I RESPECT David Davis's stand, but disagree with him. During the Second World War, national security required certain liberties to be suspended. Some people, of doubtful loyalty, were incarcerated. In peacetime, liberty was restored.

It seems to me that war has been declared against this country. I read of terrorist cells, dispersed, but no doubt linked one with another, and all in contact with an extremist headquarters by sophisticated technological means of communication. These are ruthless persons, believing it God's will that they should blow themselves up to achieve maximum destruction and loss of life. Even children are being trained in this belief.

Tracing them, identifying individuals and establishing their guilt must be difficult. Security organisations do not speak out for fear of compromising their sources of information; but some high-ranking police officers, and, as Bernard Dineen points out (Yorkshire Post, June 16), Lord Carlile QC, an independent reviewer of terror legislation, have called for more time.

Ironically, some of those (not Davis) who "bang on" about the loss of our ancient liberties would be ready to accept harmonisation of European law under what is likely to become the Lisbon Treaty Mark II, with amendment clauses and further removal of national vetoes.

In 1997, a closed conference, sponsored by the European Commission and attended by the President of the European Parliament, received a text drafted by EU legal experts. This was Corpus Juris, a Napoleonic system of justice which will one day overshadow the entire coming European empire.

David Davis (Yorkshire Post, June 13), refers to the signing of Magna Carta, which guarantees "the most fundamental of British freedoms, habeas corpus: the right not to be imprisoned for prolonged periods by the State without being told the charge against you".

Under Corpus Juris, that right will be lost. Our ancient separation of the judiciary from the State will end.

The European Court of Justice has a political agenda – the furtherance of integration in the Union.

The right to trial by jury, which Davis upholds, and the presumption of innocence – neither will feature in this Napoleonic law.

Let us not "bang on," but hang on to our ancient liberties, in defiance of EU designs, even though temporary suspension of some liberties, with legal safeguards, may be required for national security's sake. Let our liberties remain, under Common Law, to be restored when peace returns.

From: A Sealing, Garden Way, Pickering.

I WOULD like to reply to Tom Richmond's article with regard to David Davis (Yorkshire Post, June 14), who, unlike Mr Richmond, has made a stand and stated the things that have gone wrong in our country since joining the EU.

I agree with him, but he finds out he cannot alter anything without stating what he believes is wrong and so demanding an election to let the people decide whether he is right.

It all comes down to the question to have a referendum not only on the Lisbon Treaty but also whether to leave the EU which was why UKIP was formed, but the people of this country are not allowed to have their say except people like David Davis.

From: Terry Palmer, South Lea Avenue, Hoyland, Barnsley.

AN after-thought regarding piqued Tory David Davis's re-election fight against himself. I would like to know who is paying the £80,000 election fee for this stunt of his ?

Surely he doesn't expect the taxpayer to waste good money on this whim of his, does he ?


A return ticket to wasting public money

From: Robert H Foster, Winterburn Grange, near Skipton.

THE proposed re-opening of the railway line between Skipton and Colne, upon which you reported in your magazine (Yorkshire Post,
June 14), is potentially a monumental waste of public funds.

The line was closed in January 1970, by none other than Barbara Castle, then MP for Blackburn. Trains at that time were almost deserted, and it is wishful thinking now to expect that people in Yorkshire would drive to Keighley or Skipton find a parking space, and then take a train to Colne, Burnley, Preston or Manchester, all of which places would be reachable very much more quickly and cheaply, by road.

A train from Colne to Manchester takes one hour 40 minutes. Colne to Manchester airport by rail is two-and-a-half-hours, with several changes of train. Colne to Preston is one hour 10 minutes. At least 15 minutes would be added to those timings from Skipton and 35 minutes from Keighley (with yet another change of train). Thus train times would be at least twice the comparable times by road even before taking into account time spent in travelling to the station and waiting for a train.

There is no potential rail freight traffic and even if there were, there are two alternative routes, one via Hellifield-Blackburn, and one via Hall Royd Jn (Todmorden)-Gannow Jn (Burnley).

There would be no through rail passenger traffic to speak of, to or from either Leeds or Bradford as they have direct trains over other (much faster) routes to Preston, Blackburn, Manchester and elsewhere.

There are other almost insuperable obstacles. For example, within 500 yards of Skipton North Jn. (as it used to be), Skipton bypass would require to be tunnelled under and the long bridge over the River Aire to be rebuilt. The route is heavily breached at other points.

There would be a small amount of local traffic generated by Earby, but the principal town between Skipton and Colne is Barnoldswick, which was never on the line, having been served by a branch to which the clamour to reopen does not extend.