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With more bravery, we could lead the way in Europe
From: James Bovington, Church Grove, Horsforth, Leeds. IN the same week that John Abbott's letter (Yorkshire Post, March 13) appeared proclaiming that the Conservatives have the correct attitude to our membership of the EU and rightly castigating the single-issue fanaticism of UKIP, David Cameron confirmed that Tory MEPs would be leaving the EPP group in the European Parliament and sailing off into the splendid isolation of their own new group, "European Conservatives".
This was also the week in which the French President ended his country's 40 years of isolation from the integrated command structure of NATO, pointing out the absurdity of allowing others to take military decisions which then bind France, yet in order to pleasethe wing of the party that still lives in the Mary Poppins fantasy world of Edwardian Empire, Cameron's Tories are turning their back on Europe's centre right consensus.
John Abbott is right that many Tory MEPs do commendable and thorough work in the European Parliament, but this decision, apparently fulfilling a rash campaign promise to the more rabid elements of the nationalistic and radical right in his party gives the lie to the notion that the Tories have the approach which best fits Britain's interests.
Of course, neither does my own party, Labour, led by the disappointingly arch-eurosceptic Gordon Brown, but at least he hasn't divorced us from the progressive European mainstream.
With a little more bravery, we really could lead in Europe. This would not be disloyal to the memory of Queen Victoria but an appropriate response to the conditions which obtain at the start of this century in which we need as Europeans to work as equals with our American allies. Creating the conditions in which Britain could join the euro would be strong evidence of the necessary commitment.
From: David W Wright, Little Lane, Easingwold, North Yorkshire.
JOHN Abbott is so wrong in his assumption that the "Tories are right on Europe" – nothing could be further from the truth!
David Cameron cannot even make up his mind on the withdrawal of his MEPs from the EPP which he promised back in 2005, let alone having a clear coherent policy on future relations with the EU.
Instead of sitting on the fence and making silly promises to reform the EU from within – which is highly unlikely – he should reflect current public opinion which clearly wants the UK to withdraw from the whole morass. We shall be better off out.
From: Suzie Hughes, Petrie Street, Rodley, Leeds.
JOHN Abbott is wrong to say that the Tories will hold a referendum about possible British membership of the euro, thus meeting a promise that sadly Labour has failed to keep.
In fact the referendum that David Cameron has promised would urge British voters to reject the Lisbon Treaty, despite the fact that it has already been ratified by both houses of parliament here and likely by all the other member states. This does, of course, assume that Ireland votes in favour having secured the clarifications its voters require.
The Tory move would throw the EU into chaos and there is frankly more chance of Ian Paisley voting for a United Ireland than of leaders of our partners states such as Sarkozy and Merkel willingly reopening the institutional debates that are apparently settled under Lisbon.
"Moderniser" David Cameron, who once wrote a pamphlet setting out a positive case for the euro as a way of ending currency volatility and thus helping British manufacturing, should know better than to include this referendum nonsense in his manifesto.
It should be seen for what it is – an unashamed attempt to appease the British Empire Loyalists on the Tory right.
The UKIP position is also bizarre. Given that Lisbon sets out a clear path by which a member state can leave the EU without being seen by everyone else to be unilaterally in breach of binding treaty obligations, UKIP should surely support the new treaty and then call for a referendum about leaving.
Perhaps that might settle this issue, for a few days at least.
Police and a question of confidence
From: Robert Bottamley, Thorn Road, Hedon.
RESPONDING to a Freedom of Information request, police authorities have admitted to the retention of just over a thousand serving police officers with criminal records.
But some forces offered only a "partial response" to the request – and 10 declined to respond at all. Therefore, it seems likely that the number of serving officers with criminal records is significantly greater than the number given.
We are not told precisely what constitutes a "partial response" – or on what reasonable grounds police authorities might refuse to provide the information requested.
Police officers with criminal convictions (particularly convictions for dishonesty) cannot give credible evidence in court on behalf of the prosecution. Officers known to have criminal records would (naturally) be distrusted.
For that reason, their identities are concealed. Unfortunately, this concealment has an even less desirable consequence. Knowing that some officers have committed offences (but not which officers) members of the public are inclined to distrust them all.
We have seen investigations into "institutional racism". If our police authorities would regain public confidence, there needs to be an urgent inquiry into institutional corruption.
War without purpose
From: Brian Hardy, All Hallowes Drive, Tickhill
JOHN Hutton claims Britain has no choice but to be engaged in Afghanistan (Yorkshire Post, March 16). This is a spineless New Labour spin of the very worst kind.
At a time of horrendous public debt the Government will be looking for drastic cuts throughout the economy, the war in Afghanistan should be the very first choice.
