Demolition contractor

so my guess is that what was found in the River Don was a wrecking ball, on the end of a steel rope, on a crane, probably used by Jimmy Childs, demolition contractor, who demolished much of the slum housing in Sheffield.

Roger Hart

Marstone Crescent, S17

Unaccepted challenge

Veronica Hardstaff’s letter “Problems brushed over”, Star, May 10, is very aptly titled, as its content does just that when answering my May 4, Brexit letter.

Veronica writes at great length about potential UK trade, economy, workers rights, environment, Northern Ireland peace agreement, as examples of being at risk when Brexit takes place.

In my letter I issued a challenge to all Sheffield remain voters to make out a case for staying in the EU when set against the reasons in my letter for coming out – to date I assume that nobody has accepted that challenge – or does the Star have a backlog of letters awaiting publication?

To answer the points raised by Veronica. Boris Johnson is correct when he says that we can leave the EU without any problems trading with full access to the Single Market. Leaving the “Common Market” as it is better known, was the intention of 17.4 million Brexit voters when they decided to leave the EU. A clean break with no soft or hard options on the voting paper.

We can unilaterally do this and continue to trade with the other 27 EU States – as any one of them can with us if they wish to follow our Brexit example.

The reason that they do not wish to do so and are making every effort to keep us in their market, is that the UK is the biggest contributor to that market in terms of net trade balance with our neighbours. To lose the UK’s current c £8 billion annual surplus is like losing their goose which lays the golden egg! This is one of the reasons why negotiations have been dragging on for nearly two years. Trade agreements can be negotiated with any country we wish to deal with, and vice versa – without having to obtain EU permission – they do not wish to do so because we have always been a major trading nation and many of their members cannot match our achievements in this respect. They prefer to keep us shackled to their organisation and get every penny they can from our being a member – a result of our being conned into joining by Edward Heath in the 1970s solely as a trading partner.

Veronica mentions the £350 million per week savings. Subsequent to this figure being quoted, it has been reported by neutral observers that our savings will be much higher when we leave the EU. The money that has come back to South Yorkshire is only part of our net contribution to the EU coffers – our own money not theirs.

In conclusion, the main aspect of Brexit which Veronica and other remainers have still not addressed, is the question of EU/UK uncontrolled migration and our national borders, and the serious potential consequences of this on our future if it is allowed to continue. Without any UK control, our population will greatly increase and the strain on the economy, NHS, education, jobs, standard of living will be devastating – leading to civil unrest. Our country rather than being a trade leader could face being reduced to a banana republic with an economy to match.

Is this potential scenario one which the British people wish to face by remaining in the EU – or do we wish to stand on our own two feet, live within our controlled population and economic means, and do what we do best, by trading with all countries in the world and not just the European ones?

Cyril Olsen

Busk Meadow, Sheffield, S5

Avoid the shoe shops

If I was given ten grand as a 25-year-old would I have spent it on a deposit on a house? Would I ’eck, no I would have spent it on fun.

Trips to Ibiza, several of those, shoes, new clothes a car, if there was any left over.

Hopefully today’s kids are more savvy and will put that money to a good cause.

Deposits for houses don’t come cheap these days as we know, so if the government are planning to help these youngsters, that’s great, just avoid Ibiza and shoe shops.

Jayne Grayson

Sheffield, S35

I won’t be greeting him

His hairstyle is regrettable, his name even more so, his views and politics definitely lie in the ‘not good’ box, and he’s coming to town!

Yes, I’m talking about Donald Trump and his forthcoming visit to the UK, which I anticipate with some trepidation. I note that the big day, July 13, will be Friday the 13. Go figure, as his fellow countrymen would say!

I’ve been trying to keep ‘derogatories’, (on my part anyway), off these pages and out of my life, on the life’s-too-short basis.

However, when it comes to ‘The Trumpster’, I really struggle on this count.

Anyway, without further ado, it’s a safe assumption that I won’t be greeting him by blowing kisses, rolling out a red carpet, or asking him for a ‘selfie’ when he reaches our ‘climes’. I think I’ll leave that to Theresa May!

CM Langan

Sheffield, S8

Look forward to more

I would just like to agree with the letter from Janet W, S11, (Saturday, May 11).

Susan Richardson writes very interesting and well- written letters, which are always to the point.

It’s great to read something that is obviously written with passion and research, rather than the letters that take up space on these pages with mundane boring observations or politics.

I am not a regular on the letters page, and only write when something annoys me, but I too have been criticised recently, which I find amusing, ( especially when ‘Americanisms’ are used).

Keep the letters flowing Susan.

Ignore the critics like Janet’s says, and I look forward to reading more.

H Midgley

Sheffield, S12