Letters to the Editor

The writer says that in a civilised society we must rely on the legal system, however flawed. Why?

Mr Priestley obviously feels that Tony Martin's response was not acceptable in our society. What I see as unacceptable is a 16-year-old with a hundred convictions still on the streets.

The fact is that we used to have a legal system that dispensed justice, but now the system is absolutely criminal to civilised society, and that is the real madness and sadness of the Tony Martin story.

Gary Lorriman, Long Lane, Harden.

SIR - I was amazed to read Mike Priestley's scathing attack on domestic burglar alarms (North of Watford, May 10).

We were burgled twice before 1980. The insurance company refused to further insure us unless we installed a burglar alarm (I can only assume their actuaries know more about statistics than Mr Priestley) and I am pleased to report we have had no trouble since, at a time when burglaries have increased considerably.

We are also members of Neighbourhood Watch. While testing my alarm a few months ago, the bell rang for only a few seconds when I had two neighbours around immediately. So yes people do respond.

Yes, there are times when no one around us is at home, and yes I agree that no system is totally infallible, but at worst it is better than nothing.

Alarms at least keep away a large percentage of opportunist burglars and in addition if entry is gained, apart from the outside alarm, burglars face an internal, almost unbearable high-pitched siren, placed at a very high ceiling level.

What about people who sleep upstairs and put on an alarm downstairs for warnings against night time intruders? Surely they feel better protected now.

As far as going on holiday is concerned, we always leave a key and instructions with a neighbour and notify the police as to the key holder.

Brian Jennings, Hawksworth Lane, Guiseley.

SIR - I am writing in support of my ex-colleague Ken Chappell regarding the production of electrical equipment for Concorde by the English Electric Co in Bradford.

The generating systems were designed, developed and produced at the Thornbury factory who were world leaders in brushless generators for aircraft and the aircraft actuators for a whole range of applications on Concorde were built at the satellite factory at Call Lane in Low Moor, by the aircraft division of E E Co long before the take-over of the business.

After the takeover the Bradford business (referred to as the Jewel in the Crown by Lucas Aerospace) went on to develop and produce missile fin actuators for the fiercely competitive American defence industry, and the factory at Sticker Lane was built to accommodate these projects.

However, within a few years the directors, in their wisdom, decided to move the generators to Hemel Hempstead and the actuators to Wolverhampton.

Within months the business virtually collapsed, orders were lost and the work and business was taken over by our American competitors and handed to them on a plate.

The expert work force was left to find work filling shelves, fitting double glazing etc as all the other engineering businesses had already gone down the same path, and sadly a whole generation of machinists, fitters and engineers were lost to the city as it continues to go down the path of terminal decline in the field of manufacturing industry.

Peter Todd, Clay Hill Drive, Wyke.

SIR - I read Ms Kirkwood's letter (May 16) with interest and not a little alarm. While agreeing that the analogy with the ERM is not appropriate for the reasons she quoted, at the same time to have one currency and one interest rate to cover a multitude of states and different economies is wholly inappropriate.

One only has to look at the German situation with its millions of unemployed. Their government cannot take any steps to alter the economy to increase internal and external markets and boost the number of jobs. Their economy is held in a vice-like grip maintained by non-elected officials in Brussels.

Germany needs its own particular fiscal control, as does Britain and all the other nations in the EU.

As we have proved over the previous few years, we don't need the euro to trade in Europe. A European currency will eventually need a European tax. Income taxes are higher in Europe than here.

Joining the euro will be another step toward a single state, and once we're in there's no going back.

Finally, if Tony Blair is in favour of joining, what better reason is there for staying out?

Stewart Hanson, Collier Lane, Baildon.

SIR - I am puzzled as to why the Council is bothering to advertise for a private company to run its buildings and property. Surely there can only be one contender for this contract.

Serco seems to be having serious problems running Bradford's education contract. Obviously therefore by the Council's selection processes that makes Serco the ideal candidate.

A draft contract could be signed and then, if it does not provide sufficient profit for the supplier of the service, the contract could be renegotiated to give the company more money.

Brilliant in its simplicity and it has the advantage that it has worked before - for the private company's shareholders if not for the council taxpayers of Bradford!

K J Trocki, Birchdale, Bingley.

SIR - Re the letter from Gillian Anderson (T&A, April 16) about planning applications and objections.

I applied for planning permission for my rear extension in 1987/8 without success. After my neighbour's successful application for the same in 1990, at the Council's request I submitted a new drawing and paid planning and building fees.

Since then I have been chasing them over the phone, in writing and visiting them to no avail. I was asked for another drawing and planning and building fees.

Can any of your readers tell me why should I pay three times for the extension when others pay only once? They don't bother to respond to any of my calls or letters any more.

The cost of the building of extension was only £3,000 in 1990. It will cost me over £14,000 now. Who should pay for it now? You tell me.

Mubarik Iqbal, Oulton Terrace, Bradford.

l Steven Mennell, Area Planning Manager, said: "In response to the letter from Mrs Iqbal, the Council works within strict guidelines and treats every planning application on its merits. Mrs Iqbal has met with Council planning officers and we have written to her about her applications. On one occasion we were not given the information we needed from Mrs Iqbal to process her application. We requested more details but they were not supplied so the application fee was returned. All the applications concerned were treated in accordance with current planning guidelines. The planning department is more than happy to speak to Mrs Iqbal about them again and to answer any questions she may have as to why they were turned down."

SIR - Your correspondent Tony Sutcliffe describes me as a political failure, and I suppose he's right. As a child, my whole family were campaigning against the appeasement of Hitler and his plans to dominate the world, and we failed: millions died in the world war that followed.

In the 1970s I was campaigning against western support for Saddam Hussein, and the small band of Iraqi exiles with whom I was working failed to prevent the disastrous war with Iran in which a million were killed on either side, using weapons supplied by Britain and the USA.

More recently, I've been campaigning against the appeasement of George W Bush and his plans to dominate the world, and so far I've failed: thousands of Iraqi civilians died in an illegal, immoral war.

As for my own performance in the May elections, 623 votes in a three-week campaign ain't bad, but like Vietnam and apartheid, the struggle to return democratic accountability to local government and to end the domination of the big party machines and the family clan system which has gerrymandered Bradford politics for too long is only just beginning.

Karl Dallas, Church Green, Bradford 8

SIR - I recently saw your photograph and article about Bradford Breathe Easy Group. They are to be congratulated on the money they raised towards buying a mobile pulse oximeter for Bradford Royal Infirmary and a donation for research to the British Lung Foundation. Well done!

Many people living with lung conditions in the Bingley, Keighley and Skipton areas may be unaware that Craven Breathe Easy Group exists for them. Meetings are held in the ESMI unit at Airedale General Hospital on the first Friday of each month from 2 to 4pm. New members are always very welcome.

Anyone interested can find out more by contacting Malcolm on (01535) 654979, Ellen (01535) 669188 or Lynn on (01535) 292024.

B E Smith (group secretary), Halifax Road, Hermit Hole, Keighley.