Letters to the editor

He said he was not reading it, but when I asked him why it was open before him, he had no reply.

I have also told a driver not to talk to a standing passenger during a two-mile journey, and I have been given a pre-issued ticket when boarding.

This bus company should employ inspectors, then they may achieve some better working practices and emulate Keighley and District Travel which is first class.

E Mortimer, Grove Avenue, Shipley.

Brandon Jones, marketing manager of First Bradford, said: "I am disappointed to read Mr Mortimer's remarks regarding First Bradford services. I have subsequently spoken with Mr Mortimer to express our apologies and have given our assurances that the incidents outlined will be investigated and appropriate action taken. First Bradford is committed to providing the highest standards of service on all our routes and is continuing to invest in our drivers through on-going training initiatives, such as NVQ programmes and Customer Care Workshops. Where customers are not satisfied with the service we deliver, I would urge them to contact us with details of the journey on (01274) 734833 (Monday to Friday, 08.30 to 16.30) so we can investigate further."

SIR - Re your recent story about the Quaker Cemetery at Bingley. This was at Castlefields, Crossflatts. I fear this was disturbed when the railway was built alongside Slenningford Road.

The meetings of the Quakers were held for years at Castlefields and the minutes of the meetings show many influential people being involved.

It would appear that the graves were affected with the building of the railway. The Quaker meetings books are held at the Keighley Public Library.

Philip Rushworth, Ailsa House, Fairhaven Green, Bradford 10.

SIR - I would like to nominate Tony Blair as the founder of the Farewell State.

Not only have he and his cohorts sold us out as having no identity in order to bend even further backwards to the ethnic minority (thus causing more damage to an already volatile situation), but he intends to poison us all by leaving slaughtered, contaminated cattle and sheep lying about the countryside.

Also, the burning of these carcasses has caused airborne pollution which could bring untold devastation to the future of mankind.

Trevor Williams-Berry, Bredon Avnue, Wrose.

SIR - Any one living in England should be proud to celebrate St George's Day.

I didn't have a "St George" flag so I hung a Union Jack towel out on my washing line. I explained to anyone who looked puzzled what it was there for.

The club I was in last Saturday announced that on Monday, April 23, there would be an organist playing in the lounge all day, and there would be cheaper drinks served for St George's Day.

That was the first time I ever heard a club make it a special day.

I have known all my life that April 23 is our patron saint day. Everyone should hold their heads high and be proud to live in England.

Veronica Farnell, Market Street, Thornton.

SIR - In response to Eric Firth's letter (April 10) regarding flying the flag for England.

Eric Firth said most public houses are financial patriots. If Mr Firth would like to see the English flag fly every day and night of the year he should pay a visit to Wibsey Working Men's Club.

The English flag has been flying proudly there for many years.

Peter Kenny, chairman, Odsal Residents Association, Crawford Avenue, Odsal.

SIR - In answer to B Bryar's letter dated April 14, I agree with all he says. The Federation does not speak for all tenants and it is undemocratic and most representatives are puppets for the Council.

If the Federation was a good body, why are our views on anything not put before Council?

We on Fagley do not agree with what the Federation stands for. They have done no good on Fagley owing to no feedback and nobody asks tenants and residents their views. Nobody wants tenants and residents to have a say in what should be done on our estates, because it is sorted out already by councillors.

J R Smith, Flawith Drive, Fagley.

The reported comments from Sir Herman Ouseley, and Mr Marc Wadsworth, that the Labour Party gives Asians preferential treatment are not entirely accurate, and could cause more resentments among Asians and African-Caribbeans.

The Asian community feels that African-Caribbeans are better represented in politics, the civil service and other social, public and cultural institutions and that they get a raw deal.

There are huge variations in the economic and social circumstances of different minority ethnic groups due to socio-economic circumstances at the time when these communities came to the UK.

Indians and East African Asians have overcome the barriers and, as a consequence, have done remarkably well in all walks of life.

The media seem to be obsessed with the Asian millionaires and their associations with politicians, which probably gives a false impression of the poverty and deprivation that exists among large sections of the British South Asian communities.

There are 800,000 Pakistani and Bangladeshi people in Britain: six out of ten earn less than half the national average wage compared with less than two for the white population. These Asian communities suffer from high unemployment, poor educational achievement and are under-represented in almost every sector of society.

We need to examine the key barriers faced by different ethnic minority communities and then take positive action to address them, learning from the Indian and East African Asians who have successfully overcome these hurdles.

Dr Mohammed Ali, Chief Executive, QED UK, Clipstone Street, Bradford 5.

