ES Views: We will all pay the price for Carillion going under

The problem with having huge multi-billion construction companies such as Carillion is that when they go bust, it has a ripple effect.

That means small companies, through no fault of their own having completed the work they are sub-contracted to do, are also likely to go under.

If the Government had bailed out Carillion, it would help save those secondary companies and allow projects such as HS2, of which Carillion is a part, to continue unhindered. But it would also indicate that private companies can run up massive debts with the knowledge that they will be saved at the end.

The Government must implement measures that will stop companies such as Carillion being so reckless and help save small businesses when the large companies go into liquidation. Without action, many more will suffer in the future.
B Winter

The collapse of Carillion is potentially catastrophic for those who rely on its services.

The company employs nearly 20,000 people in the UK and has grown thanks to numerous public sector contracts in schools, prisons and the railways. Carillion is also responsible for 12,000 NHS beds, meaning that it is a beneficiary despite insisting that private is better than public ownership. It would have been wrong to give them a blank cheque funded by the taxpayer so that the privateers could simply continue their pursuit of profit.

The Carillion crisis is yet more proof that free-market capitalism doesn’t work, and the idea that private is “good” and public is “bad” has surely had its day.
Sasha Simic
​

KPMG accountants have a case to answer in the collapse of Carillion and keeping it as a “going concern” when it had inadequate cashflow and also sanctioning a dividend payment in 2016.

What is clear is that the welfare state is not safe in the hands of neo-liberal companies and the Government, at a time of chronic underfunding of our NHS which may be costing lives, must not privatise this poorly managed entity. Instead, it should look into legal action regarding Carillion’s overtrading and examine where the KPMG audit function was in all of this mess.
Tim James

Carillion appears to be nothing more than a group of directors earning a fortune between them, and its collapse will not come as a shock to anyone in the business.

The Government’s refusal to bail the company out means that thousands of people will be waiting to be paid after its liquidation. The public must be told the truth about what has happened.
Luke Deacon

Spurs stadium is no boost to the community

In response to your article “Khan: world-class new Spurs and NFL stadium will lead regeneration of area” [January 11], perhaps the run-down look of north Tottenham is because of the construction of the Spurs stadium. Dirt from the building site is visible everywhere around it, and the surrounding roads are surely being damaged by the heavy construction vehicles.

There is little evidence to suggest that the massive spend on the stadium and associated housing towers is trickling down to the local community. In fact, the Spurs-centric regeneration agenda seeks to remove businesses and people in the immediate area of the stadium by demolishing homes and shops, while the proposed new flats aren’t affordable to local people.

The Mayor should be doing more to support the Tottenham community and help them benefit from the publicly subsidised improvement of the area.
Martin Ball

Keep politicians out of stop and search

According to Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984, a police officer has the power to search any person if the officer has “reasonable grounds” to suspect that “a prohibited article” will be found.

Of course, stop and search by itself cannot prevent knife crime, but once a youth is in possession of a knife and has capacity to use it, only a police officer using this vital power can prevent another from sustaining serious injury or death.

A few years ago, Theresa May put enormous pressure on police chiefs to reduce stop and search. She even threatened to legislate unless the stop and search figures were reduced. Instead of pointing out the folly of that approach, the National Police Chief Council and the College of Policing intervened and police officers, fearing discipline, have become scared of using it. We are now witnessing the deadly effects of this flawed policy.

The Prime Minister and the Mayor are wrong to politicise stop and search. A police officer should be unfettered in deciding whether or not “reasonable grounds” exist.
Clifford Baxter

Let Boris condemn Trump's racist views

President Trump’s remarks about Haiti and African countries are undignified, if not utterly offensive and obscene. Indeed, they were described by the United Nations as “racist” [January 12].

Many of the countries he refers to are part of the Commonwealth and, lest we forget, former British colonies. It is remarkable, therefore, that our Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson appears to have been very timid in having not condemned Trump’s remarks in very strong terms.

That aside, someone in the White House should inform Trump that scientific evidence suggests that along with the rest of humanity, his ancestors came from one of the countries he described with such derogatory comments. Maybe a visit there could change his tune?

Meanwhile, the people living in those countries will continue to live with their dignity intact — a goal to which Trump should perhaps aspire.
Stephen Davis

Neglected Odeon shows Council folly

The Kensington Odeon, the only cinema in the area and an art deco building sold off to be converted into flats, now stands neglected.

It is a constant reminder of the lack of foresight our council and local representatives have. They failed to recognise the opportunity of turning the area into an arts centre.

The Odeon could incorporate a cinema and other amenities as well. Instead, there is no cinema within walking distance so the elderly, families and anyone wishing easy access to a local amenity are obliged to travel further afield.

Why is this allowed to happen, when in other countries efforts would be made to find sponsors to preserve and enhance buildings with local heritage?
Tanya Firth

Cancel Trident to fund armed forces

Your defence editor Robert Fox reports that the armed services have been strapped for cash for years, struggling to re-equip after campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq [January 12].

There is a simple solution: cancel the renewal of Trident. This is a completely useless “weapon” that cannot be used unless we wish to destroy human life and most other life on earth.

Additionally, it will cost about £200 billion, money that could be spent on soldiers and equipment. There may even be some funds left over to fund our struggling NHS.
Rosemary Addington

TfL is insulting bus users' intelligence

I have been travelling on buses for more than 60 years and I learned very early on that if a bus has stopped, it will start moving shortly after. More dangerously, if a bus is moving, it is liable to brake suddenly.

My experience and general intelligence tell me that if I’m standing up on a bus, I need to hold on. I do not require TfL’s insulting and useless “Please hold on: the bus is about to move” message to remind me.
Simon Molloy