UK - Daily Echo - letters

Attributes that won't make me laugh...
I WOULD like to thank Brenda Knopf (Letters October 5) very much for showing me the errors of my way in thinking Gordon Brown was a treacherous rotter.
Dp you know I was convinced that he was giving us all these goodies because he was spending money he didn't have in order to bankrupt us! I was sure he had ignored prudent fiscal policies, sold off our gold when the prices were rock bottom, and ignored banks' dirty dealings because they were cash cows and because he was selling us out to the EU. I was positive he would have known that the EU had put pressure on the US to drop the safety nets which had been introduced in 1978 to stop greedy banks. What a soppy silly for thinking that was what caused the Credit Crunch. I am sorry also for believing that the reason why he is hanging on, shored up by Peter Mandelson is to make sure the Lisbon . Treaty is ratified by all the 27 countries before the next election. What a fool I have been to believe these policies were to ensure Tony Blair becomes the First President of Europe.
I am ashamed of myself for thinking Mr Brown lied to us when he reneged on giving us a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. And I am absolutely distraught when I consider that I was thinking he had shifted responsibility to the SHA because he wanted to poison us with fluoride without taking the flak. I must while I am about it apologise to Mr Denham and Mr Whitehead for thinking they were secretly trying to implement this without making themselves unpopular with the electorate by playing'a two-handed game. Perhaps 1 am being sceptical when I think that the two politicians in favour of this poisoning are both Labour MPs. Pardon me Brenda Knopf perhaps I and many others have been a bit , hard on Gordon and maybe you can enlighten us on his better attributes that is, if you can find any that won't make me laugh!
S E IRELAND, Southampton.

Untold damage and our public opinion
I SEE that the Southampton Local Involvement Network are offering a free buffet to members of the public who register and turn up at the Novotel Hotel on Thursday October 22 so that they can be consulted about the future provision of health and social services in the city
I really hope that the event is a success. Unfortunately, the long dark shadow that rests over any such consultation is the feeling that
this is just a process, that any views expressed will not make a difference. In going against public opinion on the issue of fluoride in tap water, the Strategic Health Authority have caused untold damage to any future consultation about health. The, sooner this unelected body realises the damage they have caused; the better,
Councijlor DAVID HARRISON, Leader, New Forest District Liberal Democrats.

Show courage of convictions
IT would appear that our two MPs A Whitehead and J Denham have finally emerged from the woodwork, obviously realising they cannot sit on the fence forever.
They no doubt realise that the public outcry against adding fluoride to our water supply is not going to go away.
After all one must consider there are thousands of angry citizens who no doubt feel let down by both of these two so called representatives of the people. The few words in their short letters in the Echo's Your Views column have been non committal. Still following the party line, presided over
by their leader Gordon Brown who on the one hand said 'let the people decide', but now has failed to practise what he preached. I'm sure the quangos of the SHA could have been told enough is enough (after all Mr Brown & Co were responsible for setting them up in the first place, 'Time now for the tidy bin'. A leader who has the courage of his convictions is a man to be admired and to hell with the consequences. Any volunteers?
Or are you both prepared to see the waste of more NHS money squandered on an appeal against democracy. A WILLOTT, Southampton.