I JOIN others who are outraged over the plight of so many now facing unemployment and insecurity because SSI has had to mothball its plant at Redcar (Echo, Sept 28). We should let the Government know loud and clear what we think. The basic cause is the fact that, on a world scale, the amount of steel produced exceeds the demand for it and with the law of supply and demand the local plant has not been competitive enough to corner the market. I feel that our Government has not been disposed to intervene and help when it should have done so.

As it says in the Rubiyat of Omar Khayyám that the moving finger writes and having writ moves on and all our piety and wit will not change a single line of it. As a famous football manager once said: “All that matters is how the team is going to play this afternoon.”

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Let’s get down to hard thinking about what should be done and how to elect men and women who want to work for us and carry us along with their proposals which they should share with us in the spirit of democracy and openness.

G Bulmer, Billingham.

SADLY I heard the news today that the blast furnace at Redcar is to be mothballed with the loss of 1,700 jobs.

It is not just the loss of the jobs we have to fear, but the loss of a future for our children and their employment prospects. We have heard of the reason why the steel could not be made at a price that would enable it to sold, but we must also realise that this is an important component in the manufacturing fabric of our country and it needs to be made a special case. When the turnaround comes, as it will because steel is a cyclic industry, in the price we need to be in a situation to produce more of the kind of great quality steel we are known for around the world.

And that needs a working blast furnace that can meet the demands of a rising market not only abroad but here in Britain.

We cannot afford to lose the skills built up over nearly two centuries for the sake of saving a short-term blip in the industry. The cost to the Government is small in comparison to the recently despatched £1.7bn sent to the EU.

So what if we ignore a few EU rules to save the plant and the industry?

I for one do not care and will not lose any sleep over upsetting some faceless mini-dictators.

We need steel more than keeping the EU happy. So let’s save steel making on Teesside.

Chris Gallacher, Chairman, Ukip Redcar.