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Population trends anticipated for decades
From: AJ Armstrong, Panorama Drive, Ilkley. YOUR front page article, "The great migrant explosion" (Yorkshire Post, January 5) reminded me that back in the late 1980s, when I was managing one of the city's large manufacturing employers, I was privileged to receive a copy from Bradford Council of its "marketing plan" (I believe the year was 1988 or 1989).
Contained within its pages was a very clear graph showing projected population trends of the various ethnic groups that make up the city's population.
It was quite apparent that a declining and ageing white population was going to have to be supported by the economic activities of a burgeoning and more youthful Asian population (in addition to the social cohesion issues that would have to be addressed).
However, alarmingly, neither the potential issues themselves nor the implications of such a profound demographic shift were addressed in the document and, instead, the now discredited multi-cultural policies were pursued with increasing vigour, leading to the problems that we have since experienced.
We have now far higher than average unemployment among young Asian people and an extremely large ethnic group that has not been integrated into our local society.
To draw the conclusion that Bradford Council lacked an awareness of these issues at the time would beggar belief. Perhaps it was just too difficult to either acknowledge them or to demonstrate the resolve to address them. I wonder if they have now?
From: J Hutchinson, Kirkbymoorside.
I AGREE with David Wright (Yorkshire Post, January 5) to some degree, but I think that most of the indigenous population are quite aware of the problems and dangers facing our wonderful country in the future. Unfortunately, we are like the small boy who sits in the corner of the classroom, afraid to speak, handing out all his goodies to keep everyone else happy yet knowing that when the sweets are gone, he will probably be lashed anyway.
Robots in the kitchen and on the roads
From: Philip Ashworth, Westland Road, Hull.
IN her feature on a future that failed to materialise (Yorkshire Post, January 4), Sarah Freeman implies that robots are not yet on hand to do the washing up.
Not so – they are called dishwashers. They are an example of an efficient engineering solution to a problem using an alternative approach to replicating a scullery maid, and not your classical humanoid robot.
Another good example of laterally designed robotics is a set of traffic lights, which bear little resemblance to a traffic policemen waving his arms about, yet do the same job. In fact, I believe that they were called "robot policemen" in some parts of the North when they first appeared about 80 years ago.
Badger cull has been proved to be counter-productive
From: Monica A Ward, chairperson of South Yorkshire Badger Group, Thurlstone Road, Penistone.
I WOULD like to comment on the letter from Stephen and Deborah Wilde (Yorkshire Post, January 4) about a possible cull of badgers in the South-West of England.
The bovine TB Eradication Scheme which was completed by 1960 was quoted quite correctly as being successful in greatly reducing the number of herd breakdowns, but this was achieved without any badgers being culled.
No one suspected that badgers might also have bovine TB until 1971 when calves kept in a barn for six months with a diseased badger became infected. Badgers were not culled until 1975 when they were gassed in their setts.
Gassing continued until 1982 and was discontinued following experiments at government run Porton Down, which concluded that gassing was not only cruel but also was not always successful in killing an entire family group, and debilitated any surviving badgers.
From 1982 to 1995, many badgers in the South-West were trapped and shot under the clear-ring and other policies, but despite this, in 1993 there were 232 herd breakdowns in the South-West compared with 45 herd breakdowns in the rest of Britain.
Of course the numbers of badgers have increased since they have been protected by law, but left alone their population is self-regulatory. Sows have delayed implantation, and will only give birth if they have put on enough weight during the previous autumn.
Although I appreciate what a serious and distressing disease bovine TB is, Professor John Bourne believes that by tightening up testing of cattle, not only by using the skin test but by using the more reliable gamma interferon, a real decline in the incidents of
herd breakdown would be brought about without a badger cull, which has already been proved to be counter-productive.
The party's over, now think clearly
From: David Rhodes, Keble Park North, Bishopthorpe, York.
NOW that the season's festivities are over, maybe the politicians and Government will also put away their funny hats and party poppers.
Nick Clegg's article (Yorkshire Post, January 4) made a tentative start. However, let us all return to cool, calm, rational thinking and how we may become masters of our own destiny.
With fuel prices rising constantly, let us make immediate decisions to
build nuclear, tidal power
and coal-powered stations, the latter being on the Hatfield concept.
In support of our farmers, we could promote the growing of suitable crops for ethanol production towards a petrol replacement.
We could retain and invest in our manufacturing industries.
If we can waste 46bn on Northern Rock (and surely a good percentage will have to be written off), then we could surely have done something with ICI rather than see it sold off to a Dutch company. The EU wouldn't like it – so what? It is only from a position of strength that we can afford charity.
Catalogue of disasters
From: Raymond Shaw, Hullen Edge Road, Elland.
BEING of no political persuasion, considering that almost all a politicians' aim is to secure your vote, I nevertheless must take issue with your published, extremely biased letter from Terry Palmer (Yorkshire Post, December 20).
