Letters to the Editor

Everybody who lives in Bradford is witnessing the sharp decline in its status as a city. Every day it's becoming more and more like a wild west ghost town. Every day it's the game of spot the smashed shop window, count the litter and bottles from the bars, and look who's closed down today!

Come on Bradford, we are trying to be the European Capital of Culture not the Yorkshire dump of the north. We are starting to resemble the streets of Manchester in the early 1980s when its decline was obvious with its city centre all boarded up!

It's nice to see a new shop venture down Ivegate with its great selection of gift ideas. It deserves praise being individual and a different kind of retail outlet. This is what's needed to boost visitors. You can go to Boots or W H Smiths anywhere in the country. We need more specialist shops, so start investing now!

We need to cut crime, litter, racism and poverty in this city. I want to stop moaning and start congratulating Bradford for its positive visual efforts.

Andrew Bolt, Hazelhurst Road, Daisy Hill.

SIR - Prime Minister Tony Blair has shown a tendency to become increasingly authoritarian. Those suffering at his hands, or those of his minions, call it "control freakery".

In the emergency Commons debate this month, an MP demanded that the decision to go to war should be approved by a vote of all MPs.

For his temerity, Peter Marsden was hauled before the Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong, and told he was making a fool of himself. He said he was within the rules of Parliament, having consulted the Speaker's clerk.

Armstrong replied that if there was a vote, it would be whipped - which would prevent free and full discussion on whether we should go to war.

She concluded: "Everything said in here is private and confidential. You cannot go out and tell the media." But he was approached by one newspaper and, having nothing to hide, answered their questions.

An MP is elected to use his judgement, without fear or favour, in the interests of his constituents. He would be a poor representative if he could be silenced by idle threats from above.

Robert Hornsby, Bredon Avenue, Shipley.

SIR - I was surprised to see my name mentioned in a letter from Mubarik Iqbal (T&A, October 26) with regards to the bombing of Panama, the Middle East and Iraq. I never said anything about these places.

All I said was that the atom bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945 to end a war that we did not start but finished.

America and the British from the West and our Allies in the East will win this war on terrorism. Somebody has to do it otherwise everybody will suffer in the end.

Also I do wish that people would stop bringing religion into this issue. It is an insult to all religions to be used as an excuse for bloodshed. Good always wins over evil in the end.

Derek Wright, Westbury Street, Bradford 4.

SIR - I fully agree with America's right to defend itself against terrorism and indeed condemn the events of September 11. However, by attacking the Al Qaida network in Afghanistan, America is only attempting to root out the symptoms of an on-going problem. Like any good physician, not only must the symptoms i.e. terrorism, be stopped, but so must the disease.

This disease has very much been the foreign policy of the West, especially America, in support of its own interests no matter what the consequences.

America has been hugely unfair in the way it has influenced the international community. Time and time again, the UN has put forward resolutions calling for Israel to give land back to the Palestinian people.

Every time America, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has vetoed the passing of such resolutions. Even where resolutions have been passed, Israel has point blank refused to adhere to them.

Yet it only took one resolution to declare all-out war on Iraq for occupying Kuwait - all-out war for doing exactly what Israel have done and continue to do.

Yousef Walker, St Christopher's Drive, Addingham

SIR - What proof do M Amin (Letters, October 6) and people like him have to accuse Osama bin Laden or his organisation regarding the terrorism on September 11 since the ashes of the people let alone anything else will take months, if not years, to gather?

If any Muslims had the intelligence, ability or the resources to do such a thing, one would have kicked the Americans out of the Gulf a long time ago, or now from Afghanistan.

America will never pluck up the courage to stop the atrocities committed by its friends in the world, never mind by itself.

Might is always right, even today, and the super power can accuse/blame, kidnap and punish anyone it likes (especially the weakest person/s, group/s or country/ies) and go as far as it likes to achieve its political ends regardless of international law. Even Tony Blair is too scared to utter a word against it.

Finally I am 200 per cent against Taliban and 800 per cent against killing innocent people including Osama bin Laden. After all, they are someone's loved one and they feel the same pain as we all do.

I wonder what is the difference between the person/s who killed innocent people on September 11 and the so-called alliance?

Mubarik Iqbal, Oulton Terrace, Bradford 7.

SIR - I am somewhat confused that Councillor Simon Cooke (Letters, October 23) can lecture David Ramsden about freedom of speech and yet the western governments support puppet regimes in Middle East, Africa and Asian countries. Where is their freedom of speech?

If the terrorists murdered innocent people on September 11 the attacks were directed at the US and not at other western governments (even though citizens of other nations perished on September 11). So how it involved us British is beyond me.

The only conclusion is that we, the British, like to play follow-the-leader or side with the strong.

Western governments say "This is not war against Islam". How false is this statement. What the Israelis do every day in Palestine is justified and yet what Palestinians do is terrorism.

Will I condemn the actions of September 11? I hope one day I will, when I see western governments have realised being biased to one side does not help its fight against terrorism and have come to their senses and condemn all killings, no matter which side commits them.

There are many British Muslims who feel this way across Yorkshire, but do not desire to make their views public.

Jangir Akbar, Horton Grange Road, Bradford 7.

SIR - Over the last few months I have noticed in the section covering Court fines that the sentences for driving without a licence or insurance are laughable.

Fines of £40 seem standard and this put next to insuring my children of 19 and 21 (which costs between £600 and £800 a year) makes a complete fool of citizens who don't break the law.

Do the people who dish out these pathetic fines realise they are encouraging youngsters to take the risk rather than punishing them?

How would they feel if one of these people without cover ran into them?

John Davies, Thornton Road, Bradford 13."SIR - The article headed "Put it to the vote" (October 20) ended with, in my opinion, the most important point of all: Councillor Eaton's wise comment: "The cost of a referendum in a district of almost half a million people would be immense."

If "I-thought-the-euro-would-be-a-great-success" Byers can persuade the Treasury to foot the bill, I would go along with the idea, provided any further elected mayoral expenses come out of the pockets of those people voting for this extra layer of bureaucracy (note not democracy!)

Do those people know that a referendum has to be paid for? And are they quite prepared to see some other more pressing service go by the board?

Yours in disbelief and despair.

P E Bird, Nab Wood Crescent, Shipley.

SIR - At Tollgate Court we held a charity day in aid of the West Yorkshire Air Ambulance. We made £600.

It was a great day and I would like to thank anybody who supported us and a big thank you to the residents of Tollgate Court. Without them it would not happen. A big thank you, too, to the Lord Mayor, right, for being so friendly. He was a credit to the city.

Andrew Carroll, scheme manager, Tollgate Court, Fairbank Road, Girlington.