YEP Letters, November 3

Poppies ruling is taking a liberty

Alex Gillies, by email

The eleventh of the eleventh is Remembrance Day for the majority of UK citizens and celebrated all over the world, including many European countries as a thank you for their liberty.

What a liberty.

Fifa are banning the wearing of the poppy on the shirts of Scotland and England in their World Cup qualifier on that very day, as they find it political.

My uncle lies in Belgium, paying the ultimate sacrifice aged 20 for liberty. I’m sick of the erosion of the liberties of British citizens in everything that we stand proud for.

So let us all have our liberty, free from all political interference and religious bigotry that is sweeping across the UK from every part of the globe.

Dismay over lack of ambition on transport

Thomas Harvey, Ilkley

Like many across the city, I was offended and dismayed by Councillor Lewis’ recent comments regarding Leeds’ lack of transport problems. The fact that a person in such high office can be so out of touch with those whom he is meant to represent is astounding, and this attitude, one that is seemingly reflected by others around him, is potentially damaging our city and its future prosperity.

I’m extremely disappointed to hear of the proposed intentions of Leeds City Council to spend the ring-fenced trolleybus money on various smaller projects. The patchwork approach provides minimal, short-term benefit and the city is now at a stage where it absolutely must push for something more significant and end the reliance on monopolised bus routes and our clogged road network. Whether or not Leeds actually does fair better when it comes to arbitrary congestion figures and average commute times, Mr Lewis surely cannot deny that the benefits of a metro system would be far reaching, attracting new investment, dramatically improving journey times and the ability to reach different areas of the city.

It astounds me to hear such a lack of ambition from the leaders of this city, especially when I see the progress being made by our neighbour across the Pennines.

It has not gone unnoticed that recent governments have chosen to invest heavily in Manchester (perhaps as to be seen to be investing in the “north”?). However, given that in the last two or thee decades we have seen tram networks built in other, smaller, regional cities then the blame can only lie with the successive leaders of this city.

Our influence, skills at lobbying and our ability to formulate a sufficiently ambitious and alluring solution is clearly lacking.

On the near continent you’ll find cities much smaller than our own with efficient metro systems. Montpellier – France’s eighth city, with a population of around a third of Leeds – has a four-line tram network.

Whilst I can appreciate that this sum of money will barely scratch the surface in terms of delivering a city-wide, joined up transport system that Leeds so desperately needs, it is too significant an amount of money to not go towards something much bigger and meaningful.

I desperately urge the council to rethink its position on the matter and look to develop a new strategy, and employ a team that can deliver it, once and for all.

It was not value for money

Jaimes Moran, by email

In response to your recent announcement that Leeds City Council is yet again “considering” an inner-city mass transit system such as a trolleybus; when are they ever going to learn to let this transport aspiration rest in peace? It didn’t materialise for many practical reasons such as; its completion timescale and how much heavy congestion and pollution would be caused during its implementation, as traffic would be unable to make progress. But most of all, its severe cost!

This kind of solution is not value for money unlike many other modes of transport like buses, bikes, trains and taxis, who would gladly use this money more wisely. I don’t need to mention the state of buses and trains, do I?

It’s the flashing light at the side!

Mr Brooks, Farsley, Leeds

Have you noticed all the cars that don’t have indicators?

Every time I drive these days even on the shortest journey I am looking at an increasing number of cars that don’t appear to have indicators! This is on top of car drivers who haven’t had the operation to surgically remove those mobiles from their ear holes! After more than years of driving I have never known it as bad.

Thank you to the LCC lads

Corinne Gaw, Thorpe Garth, Middleton

I WOULD like to say a big thank you to the Leeds City Council.

The back of our property had got really overgrown and I approached two chaps who were litter-picking near Middleton School last Thursday to ask if I could have the number to enquire about having it cut back.

They said they would report it and on the next Monday two lovely chaps were doing it and said they would be calling back on Tuesday to clear it all away. It is very much appreciated to you all who helped.

Taking from our neighbours

Mike McGrath, Regina Drive, Leeds

The director of retail development at Hammersons which built the Victoria Gate writes in a full page article (Yorkshire Evening Post, Oct 28), headed news when clearly it is an advertisement: “With a chance to capture an estimated £600m of spend that was leaking out into the local catchment, the business was determined to bring forward a scheme that would bring back people into the city to shop whilst providing valuable job opportunities.”

Let’s look at it through the other end of the profiteering telescope. The ‘local catchment’ is presumably towns in West Yorkshire such as Dewsbury and Huddersfield whose citizens are being encouraged to shop in Leeds thus accelerating the decline of those towns as shopping centres in their own right. And ‘job opportunities’? What about the jobs lost in those communities as a result of ‘bringing back people into the city to shop’. This last phrase suggests that these people used to shop in Leeds before Victoria Gate but now are returning to Leeds to shop which is clearly absurd. As a resident of Leeds for the last 40 years, it strikes me more and more that Leeds is becoming a city obsessed with itself with scant regard to its impact on other communities in West Yorkshire.

They are not the market leaders!

Chris Sharp, by email

Bless Leeds City Council! The farmers’ market was a success in Briggate so move it to Kirkgate, where, they say, it will be better for all concerned.

I am sure many of LCC will have run a market stall or any kind of small business, but, as usual when it comes to the markets, they know best. These people on the council would be comical if it wasn’t for the heartache and damage they sometimes hand out, without knowing what they are doing .

Accept it, you remoaners!

George Marsden, Colton,

Who do they think they are, those “Remoaners” who seem to think that when a vote doesn’t go in their favour they can spit their dummies out and make every effort to hamper the ongoing process? I thought we were a democratic country and the results of such votes would stand under any circumstance.

Those two failed politicians Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband seem to think otherwise. There are plenty more politicians from all parties who are clinging on with white knuckles to their seat on the gravy train before it is taken out of service.

Their behaviour makes them hard to like and even harder to trust.

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