What a load of tosh. Soon after coming to power with an unassailable majority, our Chancellor, now our prudent Premier, sold off or gave away a substantial portion of our gold reserves.
Apart from robbing the pension funds, several Cabinet Ministers resigned because of errors of judgment.
Our biggest disaster has been our ill-fated action in Iraq followed by what will be just as injurious, our intervention in Afghanistan.
What about the fiasco which resulted in the respected Dr David Kelly taking his own life?
Despite the quite enormous sums of money devoted to our health service, my personal experience is of a deterioration in standards.
Regarding sleaze, the previous government ministers let us down, but has Mr Palmer forgotten about the more recent well-publicised antics of John Prescott as well as twice-resigned David Blunkett? Come off it, let's be fair instead of this biased diatribe.
Keep this college
From: Charles A Slingsby, Rein Road, Morley, Leeds.
IN response to the increasing bureaucratic spin and stealth tactics from the Government-funded Learning and Skills Council, I am seeking support from the local community to keep a further education provision in Morley.
I want to let the-powers-that-be realise that the Morley community will not just sit back quietly and allow such a valuable asset as the Joseph Priestley College, which has given an excellent service in further education to the greater Morley area for well over 50 years, to be consigned to the history books and probably only mentioned as subject matter in the future "super college" which is being forced upon us.
In my opinion, the Joseph Priestley College is entering the same fate as the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum when Mount Vesuvius exploded and destroyed entire communities, except here in Morley the Joseph Priestley College is being choked by bureaucratic fumes and dust!
As a long-term student at the college's Peel Street centre,
I can honestly say this college has certainly turned me around. I have really surprised myself as I knew nothing at
all about how to use computers when I first attended the college.
Hoarded millions
From: Dennis Buxton, Arthur Street, Doncaster.
COUNCILS across Yorkshire are accused of hoarding 26m, collected under an initiative created by The Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 106.
As you state in your article by Martin Slack (Yorkshire Post, January 4), section 106 was designed to collect money from developers for vital community projects, such as green space, affordable housing and highways.
I see that Doncaster's local authority is said to be responsible for 9.4m, almost 40 per cent of the total hoard, which is attracting in excess of 1m per year interest. Apparently there was no one from Doncaster council available to comment.
It is only a few years since Doncaster was cited as
being one of the 10 most deprived areas in the European Union.
If the above figures are true, then it seems the elected mayor and his chosen cabinet are determined it is going to stay that way.
Token restrictions
From: Arthur Quarmby, Underhill, Holme, Holmfirth.
TRYING to deliver a young family with a baby to Leeds Bradford Airport in the recent brief but severe snowstorm,
we were directed away from departures and into the car park.
"Security," said the attendant, while continuing to allow taxis to pass through.
Do the authorities think it beyond the wit of any suicide bomber to borrow one of those stick-on signs which taxi drivers attach to their vehicles?
Or are these restrictions merely there as a token gesture, and in order to create the maximum inconvenience for the general public?
Not class, just cruelty
From: Leslie Duncalf, Lawrence Road, Marsh, Huddersfield.
DOES Ken Coote (Yorkshire Post, January 2) consider that Ann Widdecombe's implacable opposition to fox hunting, along with that of other Conservative MPs, is "entirely down to political envy"? If he does not, then his whole case – if one can so dignify such scurrilous rubbish – falls to the ground.
Indeed, the stupefying arrogance of the pro-hunting lobby in claiming that one cannot take a principled stand on the cruelty issue, without being tainted with envy and class hatred, is beyond belief and utterly beneath contempt.
Dr Johnson got it wrong – it is nauseating claptrap of this kind, not patriotism, that is truly "the last refuge of a scoundrel".
Better off
From: P Grayson, Doncaster Road, Conisbrough, Doncaster.
MY wife and I are two more pensioners who are better off under New Labour than we were under a Conservative government. We holiday abroad like a lot more pensioners we know.
We went on a cruise two years ago and we can pay our bills without worry. We eat well and dine out at least once a week.
We know other pensioners who eat out two or three times a week. Do not take our word, ask people who run pubs that serve meals and restaurants about the midday meal trade.
Under the Tories, we were lucky to afford a bag of chips to share.
Happy eaters
From: Keith Jowett, Woodland Rise, Silkstone Common, Barnsley.
AT this time of year, when remains of Christmas indulgence were still available, my late mother, who was born in 1907 in Leeds, used to invite neighbours and friends to "share a happy month". This involved the consumption of left over mince pies and/or Christmas cake.
Reciprocal consumption in other homes could lead to an ideal total of 12 "happy months". Do any of your readers remember this custom and can they explain its origin and meaning?
Call for action
From: Pat Taylor, High Street, Grantham, Lincolnshire.
WHEN Gordon Brown has finished trying to make fat patients thin, could he please try and get an improvement in Lincoln County Hospital's telephone system? At the moment, you just get "the number is busy" on an answerphone. This is very poor service indeed, and must frustrate people who are ill.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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