Surprising, at a time when the Department for Children, Schools and Families reported that 156,798 pupils were registered as attending grammar schools in 2007, an increase of 22 per cent
from 1997.

Readers will remember that this Government gave parents the right to ballot to get rid of existing grammar schools. Well, it proved to be a very good example of parents' choice and satisfaction. Only one ballot has gone ahead and that was at Ripon Grammar.

A poll of parents showed last year that nearly two-thirds believe all children should have the chance to go to grammar school if they pass the exam.

The problem with the Government's approach to education is the failure to fully accept that education is an economic factor which, in a country requiring economic progress and innovation, requires a well-educated and skilled workforce.

The Government has introduced numerous changes, policies and much spending with inadequate performance. The introduction of the Schools Improvement Programme recognises this, with staff from the higher performing schools and grammar schools assisting in suggested well-tried and tested developments and approaches to improve the performance. That can only
be good.

However, in many ways it is an effort to deal with the effects rather than the causes. The action should be taken at the start at teacher training colleges ensuring the courses include best practice, a study of approaches to develop, in every school, a culture for developing and maintaining a continuous improvement culture, all taught and examined as required essentials for qualification.

From: Philip Bartey, Lower Wyke Green, Bradford.

THANK you for reporting on the Centre for Policy Studies' report about faith schools (Yorkshire Post, June 30).

Two of my seven children attend St Catherine's Catholic High School in Halifax and have received a good education at this fine school. We will also be sending the remaining five to
St Catherine's in due course. Having experienced the bullying tactics of this Government first hand in relation to our school, I can tell you we remain more determined than ever to fight on to retain this excellent school.

We believe that the school was subjected to an unprecedented co-ordinated attack by Ofsted, in conjunction with the Government, thereby placing it in special measures as a prelude to the unjustified imposition of a monstrous academy on the community without proper consultation.

Academies are nothing more than an attempt by Blair and his New Labour cronies to achieve some kind of "bricks and mortar" legacy to his Premiership as a lasting reminder of the New Labour folly that has inflicted two unjust wars, a badly managed health service, a failing education system, a deteriorating economy and an attack on the Catholic Church on a scale not seen since the abolition of the monasteries.

The Catholic Church, however, is not entirely without blame by allowing the Labour Party politicians for generations to claim that the Catholic Church has more in common with the political stance taken by the Labour Party.

Part of the myth includes the false belief that the Labour Party is the party of the working man. Many people have been deceived by this false claim.

The Church has courted political celebrity for too long and now cries foul too late. We the parishioners are left to deal with the disastrous consequences.

Why do British products no longer suit M&S?

From: John Gibson, Arkendale, Knaresborough.

STUART Rose claims "shoppers' habits are changing" (Yorkshire Post, July 2).

I recall Marks and Spencer boasting 80 per cent of their products were made in the UK but it's not only customers' habits that have changed, as I discovered in a recent visit to Marks and Spencer to purchase a couple of suits.

I could buy a wide variety of suits, all made in China. Further browsing in the store confirmed that Marks and Spencer appear to have almost entirely ceased supporting British industry and workforce in order to move their loyalty to China.

I don't buy Chinese products wittingly, so Marks and Spencer have lost a customer, not because of any change in my habits, but because of the decision in Marks and Spencer's hierarchy to abandon the loyalty of their customers, in favour of cheap Chinese labour.

Maybe I am alone, or maybe it's time for Stuart Rose to look in the mirror to find out where to regain lost ground.

History lesson from problems of the 1970s

From: JW Smith,
Sutton-on-Sea.

YOUR letter writer K Playford (Yorkshire Post, June 25) either has a convenient memory or has chosen to ignore a number of facts.

As now, the principal problem was the cost of oil which quadrupled in the '60s and has now increased by about $100 per barrel in just over 12 months. Then, although we owned the means of power generation, much of it was oil- fired; now the reliance on oil for power has gone, the means of supply are mostly in the hands of foreign private owners whose main aim is profit.

In the '60s and '70s, most people lived in rented accommodation and paid for their fuel by means of coin in the slot meters so only received that for which they had pre-paid.

As for not having unaffordable fuel and energy, there was none at all for a long time due to the three-day working week and planned power cuts. It is not true to say that people received increases in wages to compensate for inflation. It was exactly this point which led to union discontent, not sheer militancy.

In those days, mortgages were limited to 75 per cent. Later, it became possible to obtain up to 90 per cent, but subject to strict conditions and insurance cover. Mrs Thatcher made councils sell off lots of their housing stocks at a fraction of the market value, thereby reducing the amount of rented accommodation available, but nevertheless over one million homes were repossessed.

In any circumstance it is never wise to borrow 100 per cent of an asset, never mind up to 125 per cent, regardless of what rates are available. Cheap finance is not the problem, it is the inappropriate lending criteria of certain finance houses which are private institutions and not Government controlled, plus the "I must have everything yesterday" attitude of today's society.

