Letters to the Editor

Julia Silson's letter (KN 25 05 01) made me realise that, were it not for people like Fred Hirlam, expressions of free speech and opinion would have never seen a printroom.

Julia's letter also made me think about what this page will look like in say ten years time, when the politically correct brigade and the far left win the battle over what and what cannot be said.

In the meantime, let us raise a glass to the Fred Hirlams of this country who gave so much for our freedom.

Let us also toast all the regular letter writers, whatever their views or opinions, whether misguided, bizarre or otherwise, who make this important page what it is today.

RP BEALE

Skipton Road, Cononley

SIR - Re the short article on last week's page one. Why is George Emmott angry with the police?

So far as I know it is not the responsibility of the police to remove offal from the road.

I served in the police service for 32 years, and for 27 years I was an Inspector under the Diseases of Animals Act 1950. These powers were quite extensive, particularly at a time of foot and mouth disease etc.

I was able to require removal by either the person who deposited the offal (under penalty for depositing it in the first place and refusing to move it) or by the local authority.

But I never sent out my officers. They were engaged on their duties of preventing and detecting crime.

R W PLACE

Oakes, Huddersfield

SIR - One morning last week I was driving up the narrow Ebor Lane, in Haworth, with caution, having been warned by my wife about the speed at which some vehicles travel on it.

Sure enough I met two or three, and because of my slow speed we were able to pass without incident.

Nearing the top junction, however, I was amazed when a car driven by a woman with child passengers cut the corner at speed and hit my car several times.

She did not stop and was off down the lane before I could get the registration number. Fortunately no one was injured, and miraculously the vehicles had hit side bumpers only, causing no damage.

My concern, however, is for the safety of pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists who use the lane, particularly youngsters.

Someone famous said hurry is not the work of the devil, hurry is the devil.

The narrow roads of Keighley and the Worth Valley have to be driven carefully.

Many of us are busy but the lesson needs to be to leave a few more minutes for our journeys.

Keith Wilson

Dean Street, Haworth

SIR - Each year thousands of pensioners come home from hospital to discover that their pension or income support has been cut.

The rule that allows the Department of Social Security to do this is little publicised and can feel like the last straw for an older person on a low income who is recovering from a serious illness or operation.

A single person's pension is normally cut by £28.30p a week after they have been in hospital for six weeks or longer.

Pensioners see it as a charge towards a stay in hospital that people of working age do not face.

Age Concern England would like to hear from older people who have suffered from this injustice or who may suffer if they have a hospital stay coming up.

Please write to Rhian Beynon in the Public Affairs Department Age Concern England, 1268 London Road, London, SW 16 4 ER.

RHIAN BEYNON

SIR - The men who worked on the roofs on Gloucester Avenue worked very hard in all kinds of weather, were polite, cleared up the mess and were in front of schedule.

We disagree with comments made criticising their work. The roofs have been leaking for 50 years.

MARY and AUDREY

Gloucester Avenue, Silsden.

SIR - I am writing on behalf of staff at Keighley Voluntary Services to say thank you. To whom, you might ask?

As you may be aware, 2001 is International Year of Volunteering and from June 1 - 7 each year we celebrate Volunteers' Week in this country.

Keighley Volunteer Bureau is creating a visible reminder on June 2 when Prime Movers will display their float to promote youth volunteering, and a volunteers' photography competition is organised, with a deadline in September.

These are two initiatives that contribute to a whole range of initiatives across the country, particularly this week and also dotted around the year.

Volunteering is now official! The Government has created policies and opportunities to encourage young and or unemployed people, for example, to enhance their skills and improve their job prospects.

As local authority services are cut, so the voluntary sector - as ever - endeavours to fill the gaps. Opportunities for contract work and formal agreements are growing, as is the range and amount of monitoring information required by funders. These two issues alone bring increased pressure to voluntary and community groups who must measure and juggle their own objectives and community interests against the strategies and funding opportunities which may be available to them.

Behind the scenes voluntary organisations and community are looked after by countless volunteer committee members and trustees - they are the "engine rooms" of the third sector.

They take responsibility for a frightening range of obligations. They meet in living rooms, board rooms, community centres and church halls, giving up hours of freedom to ensure their collective vision is properly executed, and probably gaining many hours of anxiety and problems they didn't bargain for amongst the moments of fulfilment!

At KVS - only one of over 200 organisations in Keighley - our trustees give around 420 hours per year between them in meetings, supporting staff, planning, reviewing, representing KVS, exchanging information and so on.

So, this thank you is especially aimed at all those volunteers who "sit round the table" in the engine rooms and enable it all to happen. You may not be sitting on the float on Keighley Gala day, but we know you are there, and we wouldn't be here without you.

I hope you will join me in this small but sincere tribute to committee members and trustees.

Caroline Schwaller

Chief Officer,

Keighley Voluntary Services

Election Letters

SIR - As part of my job I visit clothing factories in the UK. During the 1997 election I saw in factories Labour and union leaflets saying vote Labour as this was the way to protect our jobs as they were the party for the workers.

