Letters to the Editor

It would appear that the reason behind this way of parking is to avoid damage to their vehicles from overtaking traffic which, because of the extra room, travels at greater speeds. If vehicles were parked correctly, overtaking cars would have to approach at a slower speed and be more aware of approaching traffic, which may also be overtaking, at the same time. It says much about their views of the driving skills of their fellow motorists.

F SLACK

Station Road, Haworth.

SIR - As we were all being exhorted to remember the sacrifice of those who fought and died sixty years ago in Normandy for our freedom, the voters of the Worth Valley were using that freedom to parachute a Fascist into City Hall.

May the families, the surviving comrades and the ghosts of those who died forgive us.

R E SWINDELLS

Denholme Road, Oxenhope

SIR - Having spent many years and much effort on promoting the economic and social regeneration of our town, I am deeply saddened by the election of two BNP candidates.

I am amazed that the Worth Valley should vote to get rid of an excellent councillor in Glen Miller, whilst in Keighley West many of the people who voted BNP must be the same people who have benefited from the efforts of the SRB programme. Are they unable to grasp that our future success depends on people pulling together in common purpose and that the politics of hate peddled by the far right can only do us damage?

The last few years have seen Keighley develop a largely undeserved reputation for racial intolerance. Negative stereotypes propagated through the national media have created an impression of a town divided. Surely even the electors of Worth Valley and Keighley West must realise the negative impact that this has on so-called inward investment. The simple fact is that people with money to invest in new factories, shops etc are not likely to spend it in a place that appears to go out of its way to create the worst possible impression.

The time has come for the decent people of Keighley to make their voice heard. Those who believe in one Keighley are still in a majority and they must now make clear to the rest of the country that we are not a bunch of bigots and racists. Those who have made much of the negative over the last few years must start to speak of the positive. We must all work to throw off the deeply damaging stereotype that threatens to turn our town into a pariah. Keighley had a reputation for tolerance, hard work and vibrancy. If we are not to face economic and social meltdown we must recreate that reputation and fast.

Andy Mudd

Keighley

SIR - Although there are fewer than a handful of BNP councillors, the number of seats won by them on Bradford council is deeply disappointing. Their election sends out misleading signals about Keighley and Bradford, a community in which in reality a great many people are working hard to maintain harmony.

Indeed, it is to the district's eternal shame that this far right party won four seats, when in most other areas it targeted it failed to make the gains it hoped for. The voters who supported them, are they racist or just duped into believing it is not the nasty party most of us know it to be?

We must continue to overcome any difficulties which threaten to come in our way of the better tomorrow that is most certainly there for the taking. We can do without boat-rockers and a party which is no more than a one trick pony and an agenda that is not in Bradford's best interest. Our district needs political consensus if it is to move forward, and that progress must continue.

ABDUL MOTIN

BCA

SIR - Ann Cryer is reported to have stated that she is 'ashamed of those of her constituents who voted BNP'.

Well, to begin with, they are clearly not her constituents.

And she need not be ashamed on my behalf. I am a normal, rational person and I stand by my own opinions and decisions. Some councillors have stated that they will not communicate with the elected British Nationalist Party members. They seem to have lost sight of the nature of democracy. They are utterly out of order and in my opinion should be finished in politics for taking this attitude.

Election of a British Nationalist Party member does not constitute a hate campaign. It is a call from the public for politicians to start applying common sense at least to the extent of acknowledging simple truth instead of burying their collective head in the sand.

The people who have cast this vote are normal people. They are the moderate and silent majority whose real views have been pushed aside by the political establishment for too long. I suspect that many of those who have voted for the British Nationalist Party have done so simply to draw attention to their dissatisfaction.

It is quite probable that the very young British Nationalist Party does not have the ability to govern the country. Nevertheless, the circulated statement of their policy which I have read contains nothing but sane and sensible proposals. I would be interested if anyone can show, in real terms, that their practice is any more extreme than this stated policy.

So far, all the snide remarks made by the press and by other party politicians have been entirely without substance. If we are being duped by the British Nationalist Party, let someone prove it. We are, of course, accustomed to being duped by other established parties.

I would finally like to acknowledge that Anne Cryer is the only MP who can clearly be seen to have attempted to improve the state of our society by eliciting and acting on the truth. I have, like others, admired her fortitude and tenacity. Unfortunately, I disagree utterly with her stand against hunting and will not be able to give her my vote in the future for this reason alone.

J B SUNDERLAND

Braithwaite Road, Keighley.

SIR - As newly elected Councillors to the Keighley West and Worth Valley wards, Cllr Clarke and myself would like to thank the people of both wards who voted for our successful election wins. We feel honoured to represent the people who realise the need for change.

Our thank you also extends to other areas of Keighley who also voted British National Party, but were just beaten by the other parties. Efforts to these areas will be given extra attention for our party to capitalise next time round.

Many thanks to our teams who were the backbone of this year's success and also to our Keighley organiser, who has worked tirelessly throughout the past few months.

We hope our positions as Councillors contribute to a positive future for the people of Keighley.

