LETTERS: February 15

Here's what YEP readers are talking about on today's letters pages
NORTHERN POWERHOUSE: Should its HQ be in Leeds?NORTHERN POWERHOUSE: Should its HQ be in Leeds?
NORTHERN POWERHOUSE: Should its HQ be in Leeds?

POWERHOUSE HQ HAS TO BE BASED HERE IN LEEDS

John Dyson, Moortown

I can’t help but think that the powers that be in Westminster have shot themselves in the foot by coining the phrase ‘Northern Powerhouse’ without first consulting a map.

Had they done so they would have noticed their least-favoured city of Leeds is at the very heart of the north. Furthermore, as a crow would fly, we are halfway between the capitals of England and Scotland.

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Now we in West Yorkshire are beyond paranoia in knowing that Government funding for major buildings and infrastructure up north has, for decades, mysteriously passed us by.

Well not any more. If this Powerhouse plan is to be taken seriously there has to be a headquarters and, with apologies to our neighbours, this has to be in Leeds.

As befits an important regional capital, the structure must be iconic, akin to the buildings of the Scottish Parliament or Welsh Assembly, and house both a conference centre and concert hall.

I envisage it standing proudly on our South Bank, close to the shiny new high speed railway and Antony Gormley’s Brick Man sculpture.

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Finally there will be a compelling case for a state of the art, money no object, transport for Leeds network. Luckily, as any number of experts and objectors have already proved, this cannot be over ground, so an underground it must be, with several lines radiating through the suburbs to our magnificent parks, market towns and beyond.

So there is the vision. All we need now is for our elected representatives to make it happen.

HOW DO THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT?

Liz Goodwill, by email

How I applaud Lindon Dove (YEP Letters, February 13). My nanna was exactly the same.

How appalling these overpaid buffoons don’t see it the same.

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It’s time, albeit through votes, that we took our local areas back.

In Leeds , as in other areas, we have a council that fritters money it apparently doesn’t have on useless schemes, but yet neglects the elderly, the mentally ill and, in my view worst of all, children.

They are all sitting pretty with their bloated salaries and expenses, but turn up to meetings and ignore what people are really concerned about.

As me old nan, god bless, would say, how do they sleep at night?

SPEAKER’S DAYS ARE NUMBERED

B Duffy, by email

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Yet again we have J Appleyard (YEP letters, February 13) trying to defend the indefenceable in his praise of John Bercow.

This man is the most hated Speaker of modern times.There is currently a move afoot in Parliament to have him removed,by all parties.

By making his ill advised comments he has caused the Queen and this country great damage.

As a self confessed Remoaner this was his intention.

He realises his days are numbered before he sinks into obscurity.

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Even Labour politicians are aghast at his obvious bias against Conservative party speakers in Parliament.

His appointment of people like Keith Vaz to the chairmanship of powerful committees, where he has the audacity to lecture other people, is truly breathtaking and shows great lack of judgement.

Never has a man with such short legs mounted so many high horses!

TRUMP IS NOT WELCOME HERE

John Gladston Wildie, Wakefield

I fully agree with the speaker of the House of Commons Mr John Bercow on his comments about blocking Donald Trump from speaking.

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I salute Mr Bercow on his comments. I myself am very much against racism and sexism and I say that Mr Trump must not be allowed to speak in our parliament.

Veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner, after John Bercow’s statement said well done after the former deputy Labour leader tweeted ‘racism and sexism is not welcome’.

I also agree with what Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, said that Mr Donald Trump ‘should not speak to us, he’s not welcome here.’

I am surprised that Mr Trump will be going to Buckingham Palace to see the Queen.

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Before Mr Trump’s time of office is over in four years he will cause some massive problems with other countries, or maybe war.

PENSIONERS ARE GETTING A WAGE CUT, NOT A RISE

Malcolm Shedlow, Moortown

To all those people that think pensioners have never had it so good, and the BBC who on TV told the lie that pensioners were £20 better off a week than someone that was working. What a blatent misleading lie.

I have worked full time and paid in for my pension for 44 years and with my pension and private pension I get a total yearly income of £12,500 .

This is perhaps only half of what the average wages are today.

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The increase in April for a pensioner is £3 a week. I receive no benefits and pay in full for anything I use such as gas, electric, council tax ,house insurance ,car insurance ,car tax and petrol, etc. Also on my pittance I have to pay income tax.

Fortunately I have bought my own home, by the sweat of my brow over the many years I have worked.

The truth of the matter is that each year because of the cost of living spiralling we pensioners get a yearly wage cut, not a wage rise.

To all those people working having read the above that still think we have never had it so good - I will swap my income for theirs.