In London as in Wales and Scotland devolution means being prepared to trust local people to choose the polices and personalities which suit
In London, as in Wales and Scotland, devolution means being prepared to trust local people to choose the polices and personalities which suit them. If the Labour leadership does not trust its own London members to do this, why should the wider London electorate trust any official candidate to represent them?
RICHARD HELLERLondon SW9. Sir: I was musing the other day on things gone past Whatever happened to shirt tails?
H JAMES
Swansea. I shall not vote in it, and I would urge other Labour Party members to do the same. I am amazed that S Antczak (letter, 9 November) puts his freedom above other people’s lives.JUDY MEWBURN RGNLondonSE23. Sir: I am no supporter of Ken Livingstone.
During the 1980s I opposed most of the policies he pursued as leader of the GLC. Nonetheless, I shall be extremely angry if he is excluded from the ballot of London Labour Party members to choose a candidate for Mayor (report, 9 November) Such a contest would be meaningless. They do not cause immediate liver damage in overdoses, but cause liver failure anything up to three weeks after ingestion, even if the stomach contents have been voided at time of ingestion. As an ENT theatre sister at Kings College Hospital, I cannot count the times we had to tracheostomise young girls, from the liver failure unit, who had taken overdoses of paracetemol after a tiff with their boyfriend, with exam worries, or just when they wanted someone to notice them.
The availability of Paracetomol in small quantities will hopefully do much to end these tragic and avoidable deaths. Sir: Paracetemol tablets are sold in small packages, never more than 16, for a very good reason They cause liver damage. It makes one wonder what kind of democracy is one that is held to ransom by a former dictator.BEATRIZ MIRANDASolihull,West Midlands.
The Chilean Ambassador in London reminds us that there are 11 cases pending against Pinochet in Chile. Why has he been allowed to wander free in Chile and around the world? The reason is simple: Pinochet and those acting under his orders have been given total immunity and he will never be prosecuted in Chile. Those “fellow citizens” whose relatives are disappeared I am sure would also like to look forward to achieving the peace they have not had for over two decades.Mr Pinochet is right on one point, that “we are his judges”. This is why we have applauded the requests for extradition from Spain, France, Sweden and Switzerland and are grateful to Great Britain for having deprived him of some freedom. I was shocked to read Pinochet’s statement reported in the Sunday papers. It seems as if he still does not understand that the “old wounds” as he calls them, have remained open for the past 25 years and they will not heal unless the truth is known.
If Mr Pinochet intends to live the last years of his life in peace, perhaps he will consider the “fellow citizens” that he refers to and give answers as to the whereabouts of the disappeared prisoners. In Sweden, where parental leave has been available since 1978, at least one month must be taken by each parent, otherwise it is lost
PAM WALTONCo-ordinatorNew Ways to WorkLondon N1.