CLLR CHRISTOPHER NEIL

KIRBY

CLLR ANGELA CLARKE

Shann Lane, Blackhill

SIR - May I take the opportunity to congratulate Cllr Peter Hill on his succession to Local Government. I feel sure, as do his electors, that he will do a sterling job and serve the rural communities with the dedication that he has led Haworth, Cross Roads & Stanbury Parish Council over the last few years.

However, this moment is tinged with regret, due to the knowledge that another 'good man' failed to secure his seat. Glen Miller has served the Worth Valley with passion and vision in recent years.

He has nurtured the Parish Council throughout its inception and growth, and without his knowledge and direction it may well have stumbled by the wayside.

He attended the majority of PC meetings, which is more than can be said for any of the other Ward Councillors. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mr Miller for all the help he has given to the Parish Council since 2000 and my personal gratitude for all the help and advice he has passed on to me individually with the projects I have undertaken on behalf of the PC

It will be interesting to see if the other incoming Ward Councillors offer the PC the same support.

Ian Shackleton

Chair Of Planning

Committee

Haworth, Cross Roads &

Stanbury Parish Council

SIR - Whilst congratulating the three Conservatives elected to represent Craven Ward on Bradford Council, and thanking those who voted for myself, I must declare my support for those deploring the red menace of the British National Party in this area.

As I watched their candidates at the count last Friday morning, all immaculately and uniformly groomed, my memory went back to the pre-war days when our leaders (eg Baldwin and Chamberlain) and many well-meaning people (including schoolboys like myself!) were led up the garden path by a similar show of smartness on the part of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, and their followers.

Our MP Ann Cryer speaks of being ashamed of those of her constituents who voted BNP. I share her feelings towards those offending voters, who appear to be motivated by a misguided sense of patriotism.

The problem concerns not only specific BNP voters, but also the huge numbers harbouring feelings of Latent Racism, eg when a white house-buyer makes doubly sure that his potential neighbours are of the same colour, but says nothing.

Latent Racism showed up in the voting for Craven Ward, where one candidate received a significantly low vote, although his credentials were at least as good as mine but he had an Asian name!

The BNP can therefore rejoice. Not only has it gained thousands of converts during last year, but it has every prospect of gaining thousands more - that is, if the three main parties fail to present a united approach in tackling this evil.

HAMISH HEY

Craven Avenue, Silsden

Sir - We really appreciate all that our MP Ann Cryer does for us, and we would like to continue to support her in the next general election.

But we have a problem. We passionately believe that the war in Iraq was totally wrong - so much so that we joined marches against it in Bradford, Leeds and London.

But Mr Blair has totally ignored us, and despite a clear message from the electorate in the recent elections he appears as defiant as ever about the war (his fifth war in six years!).

We felt unable to vote Labour in the local or EU elections, and if Mr Blair does not change course or retire before the next election we are afraid that we will find ourselves unable to vote for Mrs Cryer

.If, as is probably true, enough people feel the same way, we could lose and excellent MP

David and Liz Cannon

St James Vicarage

Cross Roads

SIR - As the Conservative candidates for the Worth Valley District Council Elections we would like to thank all our helpers for their hard work and time spent over many evenings and weekends during the run up to the election.

We would also like to thank the returning officer and his staff who worked a full and very difficult day counting the votes. The decision to hold a postal ballot was taken by the Government at the very last minute, so each council concerned was run off its feet trying to print and despatch many thousands of extra sheets of paper.

This was a most unusual election due to boundary changes, which forced the whole council to stand, and the matter was further complicated by the Government changing the usual date for Council elections to add in a European Parliamentary Election.

Despite a complex and daunting set of ballot papers, many people took the time and trouble to vote. Two of our team were elected and our third candidate was sadly pipped at the post by just seven votes.

So, finally, we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported the Conservative Team and we look forward to serving everyone in the Worth Valley.

Peter Hill

Kris Hopkins

Glen Miller

SIR - I wish to thank those many people who took the trouble to vote for me, a non-political party person in the recent Worth Valley Ward.

Democracy has dictated that the anger of the voters who bothered to vote has created a slight shift in the Bradford City Hall power base.

However, it will not alter the arrogance and meritocracy that is inherent in party politics.

I would hope that the nigh 1,000 people who voted for me will not be despondent, the continuing faith that you obviously have in eradicating party politics in local issues is well worth fighting for.

The danger is that there are those who will see the Keighley Town Hall Chambers as a stepping-stone to Bradford's glory and riches and so will politicise the Keighley Town Council.

If a takeover is successful, by party politicians, the consequences will in my view spell the end of Keighley as the spark of democracy some of us had dared to hope was about to burst into a flame.

We should, all of us, be aware that the enforced silence propagated by the authorities on the public regarding various problems, a silence that has created fear and anger has at last surfaced. Whether the politicians have the intelligence to tackle the issues I very much doubt.

I end by saying my final good-bye. It's been a fight of forty years that I sincerely hope others will take on. I am at last silent so that I can take on the slugs in my garden.

David Samuels

Thwaites Brow

Keighley

Editor's note: A number of letters have been held over until next week. It was important to reflect the variety of views in the wake of the elections.