YEP letters: December 9

Will more building work increase the risk of flooding? Can we bring back jobs to Britain and who says crime doesn't pay - it makes a good living for lawyers! These topics and more are covered by you, the reader in today's letters and comments.

Special service for the “lasses”

Coun Pauleen Graham, Crossgates and Whinmoor Ward

I WOULD like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who worked so hard organising the 100 years Anniversary in Manston Park at the Barnbow Lasses Memorial.

The Memorial was unveiled after a lot of hard work by the Cross Gates Forum, on December 4 2012.

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Each year we hold an event which attracts more and more people exactly what we wanted to bring the tragedy that cost so many lives of those working in the factory to save others .

It is amazing how the memorial has created interest where people have discovered that they are related to one of the Barnbow Lasses that was the aim of Bob and Jackie Lawrence, ELHS, myself , Coun Peter Gruen , our late colleague Coun Suzi Armitage and Richard Burgon MP.

The wonderful LCC parks department who tend the flower beds and David from the Barnbow Pub who provides the refreshments at each event. We look forward to a bigger crowd next year.

Thank you all.

We should not build homes on flood plains

Daphne Kelly,Cookridge Drive, Cookridge, Leeds

Leeds is faced with yet more flood misery and expense this year, due in part to planners not caring where building takes place, as in the controversial case of “ Soggy Bottom” in Cookridge.

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In addition to the risks of flooding to homes to be built on this site and increased flooding to the homes and gardens of already existing residents, there are wider implications.

Moseley Beck, situated at the base of the site, joins the River Aire 1.5 miles downstream, and thus contributed to the flooding at Kirkstall last December. As a consequence of the development in progress the Beck’s contribution to future floods will be increased, both because of the displacement of water caused by the construction of houses, roads, fences etc; and because the drainage system currently being constructed will cause much faster run off into the Beck.

This year Leeds City Council (LCC) has been amongst the most vociferous in calling for increased flood defence funding from central government.

However, every time they grant permission to develop a flood plain they are magnifying the risk of future flooding to people’s homes and businesses and so helping to raise the cost of flood defences.

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In addition LCC has the dubious distinction of having granted permission for the largest number of developments in the country in areas of great flood risk between 2001 and 2011. Who cares about the people ?

Bring back the work to Britain

B. Duffy, by email.

It’s very nice to hear that Rachel Reeves has found time to write a book about a true Labour stalwart, Alice Bacon.

There were two items on the biased BBC News that I found myself watching, only to avoid the dreadful political/economics editor Robert Peston on ITV. The first one quoted the outgoing Ofsted chief spelling out how white working class children were being left behind.

It stated that children in Manchester and Liverpool had three times the amount of money spent on their education,as children in Yorkshire.

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Is this because MPs like Rachel Reeves and Hilary Benn are too busy with outside interests to fight for their constituents? If the sheep like voters of Leeds keep electing these tame MPs ‘because my Father voted Labour,’ how do they expect the City to progress?

The second item featured the CEO of William Cooks stating that they were producing millions of pounds of steel and iron materials, yet not £1’s worth was being used by a British manufacturing company.

This tells us we should be investing in manufacturing jobs for the UK, not apprenticeships in hairdressing or telephone operatives.

Time to start up the coalmines and steelworks now we’ve thrown off the shackles of the EU.

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Take a leaf out of Mr Trump’s book. Keep the work in Britain!

Give citizens of the US a break

Denise Marsden, Cookridge, Leeds

Gosh, Mr. Maunder, what a xenophobic tirade against America (Thanks a bunch for Trump, YEP, November 16). I don’t suppose he’s considered that the U.S.A. and our own beloved country are not so different. Most of the population are everyday people, all of us trying to do our best, and on the odd occasion we are asked to vote we do so honestly, with the advice we are given.

Both of us have had our civil wars, and invaders. The Normans may have “conquered” us, but also contributed massively to the country we are today. You could say we’re a mongrel race. One of the reasons that we are not speaking French in the UK is because of King Alfred who encouraged the continued use of Old English, and because King William’s homeland was invaded and he lost the availability to bring in Norman women, his Lords had to wed British ladies who spoke only English, so that’s what the children learned. Be grateful.

Slavery, yes, it reared its ugly head over there, but take a look at some of our stately homes, whose ancestors got rich on the slave trade.

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Think of the places we added to our Commonwealth, don’t tell me we didn’t change those countries by our insisting that everything had to be British. And yes, we both have had corrupt politicians. Par for the course.

Come off it, Mr Maunder, nobody’s perfect. Give the ordinary people of America a break, and maybe the world will do the same for us.

Who says crime doesn’t pay?

Derek Barker, Moortown, Leeds

In response to the comments made by M Chadderton (“Where is the deterrent?”, letters, YEP, December 3) this is a subject that I have previously written to the YEP about, without having my observations on this matter published, perhaps because they are too controversial.

Over the last 40 years or so the Houses of Parliament, as a result of the main political parties having a preference of selecting Parliamentary candidates who are qualified legal professionals, now has a hugely disproportionate number of elected members on all sides of the house who come from and primarily represent the interests of just one profession, the legal 
profession.

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Crime does pay, it pays those who are employed in the criminal justice system through the tax payer provided legal aid fund.

The historical records prove that the majority of people who habitually committed petty crime did so to prevent themselves from starving to death in the street, because they got three square meals a day in prison, but the murder rate back then was almost negligible compared to today’s murder rate, and there were far fewer criminal lawyers.

Clarkson is a thoroughbred

Alan Thompson, Bramhope, Leeds

The BBC couldn’t wait to get rid of Jeremy Clarkson for being politically incorrect. Now Amazon are paying him £10million to front a new ‘Top Gear Show’ now called ‘The Grand Tour.’ For Clarkson it is an hilarious stroke of good fortune.

In today’s climate there are too many people waiting to be offended.

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For my money his ‘Top Gear’ replacement Chris Evans was just a pound shop Clarkson – he didn’t come close.

The BBC is like a British Leyland struggling old banger while Clarkson races away in a Ferrari.

Put Christ back into Christmas

Terry Watson, Adel

Leeds City Council may as well do away with the pathetic display they call Christmas lights. For years they have downgraded the religious aspect of the lights and now the pathetic lights are just a waste of electricity. Blackpool illuminations are more religious than ours.

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