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English reserve vanishes on the terrace at Headingley
From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield. THE fact that a whole page of readers' letters was devoted to the behaviour of a section of the Headingley cricket crowd (Yorkshire Post, July 25) speaks more of a sea change in the English psyche than a simple problem of crowd control.
Contrary to popular belief in this country, our European neighbours, especially the French, look upon us quite fondly. When pressed, they will come up with terms such as "fair-play, sang-froid" and, significantly, "reserve".
Looking at the toe-curling array of exhibitionists in fancy-dress at Headingley, I could only echo the words of Sky TV commentator David Lloyd: "Why, oh why?"
I have a similar problem with fun-runners in the London Marathon. Yes, I know theyare supposed to be doing it for charity, but the incomparable Jane Tomlinson didn't feel the need to dress like Jemima Puddleduck to make her mark.
Say what you like about the terribly, awfully middle- class Wimbledon crowds but they don't indulge in the inane Mexican Wave. Nor do they dress like clowns, clap double faults as happens at other Grand Slam venues or boo players they don't support.
They are an anachronism, a relic of a bygone age that I, for one, yearn for.
It is only a matter of time before it dawns on our European neighbours that English reserve is no more than a fond memory.
From: Miss J. Hopper, Hazel Heads, Baildon, Shipley, West Yorkshire.
FOLLOWING the huge numbers of complaints to your newspaper regarding the crowd trouble at Headingley, your headline in the sports pages (Yorkshire Post, July 26) states "Yorkshire consider calling time on alcohol" and you quote YCCC's chief executive Stewart Regan regarding the trouble: "It's obviously related to the amount of alcohol, and we're looking at how we can improve the situation."
How much "looking at" does Mr Regan need to do? Stop selling alcohol, in all areas of the ground if necessary, and problem solved.
If people can't enjoy a day at a cricket match without alcohol, then stay at home and let those who can go and enjoy the day in peace.
Why did Obama draw the German crowds?
From: David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Acomb, York.
I FIND it almost unbelievable that nearly 100,000 people, mostly Germans, turned up in Berlin to watch and listen to American Presidential candidate Barack Obama (Yorkshire Post, July 25).
Why on earth have they done this? He is not in any great powerful position yet. His actions in going to Berlin may well backfire in the US.
He is bound to say what he knows that many would like to hear him say. He is a good speaker with a certain amount of charisma, and he does appeal to both black and white voters, but we really do not know what he thinks or would do if and when in power.
The huge turnout is more like a rock concert or a top-grade club football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Berlin is a very important and highly significant city in a very influential country, and the Germans have never had much "love" for George W Bush, but this reception for Obama is very, very hard to understand. Perhaps German optimism is far higher than mine.
Education system that misses its true target
From: John G Davies, Alma Terrace, East Morton, Keighley.
YOUR editorial is justified
in condemning the announcement of literacy targets for four-year-olds, along with Philip Pullman and host of others (Yorkshire Post, July 24).
I am fairly sure that their imposition will have a lot of negative effects, as have "targets" in many other places.
Far from being a "haphazard approach to policy making", these seem to fit well with the long established "targets for everything" system. It also appears to be based on the belief that children are a blank piece of paper to be written upon, and "the sooner that they are written on in the correct way, the better". It also involves the desire to control the children's development based on the managerialist dictum, "what can be measured can be controlled".
Children, even the youngest babies, are intelligent, interactive and rather unpredictable creatures, who interact with their surroundings. They quickly learn who and what they can manipulate. The learning process develops both the "knowledge base" and the brain itself. Each brain develops in a different way because of the different parents and environments that each and every one of us has.
Life provides a complex range of experiences which may or not impinge upon us at some time or other. The human brain is a wonderful machine for making sense of these chaotic encounters and this capacity needs to be fostered, not restricted by an artificial set of criteria. Literacy develops through the desire to communicate and to share our experiences. Children who have access to mobile phones from an early age, sharing text messages with friends, seem to become more literate than those who do not.
What an early years education should do is to foster this need and desire to communicate, in as wide a way as possible, perhaps starting with talk, music and dance, so they express themselves rather than conforming to some mandarin's or politician's criteria.Opposition ignored over plan for town
From: Peter Hayton, Foster Lane, Hebden Bridge.
REGARDING your article "10m plan to bring new life to Hebden Bridge" (Yorkshire Post, July 3), this scheme has been on the agenda for well over four years. On various occasions, the community has clearly said no and, every time, it has been ignored.
Contrary to the impression you give, planning applications were actually submitted in February this year. Hebden Royd Town Council, the local ward councillors on Calderdale Council and the MP for Calder Valley all opposed the scheme.
More than 1,200 individual objections and a petition containing thousands of names were received by Calderdale Council. Once again, this overwhelming opposition has been ignored.
The original and only justification for this scheme is to provide extra public car parking. A few businesses in the town apparently see a need for extra parking.
