YEP Letters: April 1

Standing up for the steel industry

John Appleyard, Liversedge

Good to see Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn standing up for British Steel workers who face massive job losses.

Steel is another industry that was privatised by Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s and now we see the consequences.

The current Tory government has announced plans to sell off the Land Registry, a profitable public service that records the sale of houses and land.

This is another short sighted move to make a quick buck.

This could mean a worse service and a hike in price for all of us.

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How much will government stump up?

Councillor Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning.

I doubt if the content of Monday’s article on funding for flood defences (‘Twice as much money spent on flood defences in South’) will have come as much as a surprise to your readers.

It seems that there is always enough money to tackle the problems of areas like the Somerset Levels with a miniscule population, while a different set of considerations apply to metropolitan areas like Leeds.

It took a public outcry to get a belated commitment to funding a feasibility scheme for Leeds out of Liz Truss; even then there was a distinct failure to understand the urgency of the scheme.

Now the Council has received confirmation that the city will receive £4.5 million towards dealing with infrastructure damage from Storm Eva estimated at around £8.7 million (although this is likely to rise as damage to the highways and footpaths in isolated locations comes to light over the coming weeks and months).

The relatively good news is that the Environment Agency has come forward to assist with the £600,000 to cover the damage to work in progress on the city centre flood alleviation scheme.

Despite its cost, Leeds City Council is committed to repairing the bridge at Linton. The major funding headache is left with the Canals and Rivers Trust, which has a £3 million repair bill for work to the east of the city centre.

But Storm Eva wasn’t the sum total of our woes.

There were considerable flooding problems in the weeks running up to Christmas in places which have seldom caused a problem in previous years and we won’t be able to ignore them if we’re to protect the homes of Leeds citizens.

So, after all the warm words and promises, how much will the Government stump up?

Will Yorkshire get parity of treatment with the South East in this vital area?

Bring on the revolution?

Alex Gillies, Leeds 14

Is this TA TA to the UK steel industry?

Maybe it’s time for the UK citizens to vote ta ta to the dreaded European Courts of Justice / Human Rights, as they only benefit lawyers and law breakers. Ta ta to the Commonwealth as they remove our Union flag from their standards and I believe we’ve more than paid for our so called plundering of their commodities.

Then we can say ta ta to Cameron and Osborne and a great big hello to standing up and facing the future alone as we’ve done since kicking butt to the Romans (hiccup with the Normans), Napoleon and Hitler. All we need is a leader. I’m pretty sure she/he is not sitting as an MP in the House of Commons in this present session.

So all you students that have been studying politics in the pub for the best part of five years, now is the chance to make Britain great again and not only the fifth richest country but number one in the world. By earning our wages and spending it in our own country, not see it trousered by those oversea investors that pay no tax on profits from your sweat and labour. Bring on the revolution?

No right to make statement

F Ward, Leeds 8

The headlines of this week’s Sunday Times read “crush Isis or horror will intensify.”

Who made this statement? None other but our old warmongering friend, Tony Blair. What right has this man, ensconced with his millions in his ivory tower, to make a statement like this, when it was proved there were no WMDs, despite his protestations.

He then misled the British people and Parliament, and then invaded Iraq along with his mentor, George Bush. Granted, Saddam Hussein was overthrown, but at what cost?

Thousands of civilians and military killed, and a power vacuum created, which encouraged the jihadists and radicals to join forces, thus creating Isis.

Can we crush Isis? I doubt it. We may eradicate the central core, but we will always have the mavericks intent on destroying anyone who disagrees with them.

Concern over new building

E Nelson, Yeadon

The size and shape of the new building which is replacing the Howarth Court complex at Yeadon gives rise to some concerns.

First, the height which is more than was indicated in the original artist’s impression. Secondly the concave shape which could cause strong and gusty winds which could be dangerous, especially as the occupants of the building are likely to be elderly.

I expect that the planning authority will have requested research into the impact of the wind in what is an exposed position, after all we don’t want another Bridgewater Place.

Another point of interest is why is it to be called Wharfedale View when it is overlooking the Aire valley?

Not for turning?

A Shipman, Leeds 13

Firstly it was the government U-turn on working tax credits, then planned cuts to benefits for disabled people were reversed, so what’s the betting on the hat trick, that the proposals, unpopular with many, on academies will be axed? You never know though, Nicky Morgan may be a lady who is not for turning, as was an education secretary in the 1970s.

Churches should be used

A Hague, Leeds 9

The recent letter by Rev Robin Paterson ‘Use our churches or lose them’, made sense.

Like he says, we should at least use a church for funerals where all can be in the building as our crematoria are too small.

Less people visit their churches now and many have closed or amalgamated to stay alive. Some only visit at Christmas or for weddings and people who die are not replaced by the young. Many could not face life if they didn’t think there was an afterlife and they provide the embers of what is left.

TV repeats

Ernest Lundy, by email

a friend phoned complaining about the rubbish on TV over the Easter weekend.

I can do no other than concur.

Apart from the usual diet of soaps, we are being subjected to a proliferation of Jeremy Kyle shows, many of them repeats. Colombo is never off the screen and so many genres of detective repeats must be showing criminals methods of avoiding capture.

The old Randolph Scott and John Wayne westerns seem as old as the west itself and, apart from a few, said to be classics, I’ve little idea how we found them to be of interest in days past.

The Carry On films are no longer funny, Open all Hours, Porridge, Only Fools and Horses, while still being mildly amusing, are well past their sell by dates. The list of other repeats is endless. As for Sky and the amount we pay to view films and sport, many Premier League and other matches are no longer available and when a film appears on the menu it is there for weeks and many of those are repeats. I am seriously considering whether or not to renew my subscription. If things go on as they are it’s likely I’ll return to books for entertainment, although on second thoughts documentaries and the use of broadband still provide me with a sources of entertainment and knowledge. I shall have to give it some serious thought. Meanwhile there’s some rugby league on in ten minutes!