They said we must join the Euro as it was going to rival the dollar and be the world's strongest currency. Since 1997 over 130,000 people have lost their jobs in clothing and textile manufacturing.

How many of these union officials and politicians have lost theirs?

The euro has lost 30 per cent of its value. These same people are telling us the same story at this election. Mr Blair told us 'trust me' we did, and then he said 'I need a full five years to implement my pledges'.

Why then have New Labour called the election a year early? Could it be that they know that the ever increasing regulations they are putting on UK industry and that the euro is expected to continue to fall will cause many more redundancies in the manufacturing industry.

Grant aid to clothing and textiles £12 million; the Dome £960 million. Enough said.

Yes Mr Blair, sure I believe you, I've got fairies at the bottom of my garden too!

HOWARD SCAIFE

Curly Hill,

Ilkley

SIR - So Tony Blair has at last come out of the closet and stated he could win a referendum on the euro.

In other words, he thinks he could fix it like he tried to fix the election of the London mayor and the leader of the Welsh Assembly.

I have nothing against Ann Cryer. I think she is an honest, hardworking and conscientious member of parliament.

Unfortunately I cannot say the same for her leader and his ex-university and lawyer cronies who have all got their noses in the trough.

The stream of propaganda coming out of Downing Street under the auspices of his rottweiler Alistair Campbell is nauseating.

Anyone who dares to disagree with their doctrine is branded an extremist or racialist.

Their claims about the fall in unemployment are misleading. Many of these jobs are part time and low paid.

Where are the jobs in manufacturing industries that were once the lifeblood of this country? Disillusioned nurses, teachers and policemen are leaving in droves.

Gordon Brown is selling off our gold reserves to prop up the ailing euro.

Like many people I have a distrust of most politicians of all parties. But I do not agree with people who say don't vote. I urge people to use their vote but to think deeply about where they put their cross.

They could be condemning future generations to a nightmare of European bureaucracy and losing our independence and sovereignty, for which some of my mates in the last war and millions in the past from this country and the Commonwealth have given their lives.

God willing I will be 80 years old next year.

In the past I was never really interested in politics. I knew that if we didn't like a particular government we could kick it out at the next election.

If we get too involved with Europe this will not be the case in the future, because whatever our elected representatives decide to do it can be overruled by the dictators of Brussels.

HL HOLMES

Paget Street, Keighley

SIR - I am 31 years old. I have had the opportunity to vote at previous general and local elections. Until now I have never done so.

Now, because I understand that this is to be the saddest election in the history of this once proud nation, I am looking at the prospect of being a first time voter.

In my mind the democratic system is dying. Why has no one championed democracy at its most basic level?

The basis of a vote is to take up my right to agree or disagree with a person's/party's opinions or views.

Yet I cannot get a complete picture of the three main parties concerned. Why? The three big parties decided it was in my interest to be protected from myself.

They signed something saying they would not talk about an issue - obviously because Joe Public (voters) are people who have to be told what they can talk about.

At the next election will they sign more pieces of paper saying, for example, they will not talk about poverty because we live in a classless society?

Surely any subject should be open for debate. I am so confused, so much so that come the day I may not bother and just be able to be smug after all the fuss is over and say 'you can't blame me. I didn't vote for 'em'.

I am just about to score my first goal, from the penalty spot, and there is no goalkeeper. I cannot miss - but then someone moves the goalposts.

MP THOMPSON

Braithwaite Ave, Keighley

SIR In his letter (KN 25 05 01) Donald Flawn admits that Ann Cryer has been a good constituency MP.

However, he goes on, this is not really important, since the real deciding factor is our assessment of the government's record, which he dismissed as abysmal.

My first reaction is that this view (ie vote for the party and not the person), although widely held, represents the antithesis of democracy and has led to the election of many head-wagging dummies we see whenever parliament is televised.

Yes, by all mean let us have a critical examination of the government's record (although Mrs Flawn's sweeping condemnation is too shallow to be taken seriously), but we need to consider other weighty factors: Ann Cryer's excellent record as an MP, the records of Simon Cooke and Mike Doyle in local government, and, finally, the records of Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties in opposition.

Judging from nationwide opinion polls the average voter is rather bored by it all, but sees the Government as dull but competent, the Tory opposition as a disaster, and the Liberal Democrats steadily gaining in credibility.

HAMISH HAY

Craven Avenue, Silsden

SIR - I noted with interest the usual letter in the Keighley News disparaging politics without offering any alternatives.

In Keighley there is a genuine choice between the parties and candidates. We have Mrs Cryer for Labour offering her own principled stances, and the Conservatives offering their own radical alternative.

The Liberal Democrats have espoused traditional liberal, such as the defence of asylum seekers, and the United Kingdom Independence Party, who offer the voters the chance of withdrawal from the European Union.

In Keighley every vote counts. As the recent Conservative leaflet stated, according to its own opinion poll, the contest in Keighley is neck and neck. This fits in with all the elections since the Second World War, because Keighley has always been close, with Bob Cryer winning in 1979 by under 100 votes.

Not only is there a clear choice before the electorate of Keighley, but every individual vote will count.

James Pressley

Parkwood Street, Keighley