Letters to the Editor

SIR - What a shame the Government does not listen to parents and teachers.

Twenty years ago children had a double games lesson and two PE lessons each week, plus lunchtime and after-school sports clubs. There were very, very few obese children.

The Government of the day sadly endorsed the selling of school playing fields and Kenneth Baker alienated teachers by telling them they did not work long or hard enough.

Similarly with home economics, children were taught to cook good wholesome meals and were taught hygiene and food safety.

As with PE these lessons were phased out and some rooms changed into science labs, due to the constraints of the ever-changing natural curriculum.

Research costing tens of thousands of pounds now recommends both PE and home economics be compulsory! The wheel and reinvention springs to mind!

Judith Meggison, Jowett Park Crescent, Thackley.

Tipping dilemma

SIR - Regarding fly-tipping, I can quite easily sympathise with Veronica Farnell (T&A, September 23) having problems with the disposal of her TV set.

Recently, I wished to dispose of a fridge and freezer (separate items). I rang Bradford Council to have them picked up but was informed I would be charged £15 per item if they were collected from my house, thus costing me £30 in all, which I wasn't prepared to pay.

Like Veronica Farnell, I have family members to help me out, which they did, but how on earth can older people without any family be expected to pay these amounts on a pension?

After reading Richard Wixey's response, I noticed no mention was made of any charge being made for the collection of any household item, which I thought to be quite convenient for him.

By the way, if you live in Morley, Leeds, no charge is made.

A Larkin, Portsmouth Avenue, Bradford.

l Richard Wixey, Bradford Council's Director of Environmental Services, said: "The collection and disposal of televisions and all other items of household waste, other than fridges and freezers, is free. However the Council decided to introduce a £15 collection fee for fridges and freezers after new rules were introduced on the safe disposal of such items. This led to a four-fold increase in the number of requests for fridge collection, from 3,000 a year to 12,000."

Wrong direction

SIR - I think Labour hate old people and want them to die before they can draw their pensions - even if they are the lowest in Europe.

They are talking about raising the retirement age. If that fails they are always putting taxes up a lot higher than the pension rises.

If old people refuse to pay this unfair council tax they send them to prison.

An 81-year-old man just said "nonsense" at the Labour party conference and they grabbed hold of him with unnecessary violence and bundled him out.

I think the Labour party is heading towards becoming a fascist party with all the rules and laws it is bringing out.

N Brown, Peterborough Place, Undercliffe.

Such B stupidity

SIR - No longer living in Bradford, I still occasionally buy the T&A particularly for the reader's letters and Mike Priestley's North of Watford column. I find this is inspired by political acumen, perception, common sense and the courage to criticise the Government.

Consequently when I learned a correspondent had accused him of failing to support our troops in Iraq and undermining their morale, I resolved to submit a letter of support for Mike as soon as possible.

Out of personal experience of conflict and enforcement of martial law in Libya and later in Palestine, I am perhaps more aware than most readers of the hazardous and ignominious plight that the two megalomaniac "Bs" have placed our troops in.

There was no honour in Britain's collusion with Israel in the Suez crisis or Britain's occupation of Palestine and Iraq between the two World Wars and there is no honour in bombing civilians.

The stupidity of Blair and Bush in waging an unjust war on Iraq has triggered a renaissance of Arab nationalism and endangered British and Americans at home and abroad.

The two Bs have earned their place in history but not the one they aspired to.

Dennis Edmondson, Duck Hill, Pecket Well, Hebden Bridge.

Nowhere to go

SIR - Binge-drinking has been very much in the news over the last few weeks, particularly with this government suggesting increasing opening hours.

After a family discussion, we came to the conclusion that although there have always been people, young and old, who have drunk far too much on occasions, the difference now is that the age is getting lower and the reason for them going into pubs and clubs is because they have nowhere else to go.

Once upon a time there were youth clubs but there are fewer of them and also they are less popular, particularly as they usually only cater for those aged 14 and above.

What is really needed are places to cater for ten to 14-year-old children. So how about clubs opening early in an evening, say 7-9.30pm, and to have the same music but without alcoholic drinks? This used to happen but no longer.

Cricket clubs and other similar sports clubs could do the same and not only provide a place for young people to gather, but also they might just find another Matthew Hoggard or Andrew Flintoff.

John Stead, Rooley Avenue, Odsal.

Help with arthritis

SIR - Arthritis is often dismissed as "just a few aches and pains" but if you're one of the seven million people in the UK who suffer from this painful condition, you'll know it's much more than that.

In fact arthritis is a general term meaning a condition that affects the joints and bones, and can lead to crippling, chronic pain in people of all ages; from babies of six months old to teenagers, young mums, the middle-aged and the elderly.

The Arthritis Research Campaign is the only medical research charity dedicated to finding the cause of and cure for arthritis, and to help improve the current treatment and therapies until the elusive cure is finally found.

We also provide a wealth of patient information on all the different types of arthritis and treatment, including complementary therapies, diet and exercise.

To obtain our free introductory booklet, Introducing Arthritis, please call us on (01904) 696994, e-mail info@arc.org.uk or write to us at the address below.

The booklet is a useful starting point for the newly diagnosed, and explains the differences between the different types of arthritis, treatment, and tips on self-management.

Jane Tadman, Arthritis Research Campaign, St Mary's Gate, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S41 7TD.

The lazy drivers

SIR - With regards to the letter 'City can learn transport lessons' (T&A, October 4), I echo the sentiments.

However, before drivers drive at Advanced Motorist standard they have to drive at the standard they did when they took and passed their initial driving test.

The majority of drivers do not want to drive at that standard and prefer a lazy and ultimately potentially dangerous standard.

This is known as the 'couldn't give a damn, I'll use this phone, read this paper, smoke, eat and drink, drive this vehicle with my finger, one-handed standard'.

William Oliver, Gerard House, Fairhaven Green, Idle

Hockney defence

SIR - In reply to Brian Harrison (T&A, October 4) he should pause before rushing into print for I am sure David Hockney does think before he opens his mouth.

He and I and some medical experts consider the consequences of secondary smoking to be, to say the least, exaggerated.

I agree because of the discomfort it can cause to others, not because of passive smoking claims that smoker should be asked to refrain from smoking.

The banning of smoking in the grounds of hospitals and in bus stations is ridiculous.

P E Bird, Nab Wood Terrace, Shipley.