It was with great interest that I read Ann Cryer's response to Shahid Malik's comments on her recent television interview.

On the same page was Malcolm Hoddy's view of the situation. Both, in their own way, represent a certain constituency, and each necessarily has a different viewpoint.

Nevertheless, the pieces reflected on what must, by definition, be matters of great concern to all of us. Simply to sit back and pretend that Keighley (in common with a great many other towns and cities) does not have a drugs abuse problem is to well and truly shove your head in the sands of appeasement.

And anyone with a modicum of intelligence would realise that to appease is to court disaster. It is right and proper that Ann Cryer, as this town's elected representative in Parliament, should speak out and encourage each one of us to make a stand against this druggish tyranny.

I also applaud Malcolm Hoddy's editorial. With the Keighley News being read by a large proportion of Keighlians, his is also a voice that reaches tens of thousands.

In the wake of the distribution of illegal drugs follows the kind of activities that has caused and will continue to cause communities to suffer and eventually implode.

When I was younger it was suggested that to suffer was character-building. I suspect that individuals who had little experience of distress had propounded this philosophy.

The only character-building exercise I feel worthy of the description has to be based on respect; in old-fashioned terms 'love'. That is, respect for others, others' property and the law of the land.

When respect fails the consequence has to be corruption: a lacking of integrity, a suspension of the acknowledgment of the difference between right and wrong.

We all recognise the stench of corruption and unfortunately, recently, much of this has emanated from the corridors of power and high finance, resulting in a marked loss of confidence in both national and international politics and the security of global financial integrity, affecting all of us.

Also, each community, whether it likes it or not, has a canker eating it from the inside. The outside may appear all serenity, tranquillity and composure.

But inside, the maggots of deceit, trickery and misery are beavering away.

An acknowledgement of the problem puts that community a long way along the road to addressing and solving it.

However, Ann Cryer and Malcolm Hoddy must not be the only voices raised in opposition. All of us must articulate our revulsion of this situation.

A drop of water on its own makes little difference to such a pestilence. A sustained river of outrage, though, can flush out any communal infestation.

It only takes the inactivity of good people to let evil flourish. But evil is a bully and does not survive confrontation.

I now give notice that my own quiet voice is added to this clamour for a rejection of all that is druggish, uncivilised and out of kilter with all to which our community aspires.