SIR - In this country we take pride in giving everyone freedom of speech. However, we also give in to political correctness and try to stop MPs like John Townend from speaking their minds.

If people feel that race is a major issue in this country, they should be allowed to speak their minds. Problems are never solved by sweeping them under carpets. They need to be brought out into the open.

How can we, as a nation, make any progress if we shout "racism" at the mere mention of the word race? Every society has its ills and these ills can only be rectified by honest discussion.

The Commission For Racial Equality will not let honest discussion take place. They also have no right whatsoever in asking all the major political parties to sign a pledge not to make race an election issue. Tolerance and love for our fellow human being is the way forward, not a signature by politicians on a worthless piece of paper.

Race was not an issue before the CRE got involved.

Racial tensions in Bradford and Oldham are at boiling point, and this is what they should be concentrating on.

Mohammed Javaid, Abingdon Street, Heaton.

SIR - I welcome William Hague's signing, on behalf of the Conservative Party, of the Commission for Racial Equality's compact on keeping race out of the election battle.

When all the parliamentary candidates are asked to sign the compact, I would be happy to do so, but those who do not sign should not be automatically branded as racists by the Labour Party.

It should be a matter for individuals.

Even though I would gladly put my signature to the CRE's compact, I would very much like to debate the issues on asylum, immigration, race relations in general, and Labour's political correctness in particular.

The reason why this debate is necessary is the fact that for far too long the race debate has been cynically manipulated and exploited by the Labour Party. There now needs to be a vigorous alternative Conservative view, which I would be advocating.

In cities like Bradford, the race agenda as set by the Labour Party is now being rejected, and this is amply demonstrated by the fact that Labour safest inner-city wards now return a growing number of Conservative councillors at successive local elections.

Mohammed Riaz, prospective Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Bradford West, Hilton Grove, Bradford.

SIR - I agree totally with Mr Khan (Letters, April 21) that it would be impossible to tell a man's religion just by the way he looks, and that the true Muslim is indeed a God-fearing man.

But would Mr Khan agree with me that, as with all religions, not all members of the community follow their religion as strictly as they should and are not as God-fearing as they would like you to believe?

Would he then agree with me that the Lidget Green area is populated with a large number of Asian people and that of these people a large number are indeed "Muslims"?

This being the case, does Mr Khan then expect people to believe that although the trouble-makers were not recognisable as Muslims, Muslims were not involved?

Can we then assume then that if, as Mr Khan explains, Muslims are not capable of such mindless violence, that the blame must therefore rest with the Catholics, Protestants, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish communities that are so prevalent in the Lidget Green areas?

John Francis, St Margaret's Road, Great Horton.

SIR - Why does our Asian community in Bradford have a race boss (Gurbux Singh), who heads the National Commission for Racial Equality, while the white community have no such person to head their concerns over the escalating racial attacks against us?

It is not just the Asian community which is on the receiving end of racial attacks and abuse. We whites, too, have to deal with these scenarios, but these seem to go unquestioned within the Asian community. All these situations need to be addressed before any bridges can be built between us.

Miss Allison Helm, Throxenby Way, Clayton.

SIR - Re the letter from Yousef Khan (T&A, April 21).

I have spent a lot of my life, feeling a bit guilty about things like the Crusades, or the "Holy" Inquisition. I should not have worried. They were not carried out by Christians. No Christian would behave like that.

It isn't really Jews who pilot the Israeli helicopter gunships; nor Muslims who blow up Israeli settlers. Neither religion behaves like that.

I wonder who does these things? I understand that the Holy Father, Pope John Paul, issued an apology to the Jewish people for the way Catholics have treated them in the past. Now if Yousef Khan is correct, the Jews should apologise to Catholics for accusing them of persecution of the Jewish people. What an interesting idea!

Seriously, Yousef Khan should disassociate himself from the hooligan element who smashed up Hasmuk Shah's shop, and as a mark of sincerity, offer compensation.

That would be a charitable action worthy of a follower of Islam.

Jack Mawson, Grove House Crescent, Bradford

SIR - Re Mike Priestley's column on April 21 in which he spoke of the disturbances in the Lidget Green area last week.

I only have one complaint: I now have a stiff neck after nodding my head in agreement with everything Mike wrote.

I am of a similar age to Mike and having been born in Bradford I have lived here all my life. What he said was so true, but what can be done about it?

Surely the first thing to admit is that there is a certain section of the residents of Bradford who, when they believe they have a problem, react by causing damage to the properties of people nearby who usually have nothing to do with any perceived problems.

