Covid rules and free prescriptions
Here are the letters from the Lincolnshire Free Press of February 22
Rules are made to be broken
I think Mr G Matthews may have misinterpreted my letter printed in the February 1 edition. I need to point out that the letter was about Boris Johnson, who was witch hunted and I stand by every word I said.
I am very sorry for a hardship that family has suffered as a result of Covid-19 – we all have suffered in one way or another.
However, Mr Johnson did not cause the dreaded virus but did his best to try and contain it.
There is an old adage: ‘Rules are made to be broken,’ and it applies to politics most of the time. Rules become trivial as we are all collateral damage when it comes to politics.
Mr Johnson was a victim of entrapment by the members of his own party. If G Mathews read my letter properly, it would become clear that I was against a witch hunt aimed at Boris Johnson.
I did not trivialize the people or NHS as I have members of my family working in the nursing profession and am grateful for the massive effort and sacrifices they have made during this pandemic. I repeat that Mr Johnson did not kill anyone, it was Covid-19.
Milena Birkett
via email
Where do my National Insurance payments go?
I respond to last week’s Hayes in the House column: ‘Free prescriptions for cystic fibrosis sufferers is my aim.’
The latest Conservative Party cabinet buzz word is ‘levelling up’ throughout the country, and it seems to many that this fake promise is being conveniently ignored by the health secretary Savid Javid in so far as the maintenance of free health prescriptions for the three million over-60s living here in treasure island who are being ruthlessly targeted by this Government.
As a 63-year-old still paying working national insurance payments, having been in full-time work since 1975 without ever claiming any state welfare and benefits, can John Hayes (South Holland and the Deepings MP) tell me where my national insurance payments now go, if not towards my state pension anymore.
I paid the maximum in years ago, and am I therefore not already paying for my “so called free prescriptions” then by back door stealth?
After a very secretive government-led health consultation last year, John has answered no questions as to why he supports the withdrawal of free prescriptions for the over-60s until they reach retirement age, and then proposing to give them all back a few years later?
Why is John’s parliamentary ‘Common Sense Group’ not looking at that?
The silly idea that everybody is working longer and all living until at least 100 is pure fantasy as pointed out by Age Concern in straight-talking black and white terms.
They also state that this will not save any state money but will indeed force many people back to the NHS, forcing costs up much higher.
Despite government assurances regarding exemptions for a few worthy select groups like cystic fibrosis, it is clear that many millions aged over 60 will fall through the net on low incomes and they will instead be choosing to put the gas fire on instead of buying a prescription.
Has anyone noticed how much any dental treatment is now?
The next time John talks about “levelling up” maybe he can further tell me where the Armed Forces Covenant fits into the plans of his boss in so far as “so called free prescriptions”, and does levelling up for the many mean my current working national insurance money does not keep going to benefit Scottish people who still have all health benefits,free prescriptions, and much more, all now callously withdrawn this side of the border.
Gene Plews
Bourne