Just how long have we to be there? Fighting an unwinnable war with the British Army being used as America's foreign legion.
According to reports growing number of Afghans are opposed to the occupation and even the US installed puppet "president" Hamid Karzai wants to set a date for foreign troop withdrawals.
The British ambassador in Afghanistan has recently said that the war is unwinnable and opinion polls show 68 per cent of the British population want the troops to come home.
British troops were sent to Afghanistan by Tony Blair to please George W Bush, it's a war without purpose or popular support and we simply cannot afford the billions it is costing us.
Useful local post offices
From: Mrs M Trayte, St Mary's Court, Wilshaw, Meltham.
RECENTLY our grandson moved into his own place, so to help him out we said we would buy his television licence. No problem – the local post office is just down the road.
But no, they can't sell them any more, you can pay by direct debit, standing order etc but not at the post office. Where to go? Well, in our village the local Co-Op. Not many people know that.
There are still some of us about that like to be able to go to places like the post office and still pay for things with hard cash, not a piece of plastic. We have a very helpful post office in this village, hopefully we shall still have one for a long time to come.
Tories need tax rethink
From: Dick Lindley, Altofts, Normanton, West Yorkshire.
I WAS amazed to read that the Conservative Party, one-time champion of hard work, endeavour and enterprise, has taken up that idiotic old socialist idea that increasing taxation on successful high earning wealth creators will in someway benefit the whole population.
It is, as we all know, Bolshevik nonsense of the first order, and if Mr Cameron believes this is a strategy which will help the Tories win the next election he is sadly mistaken.
What is actually needed is not more punitive taxation but less profligate spending on public services, foreign aid and on the enormous annual payments made to the unelected bureaucrats who run the EU and their spendthrift running mates, the Euro MPs.
Mr Cameron needs to rethink the Tory taxation strategy or he will lose the next election – despite the Labour Government's total fiscal incompetence.
Why political correctness is a force for disruption
From: Gordon Lawrence, Stumperlowe View, Sheffield.
POLITICAL correctness, to the extent that it has developed, has become an insidious blight on the country seeping into many aspects of life representing the politicisation of quite normal relationships and limiting certain freedoms of speech with attempts even to restrict the freedom of thought.
Deserving minority groups such as the truly disabled and ethnic and religious minorities need protection, security and the freedom from prejudice but the zealots of PC exploit these concerns for their own dubious ends.
Now that Marxism is terminally ill, Communists
and their fellow travellers see PC as a force for disruption.
And many academics living in their ivory towers regard PC as the shortest road to Utopia while a large number on the soft Left, opposed to Britain's past and steeped in colonial guilt (omitting to take the context of history into account) slavishly follow the cult and wallow in their own sanctimonious self-elevated morality.
These devotees are quick to label their critics as bigots and fascists but it is they, who, probably unknowingly, are endangering society in creating the fascist state – George Orwell's main theme. So institutionalised has PC become that it is almost essential to empathise with its practise and aims to further any prestigious career in the public, sector and its associated fields.
An aspiring person has about as much chance of advancing their ambitions while showing opposition to the idols of PC as a turkey being around to enjoy New Year celebrations.
It was Professor Valerie Bryson who initiated this debate. She attempted to defend PC in her recent Yorkshire Post article by accusing critics of attacking and ridiculing extreme examples of the issue, but in my opinion, these absurd cases are only symptomatic of the core dangers which have created harmful economic inefficiencies, vast bureaucratic problems and the damaging compensation culture on top of all those I've already outlined.
Smoke signal for world leaders
From: Robin L Wilkins, Chantry Close, Doncaster.
WHEN the ban on smoking in public places was introduced, we were told that it was to protect the health of the workers in these premises (especially pubs).
We now find that this ban will not be applied at the venue in which the leaders of the G20 countries meet in London next week.
Are we to understand that the health of the workers staffing this event is of no concern to the assembled world leaders? Or, have the attendees discovered a tobacco product that is not harmful to health?
Kill the quangos
From: Bob Crowther, High Street, Crigglestone, Wakefield.
TAKING into account our present financial situation and cuts being made, would not this be the ideal opportunity to get rid of the unelected, self-appointed, well-paid quangos which litter the country?
Many such organisations are made up of councillors and top council leaders who already command vast salaries, as per recent statements in the press.
Rich heritage
From: DC Foot, Northway, Pickering.
I REFER to Philip Smith's letter (Yorkshire Post, March 21) and ask him: If, in 1997, Tony Blair had become President, the Windsors moved into modest accommodation with just an MEP's salary and expenses to live off but with all their other assets confiscated, just how much of that wealth would still exist now?
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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