This sort of reaction helps no-one. It gives those causing the disturbance a bad name and it also gives Bradford a bad name with all of the disastrous consequences that Mike Priestley described so well.

Bradford has similar problems in trying to achieve racial harmony as many other cities in Britain. Problems have to be discussed and it is no good trying to stifle debate as with the recent "Compact" put out by the CRE which succeeded in only causing controversy.

The problems have to be admitted as only then can solutions be found (hopefully!)

B Pickford, Summerbridge Crescent, Eccleshill.

SIR - A number of questions arise following the disturbances at Lidget Green.

Why were 15 police officers recently transferred from Bradford to Keighley and replaced by two chief inspectors?

Why is a city such as Bradford, with such a record of underlying violence, policed by only 30 police officers at night?

Why does a city as large as Bradford have to rely on reinforcements having to come from as far afield as Leeds, Wakefield, Halifax and Huddersfield when serious violence occurs?

Why was a group of peaceful Ukrainian pensioners allowed to be imprisoned and assaulted on their own premises without help from any quarter?

During the three major incidents in this city since 1995, how many arrests and convictions have there been for serious crimes emanating from these incidents?

When are the police going to act against the gangs of youths of all races roaming the streets day and night committing acts of violence?

When is someone, anyone, going to get a grip on this madness?

D Higson, Cleckheaton Road, Low Moor.

SIR - I don't know about playing the race card, but the entire New Labour cabinet would play strip poker, live on TV, if they thought it would guarantee another term in office.

C Thrippleton, Mayfield Avenue, Wyke.

SIR - From time to time your newspaper carries stories about the "inconvenience" caused by dogs whose owners allow them to foul footpaths. A far greater menace is the number of dogs which are allowed to roam freely on streets and canal-side with no control or thought from their owners.

I take my master for regular walks on the canal towpath, and we frequently have to alter our route to avoid these menaces. They come racing up to us, barking and snarling, and cause us both to be quite frightened.

My master does not see very well, and he finds it very scary to be suddenly confronted by a dog, with no sign of anyone taking care of it.

This morning was typical: a huge St Bernard called Harry appeared from nowhere and scared us both terribly, and its master was nowhere to be seen. Why should our walks be ruined day after day by dog owners who have so little courtesy or common sense?

Dogs should be on leads at all times when other dogs or the public are about, like I always am.

Macintosh the Border Collie (dictated to his master, Steve Broadbent, who did the typing), Bromley Road, Bingley.

SIR - Farmers are reported to be fearful at the reopening of Otley Chevin. I feel that their concern is wholly justifed.

On Easter Saturday I took my dog for a walk on Otley Chevin. When I arrived, notices were displayed asking that dogs be kept on a lead and to stay to the path. Despite the notices, I encountered several dog owners allowing their dogs to run free.

When I challenged these irresponsible owners, I was subjected to verbal abuse and comments indicating a lack knowledge or concern about foot and mouth.

I would like to offer my support to the hard-pressed farmers of this area, but am against irresponsible people who claim to be animal lovers.

E Magee, West Parade, Ilkley

SIR - Do all the parents in the Bradford 5 area know where their children were at 1.30pm on Sunday, April 15? Obviously not.

Two teenage boys' families definitely didn't because my son was being robbed in broad daylight outside Charlie Brown's on Manchester Road! They took his mobile phone from him and ran off with it.

So all you parents who think that you are upstanding people, think again because two of your sons are thieves and if you cared about the place and people where you lived, you would go out of your way and find out who did this to my son and make at least a slight effort to teach your offspring the laws of this land and right from wrong.

It's the parents who are to blame because their children are their responsibility, and a responsible parent would know what their children were doing.

If you can't honestly say that it wasn't your son who did this, then you're not doing your job right and shouldn't have children in the first place.

It's parents like you who make this area as bad as it is.

T Mills, Norwood Street, Bradford 5.

SIR - Thank you R J Lacey of Wrose Road for your response to my recent letter to the Editor. No, I haven't or will not in the future renounce my British citizenship. I'm still proud of it, but I must say that when I arrived here five years ago, I used to crack the old sheep joke to the Kiwis. However, recently they have all been flying back at me - particularly now with MAFF slaughtering 500 innocent sheep, 100 miles off target. I hope they are a better aim when they are on the right farm.

Maybe I should send an up-to-date map with the packet of Arrowroot biscuits.

On reading recent Letters to the Editor, it's great to see you all stick it to the authorities on all sorts of important issues. Keep it up and they might eventually listen - maybe, anyway.

I look forward to following progress in good old Bradford.

Juliet Proud, Bishopdale, Christchurch, New Zealand.