast. She was charged a £45 deposit
for crutches and offered the use of a
wheelchair for £22 a day.
This should be the way forward for
the NHS.
TIM DAVIES, Croydon, Surrey.
IT IS easy to criticise the NHS, but
last week it saved my life. I sufferedPETERBOROUGH
extraordinary
MY WIFE JANET
by John Walsh
BEAUTIFUL at 20 when we married,
Janet was more beautiful at 70
when she succumbed to cancer,
two months shy of our 50th
wedding anniversary.
Born Janet Roberts in Leeds, she
left school at 16, but was
determined to gain qualifications
and came top of her shorthand
class. At 17, she joined the General
Accident Fire and Life Assurance
Co as a shorthand typist — sitting
two desks away from me. She did
secretarial work for six of the
underwriters including me and
after a few months I realised shewas the one for me. Janet was
Church of England and I am an
Irish Catholic, a major issue for her
family. They objected to the
marriage, but Janet was not put
off and we wed on February 22,- Thankfully, her parents
warmed to me and we went on to
have a great relationship.
We moved to Birmingham and
Janet worked for the architects
who designed the Severn Trent
Water HQ in Walsall. She was a key
team member, and is named with
the five architects on a brass plaque
at the entrance of that building.
As well as raising our three
children, Janet used her IT skills to
become my PA when I ran my own
One-line
Philosophers
n BaN pre-shredded cheese
in the U.S. — make america
grate again.
C. Davids, Croydon, Surrey.
n ELECTRICIaNS have to
strip to make ends meet.
Claire Harris, Bromley, Kent.
n ON HOLIdaY, do naturists
take only the bare essentials?
Paul C. Tabor,
Bishop’s Stortford, Herts.Wordy Wise
HOVERTIME — helicopter
working extra hours.
KNIGHT SHIFT — medieval
warrior’s time on duty.
ROUBLE TIME — paid to Russian
night workers.
TIME AND A CALF — paid to
dairy farmers on Saturdays.
AD HOCK ALLOWANCE — paid in
German wine.
Dave Cullen, Leeds.Out of the
Mouths of Babes
OLIvER, my three-year-old
grandson, was in the car with
his daddy, on the way to the
shops. ‘Where are we going?’
he asked. ‘We are going to
B&Q,’ his dad replied.
‘Well, I don’t want to be in a
queue, so I will stay in the car,’
said Oliver.
Maisie Chandler,
Cowplain, Hants.