The latest version of the scheme would only provide a few extra public car parking spaces, much less than 110 as stated in your article and a very marginal increase on existing provision as a whole.
To achieve this small increase, the town would be foisted with an architectural monstrosity, completely alien to its existing character, which would increase traffic and pollution, devastate the lives of nearby residents and severely damage many local businesses.
Calderdale Council has refused to even consider other options for providing much more extra parking, involving much less negative impact at a fraction of the cost.
Values begin at home
From: JW Smith, Sutton on Sea.
JOHN H Weller (Yorkshire Post, July 23) is either too young to know better or is attempting to re-write the history of education with a mixture of fact and fiction.
He clearly thinks that it was the introduction of the comprehensive system by Labour idealists and the Liberal elite which resulted in mixed sex secondary education.
There were very many mixed sex grammar schools and secondary moderns decades before any comprehensives. A pre-war pupil of my old mixed grammar school was Johnny Wardle, Yorkshire and England cricketer and, in later years, after becoming a comprehensive, William Hague. I certainly do not remember any single sex schools in or around Rawmash.
So far as the values that made the British people the envy of the world are concerned, these were started at home where we were taught to respect all shades of authority; unlike today when a great majority
of parents have no respect and so feel no obligation to teach their children.
It comes down to responsibility. Who is responsible for young children being out on the streets till all hours? Who is responsible for putting television in the bedrooms of three-year-olds instead of reading them a bedtime story? Who is responsible when families no longer sit round the table for a meal together? Who are the grown-ups who buy drinks and cigarettes for youngsters?
I do not honestly think it is the fault of the EU and the Human Rights Legislation.
Bullying dictators
From: Dick Lindley, Altofts, Normanton, West Yorkshire.
ONCE more, the ancient traditions of this great nation are being attacked by the unelected bureaucracy who run the EU.
This time they are terminating our use of the traditional unit of land in the UK, the acre. How dare they dictate to us how we should run our country?
I always thought that we, the British, were a part of the Allied forces which were victorious in the Second World War, or was all that terrible sacrifice in vain now that our continental cousins are able to rule over our beloved nation as though we were a subject people?
When will we find the political leaders who will stand up to the bullying dictators in Brussels and reclaim the independence and sovereignty of our nation once again, or are we doomed to live for ever, crushed by our oppressors and tormentors in the EU?
Goodbye, Mr Brown
From: Alan Chapman, Beck Lane, Bingley.
WHATEVER happened North of the Border? The political tectonic plates are sliding. Glasgow East surely means goodbye Gordon Brown, but why do we have to wait until May 2010? Be gone, man, be gone!
I firmly believe Tony Blair could see Labour's demise was just around the corner, once Gordon Brown took over as PM. An unmitigated disaster in waiting, this is why Blair clung on for such a long time and tried to persuade David Miliband to run for the top job.
Blair realised Brown was the wrong man for No 10 Downing Street, and he has been proved correct.
The phrase "poetic justice" comes to mind for was it not those Old Labour militants and very Left wing MPs who clamoured for Blair's departure five years before he finally moved on? The same socialist rabble would be stupid enough to deny he was the most successful Labour PM on record.
Last November was an opportunity missed and every Labour MP at Westminster, including Gordon Brown, will regret the dithering and rampant indecision that ensued as winter began. It is James Callaghan time all over again.
The Conservatives are the biggest winners – preparing for Government.
M&S loses its dress sense
From: Angela K Appleyard, St Anne's Drive, Leeds.
AT last someone has written what I have been tempted to do about the clothes for women in M&S (Yorkshire Post, July 14). Thank you Linda Sheridan.
You are so right. There has been nothing in M&S for a number of years that I would want to try on, let alone buy.
Speaking with friends/ acquaintances of the same age, namely 50-plus, we all feel the same and say: "There is nothing for us!"
We want classical, good fitting styles that we don't feel frumpish in, but neat, tidy, smart and elegant.
Not only M&S is failing us in Leeds, I feel there is not one shop that caters for us.
Protect the innocent
From: Tim Brett, Kings Way, Welton, Lincolnshire.
IT is very noticeable that civil liberties and human rights groups seem to respond very quickly if they feel that the
rights and civil liberties of criminals or terrorists are being threatened so why are they reluctant to act for the rights of the innocent and law abiding of this country.?
A good example of this was the article (Yorkshire Post, July 22) where a bored 17-year-old had made a hoax 999 call which resulted in the death of a mother. I don't see them acting for the victim's husband and daughter whose human rights to lead a normal life have been grossly violated by a thug who cannot even be sent to prison.
Fitness fear
From S Franks, Chapel Allerton, Leeds.
THERE is some considerable anxiety about what Leeds City Council has in mind for the future of the council-run sports centres in the city. The concerns centre on rumours that these facilities are to be sold off to a private operator.
If that were to happen, what would then be the fate of the health and fitness classes to which the over-60s are referred to by their GPs? I know they are heavily relied upon by those who use them.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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