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Passionate support for Brexit MailMarks
NOTHING in the almost 20-year history
of Downs Mail has aroused Maidstone pas- sions more than EU referendum since I rea- soned in March why I would vote Brexit. This is our last chance to reflect reader views before the big vote on June 23.
OUR family too was inspired by the Downs Mail to discuss Brexit and all three generations agreed we must vote Leave. We all suffer in Maidstone by massive population growth and serious deterioration in services and lack of in- frastructure. We too have an infant denied a place in three schools of choice and facing a nightmare and costly P.B., Maidstone
journey.
THE Government has broken its green belt pledges and insisted on appalling urban sprawl. Much of this is down to uncontrolled immigration. The impact on our lovelyMaid- stone area and pressure on services are im- mense. And if we vote to Remain in the EU it will get much worse. The National Trust is on the ball – and so must be all of us. Mrs B. Chalmers, Maidstone
IT SEEMS to me only voters (and foreigners) whowant us to remain in Europe are the priv- ileged protecting personal or business interests. They are protected from the awful impacts of the EU so damaging to the lives of the rest of us. I meet hardly a Maidstone resident who will vote to Remain and I trust the rest in
Workers safer in the EU
AS THE EU referendum draws ever closer, I will be campaigning relentlessly to ensure voters know exactly how positive the European Union's influence has been for workers’ rights in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re not going to hear
these arguments from David Cameron. In fact, with the Trade Union bill on the table, it is safe to assume he sees these workers’ safeguards as a continental inconvenience, in spite of his wish for the UK to remain in the EU. We've heard how the free movement of people across the continent helps ensure we're able to holiday with ease in Spain, France, Germany, and all over mainland Europe, completely visa-free. What we’ve not heard enough about, perhaps, is how the fundamental right to a paid holiday from work is protected by the EU. It is EU legislation, agreed with our European partners, that also gives us maternity and paternity rights at work. Additionally, it is the laws we created, with trade unions and alongside our European neighbours, that give us our robust health and safety rules. Rules which go a long way in reducing injuries and deaths. As the fight for gender equality continues, It's also important to note that it
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Simon Finlay Editor
simon.finlay@
downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 231
30 Malling June 2016 Diane Nicholls
Assistant editor
diane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 232
Jane Shotliff Journalist
jane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233
Dawn Kingsford
Journalist
dawn@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233
DENNISFOWLE President
dfowle2011@aol.com
Britain are with us. I have a feeling they are. M, Reed,Walderslade
I USED to travel out of rush hours to do my business in Maidstone. NowI despair because the jams so often last most of the day. And ex- perts warn me with all the housing planned Maidstone will just grind to a halt. It is almost impossible to fix timed business appointments in town. And yesterday I requested a doctor’s appointment and it is fourweeks away. What will happen formy children and grandchildren ifwe stay in the EU? Brian Coe – by email
THE Prime Minister cannot frighten us in to continuing with the frightening consequences of remaining in the EU. We have to leave to stand a real chance of regaining the Britainwe want and avoid a growth in the horrorswe cur- rently endure. We know they will get much worse by retaining membership of this unde- mocratic, expensive and troubled club. T Patel , Maidstone
I AGREE with readers in May Downs Mail – leaving the awful EU does not mean we are leaving our many European friends and will
is the EU that has enshrined the right to equal pay for equal work for men and women. Similarly, it’s European legislation that protects us from workplace discrimination on the grounds of age, sexual orientation or religion. As a worker in the South East, I would
feel safer knowing that there is EU legislation safeguarding my basic rights, regardless of the party in power in Westminster. That’s one of the reasons why I'm campaigning for Britain to Remain in the EU. Keith Taylor, Green Party MEP for the South East, European Parliament, Brussels
Immigration not the issue
I HAVE been canvassing on the EU referendum for the last two weekends and feel that Dennis Fowle’s views and the correspondence he chose to use in his column do not reflect the debate that is currently happening. I have found that the Leaves and Remains are very even, with the “don't knows” and “don't cares” being in the vast majority. My experience seems to be borne out in the local and national opinion polls. Mr Fowle’s correspondents seem to
think this is a referendum about immigration – it’s not, it’s about our place in Europe. However, a lot of people are talking
not work and co-operate with them on signifi- cant issues. And all countries willwant to con- tinue to trade on sensible terms. I love Europe but not the ramifications of an anti-democratic organisation which tries to control us at im- mense financial and cultural cost. Mrs. J. Russell, Tonbridge
MYpassions for Brexit grow stronger by the day. I see June 23 as our Independence Day.
Unpredictable to the end
MAIDSTONE Borough Council elections remained predictably unpredictable until the very last vote was counted in Coxheath and Huntonward – giving LibDems’ Emily Fermor (23) a single vote victory over Conservatives’ Ron Leagas. The Lib Dems, UKIP and Labour ended the
day with smiles. The Tories needed probably to gain one seat for overall control. By losing two to the Lib Dems (22 seats) they remain the largest party (23 of the 55 councillors) but their influence on the council is diminished. Once again, Maidstone Lib Dems punched
above theirweight, but politicians from all par- ties offered other reasons. They said the EU vote dominated on the doorsteps and felt the vicious split in the Conservative party nation- ally, plus a loss of popularity for Prime Minis- ter David Cameron helped both UKIP and Lib Dems locally.
about immigration. The last figures for immigration I saw gave a net figure of 300,000 per annum. Half that figure was for non-EU migrants, who are either refugees or economic migrants. Our government could stop this immigration tomorrow, but it doesn't. Stopping or slowing this immigration is harder than you think. It is a UK government issue, not an EU one. What about the other half? They come following the jobs, because that’s part of being in the single market. You can't have a single market without the free movement of capital and labour. If people are thinking of voting Leave to reduce immigration, are they sure they are going to get that? I feel it is unlikely. Michael Gove says leave the EU and
single market, but he is the only one saying it because the single market was our idea and we do very well out of it. If we were out of the single market we
could still buy BMW cars and Bosch tools, but the single market would become a more difficult place for UK plants like Toyota, Mini and their suppliers to sell their products and in years to come they would probably move their plants inside the single market to avoid the tariffs. Would the older generation care? Maybe
not, but the younger generation does care and it's not a surprise that younger people
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