More than half a century of successive governments taking over our lives has taken its toll, as too many people now look to others all the time to resolve their problems, but there are other cultural changes.

An attitude of selfishness and personal arrogance has spread through the country over recent generations. Petty anger, anti-social behaviour and violence, all widely shown on television, are the first resort of too many people.

Abuse by the workshy of the aid available to the unfortunate is an example of selfish greed. The push and shove attitude on the roads reflects wide ranging intolerance.

Too many marriages and other partnerships fail before the first hurdle and many more collapse later. Parental bad habits are passed down the generations, as many know no different.

Many regard school as a national child-minding service and far too many children are just left to wander the streets unchecked.

No wonder so many young people are bemused and left with "nothing to do" but express their anger.

Yet what do we have from the Government but a promise of more laws, parental orders and gimmicks? A plethora of such have been introduced over the last decade to little effect, as they do not reach the roots of these wider society attitudes. Throwing people out of their houses will only shift the problem, not solve it.

Ministers must stop chiselling away at the laws of the land and striking out with their fists wherever they can in a constant kneejerk of response.

A cultural change of restraining influence, led from the top by politicians who are prepared to show by personal example, is required. It seems from recent happenings in Parliament in one area of selfishness, that this may be a long time in coming.



Height of luxury in the modern Dakota


From: AJ Wallace, Bents Crescent, Dronfield.

YOU recently reported (Yorkshire Post, July 12) that the Dakota DC-3 took part in the Berlin Airlift and printed a photograph of the interior showing Dawn Cross, from Leeds Bradford Airport, "in the spartan passenger area".

In 1948, when the airlift took place, I was in the RAMC working in the British GHQ in Berlin and on demobilisation in July of that year, I was airlifted out of Berlin to Helmstead, about 150 miles to the west.

If the interior of the Dakota had been as depicted in the photo, we would have considered it the height of luxury. The seating consisted of canvas (you could hardly call it seats) along each side of the aircraft where we sat facing each other.

After taking my place, a young couple came in with a child in a carry-cot; they sat opposite me and placed the carry-cot in the middle of the plane between us. The journey was uneventful and we landed in Helmstead after a short time.

It would be interesting to me if a photo exists of the interior of a DC-3 taken during that time when these planes were used to transport goods, eg coal, food etc into Berlin and ferry personnel out.

From: Donald Wilford, Leeds Road, Wakefield.

THE recent article announcing the withdrawal of the Dakota DC-3 from passenger flights evoked a rush of nostalgia from my wife and me. We were married on July 7, 1956, and took our honeymoon in the Isle of Man. We travelled to Yeadon Airport, as was, and boarded a Dakota operated by the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation and flew off to start 52 years of happy marriage.

We were obviously very excited at the prospect of flying because, of course, it was quite an innovation in those days. The weather became a factor even in those days and the return flight was unable to land at Yeadon due to the lack of ground control facilities and we were diverted to Blackpool Airport, with a coach to transport us to Yeadon.

Because of the lateness of the hour, and the fact that we were broke after the costs of the past few weeks, this created quite a problem and we had visions of having to camp out in the airport until the following morning.

However, as was perhaps fitting for the occasion, the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation kindly agreed to divert the coach via Wakefield and saved the day.