The present situation is worldwide and surely it is desirable that interest and borrowing rates are only a fraction of the height reached during the Conservative years.

Clearing the waters over pool closures

From: Ann Cryer MP, House of Commons, London.

I AM writing in response to an article by Tom Richmond (Yorkshire Post, June 28)
which said "Keighley MP Ann Cryer has revealed that councillors are being forced
to close four pools in the Bradford area".

I would like to put the record straight that I have never said that Bradford Council is being forced to close pools.

On the contrary, in the House of Commons on June 23, I posed the following question to Culture Secretary Andy Burnham MP. "Is my Right
Hon Friend aware that Conservative-led Bradford district council proposes the closure of four swimming pools in the district?"

I went on to ask: "Will my Right Hon Friend make representations to Bradford
and persuade it not to close those pools?"

As I made clear, the pools are not in my constituency, but are used by my constituents. It is they who will suffer if the Conservative council closes them, which is more important than an argument over who said what.

Sad state of NHS dentists

From: John F Walker, Northallerton.

I MOVED to Northallerton
in 1974 and joined a local dentist in the town, which has attended to my dental needs
for the last 34 years (Yorkshire Post, July 2).

On Friday, I received a letter from the practice informing me that they were coming out of the National Health Service and that if I wished to continue to attend the practice, I would have to join their dental care plan by July 16 – or else I and my wife would be struck off their list.

I contacted my Primary Care Trust who informed me that there were only vacancies for NHS dentists in Bedale or Middlesbrough.

At 73 and 71 years of age respectively, we find this is a very sad state of affairs.

I would find it very difficult to find the cost of nearly £200 for one visit a year to have our teeth checked. Where are we going with the NHS? A taxi to Bedale or Middlesbrough is very expensive – £30 or more. What am I to do?

Empty words on reform

From: Charles Rushton, Pasture Close, Strensall, York.

ROLL of drums, fanfare of trumpets, our Government about-faced again (Yorkshire Post, July 1). No more targets, patients welfare paramount, no more postcode lottery and all will be well in the NHS. Any feelings of unease anyone?

Convinced? No, neither am I.

A virtual doubling of the NHS funding over the life of this Government hasn't done the trick so why should a return to the old ways?

I feel most indignant over the drugs issue. Announcing the glad tidings, Health Secretary Alan Johnson made it all sound so good but one small sentence gave the game away. No changes on the NICE front except that, hopefully, they will speed up the approval procedure. As this has almost always been the ostensible reason for some areas to withhold, ie, that the drugs concerned are not yet approved, I fail to see why we should rejoice over yet another promise from this miserable Government. No surprise either that once more they stand on their heads.

Meanwhile, one must hope that this is not the start of a slide back to huge waiting lists, cancelled appointments and operations and even larger deficits for worse service. I have grave doubts that we will see any reduction in the super heavy management structure, the main albatross round the neck of our health service.

Sharia and the system

From: John Wilson, Wilsons Solicitors, Rodley Lane, Rodley, Leeds.

WHEN Lord Phillips, the Lord Chief Justice, talked about sharia law recently, he was saying no more than that parties to a dispute can do any deal they like to avoid going to court if that is what they prefer.

They can base their out-of-court settlement on sharia law, sod's law, or the toss of a coin if they like. It's a free country (or so they say).

Given our ridiculously complicated legal system, there is a growing preference for anything else, including even the coin toss option. The real objection to comments like those of Lord Phillips is that the top people would do much better to concentrate on improving the system rather than lauding alternatives.

Smart move at the show

From: S Dunwell, Manor Garth, Fridaythorpe.

I READ with interest the letter from D Linley (Yorkshire Post, July 1) regarding the dress code at the Great Yorkshire Show.

While I agree that trying to impose a dress code across the whole of the Great Yorkshire Show is impractical, a dress code in the members' area is entirely appropriate.

When attending the event and using the members' facilities, it is only correct that a proper form of dress is adhered to.

The dress code is part of the Great Yorkshire Show heritage and it is sad that in its 150th year people can't see the value of dressing for the occasion.

River power

From; Ian Roberts, Brook Park, Sleights, Whitby.

I RESPOND to J Clarke's letter about "monstrous turbines" (Yorkshire Post, July 3). I agree with all the comments, but surely they were missing one important point.

Why do we not seem to be working on hydro power? They could install one at the bottom of their garden, in the River Esk. Should there not be a campaign to harness the power of the tide and river?

From Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

WHY does not Gordon Brown advocate the extension of hydro-electric schemes, already widespread in Scotland?

Maybe he is not in favour because, unlike getting big tax revenues from "Scottish" oil, how could he tax a natural source such as the water to turn the turbines that generate the electricity?