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Realities for law firms who took on miners' cases
From: Chris Skidmore, Witham Court, Higham, Barnsley. I WRITE following last week's article entitled "Modern Day King Midas" and its criticism of two partners in a South Yorkshire legal firm (Yorkshire Post, December 4). While I have no sympathy for the individuals concerned whatsoever, the report contains "quotes" from certain Labour MPs that are one-sided and misleading.
To take on cases the magnitude of which has never been seen before in British industrial legal history does mean that firms of solicitors must have enough resources at their disposal to cope efficiently with the workload.
Not every case is straightforward where liability is accepted as the "norm," some miners could have had as many as seven different employers, some lawyers do not have the industrial experience and know-how to deal with the more complicated cases.
Some firms of lawyers have been the trade union solicitors for a number of years and, therefore, have the expertise of the trade union to rely on as well, that involves maintenance of up-to-date and well-catalogued records, branch records etc.
While they appear full of self-righteous indignation regarding "poor disadvantaged miners", when it comes to saving miners' jobs they are notoriously silent, as they are on the question of clean coal technology and the nation's lack of a diverse, well-balanced energy policy. They do not seem to have much to say about miners who have been turned down for compensation or the inadequacies of the schemes either.
In fact, the silence becomes deafening when it comes to supporting "sick and tired miners" and their quest for justice over the continuous robbery of the miners' pension scheme that really does beggar belief.
From: John Wilson, Wilsons Solicitors, Station Road, Horsforth, Leeds.
YOUR correspondent Mr Palmer (Yorkshire Post, December 23) refers to the solicitors who have been struck off for ripping off the retired miners as "morons". I suspect with their millions in the bank now they would regard that as a classic case of "sticks and stones".
However, Mr Palmer's comments make a refreshing change and are perhaps not too far from the truth after all. In all my years acting for people who have a problem with a solicitor, I have often observed how the caricature in the press of a greedy
grasping profession is wide of the mark. Far more of the things that go wrong are down to stupidity than anything worse. A stupidity that comes from being in a cosseted profession that has had it too good for too long. Too many nice sweet jars and not enough fingers.
A few years ago there was a thing inventedcalled "institutional racism", seemingly defined as a situation where no individual is but all of them collectively are. On that basis, it seems to me that my profession might be fairly categorised, using Mr Palmer's term, as "institutionally moronic". Lots of fine chaps binding themselves together and coming out with a far from fine result.
Thus it is that the scandal of the miners' compensation ripoffs is not very much to do with the individual solicitors concerned, however contemptible they may be and however much the Law Society would like you to think so. It is far more to do with lack of leadership and vision from the Law Society itself which, at the time, was encouraging the solicitors concerned down this very same path.
Some of us resisted, and are now delighted to be vindicated. But let us put the blame where it really lies and not be diverted by the Law Society PR machine.
Democracy dances off into the distance
From: F Spencer, Birchwood Mount, Leeds.
THE recent problems for the voters in BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing competition could be very easily solved by putting Gordon Brown & Co in charge of the programme. Brown could then promise the voters a vote but then not allow them to have one, as is the case of the Lisbon Treaty. The EU could also be running "Strictly" and then if the voters did not vote the correct way, make them vote again until they did.
Problem solved!Teachers are singled out as role models
From: David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Acomb, York.
THE General Teaching Council for England has just issued a new Code of Conduct for Teachers, and part of it states "teachers have a duty to uphold the law and maintain standards of behaviour both inside and outside school that are appropriate given their membership of an important responsible profession". Why have teachers been singled out?
Surely this sensible directive is equally appropriate to the majority of us, whether professionals or not?
Teachers, on the whole, are very decent, hard working people, who fully understand that they need to act, within reason, as role models for the children in their schools. They do, however, need to relax, let off steam and have fun and enjoy themselves, as do most of us. What is important is how they and the rest of us do this. Some things are acceptable and some are not, but who decides where the line is drawn?
Having a few drinks, partying, dancing and enjoying the
odd cigarette or cigar is fine; it is quite something else to
go binge drinking, wrecking hotel or clubrooms, lap and pole dancing, taking drugs, swearing at policemen and the general public and driving while under the influence of alcohol.
If people act badly, others will find out, be they children, junior ranks, less senior staff, management, headmasters, university dons, company directors or MPs.
The world, and especially Britain, needs some genuine role models who set good examples which the young and easily influenced folk will hopefully admire and copy. We require far more "stars" like Sir Bobby Charlton.
It is perfectly fair that if someone seriously
misbehaves, is dishonest, repeatedly lies and cannot be trusted, they stand a very good chance of losing their job.
UK should look to world
From: Douglas Hartley, Irving Terrace, Clayton, Bradford.
JAMES Wagstaff (Yorkshire Post, December 9), agrees that trade with Europe is possible without membership of the EU. We were led to believe by our 1970s political leaders that trade was, in fact, the sole reason for our association with the former European Economic Community. No mention was made of trade laws to be obeyed.
Negotiations between nations can be carried on in a mutually friendly way, without regulations and directives issued from one side. This ideal, rather than the xenophobia with which they are taunted, is what motivates supporters of the Campaign for an Independent Britain, the Democracy Movement, Labour Euro-Safeguards, UKIP and others.
As for UK trade, there is an imbalance. We buy more from Europe than its nations buy from us – a useful negotiating ploy! Moreover, I read that the proportion of UK exports to the other EU nations is shrinking; it is well under half of UK worldwide exports. According to reported official data, UK exports to the world outside the EU grew (1999-2007) 37 per cent faster than that of UK exports to the 26 other EU nations while UK exports to the European Free Trade Association (Switzerland, Norway etc) grew 58 per cent faster than exports to the EU.
Exports to states bordering Europe, including Russia and Turkey, grew 2.6 times faster than those to the EU nations.
I only know what I read, not being an economist. It seems to me that Britain's trading policy should, as far as possible, be free and directed worldwide.
The EU, self-seeking and inward-looking, is inclined to raise protective tariff barriers, heedless of the economic damage done to third world countries.
Cycling on the Stray
From: Malcolm Margolis, Press Officer, Harrogate Cycle Group.
THE results of the public consultation on Harrogate Council's proposal to legalise cycling on the south east edge of the Stray have been released and show that almost 80 per cent of more than 1,000 responses received support the plan.
We would like to thank everyone who voted to ensure this tremendous endorsement of our campaign. It has always been our view that the large majority of residents want this change. We understand the concerns of the minority, but strongly believe that these concerns will prove to be unfounded.
While most of the Stray is totally unaffected, the inclusion of these few paths in Harrogate's cycle networks, and the new crossings on major roads such as Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road, will increase safety both for pedestrians and cyclists. We very much hope that those who have opposed the plan, especially the Stray Defence Association, will now work with us on the details to make sure that the outcome is in the best interests of the community as a whole.
What's the point of these galvanised monstrosities?
From: Mrs Angela Worley, Woodland Hill, Whitkirk, Leeds.
AS a resident of the Crossgates area of Leeds for the past six years, I feel I must have
missed something. I did not realise that the area was inhabited by giant sheep and cattle which need penning in on the roundabout at the top of Austhorpe Road!
I am referring, of course, to the hideous huge agricultural metal gates which have recently been installed on the Crossgates roundabout over the past six weeks – I assume by Leeds City Council.
I am incredulous in these time of supposed global financial meltdown that the council finds it acceptable and appropriate to erect these ugly, useless structures at no doubt vast expense, presumably to let everyone know they have reached Crossgates.
Would a simple sign not have sufficed?
Don't misunderstand me. I am not opposed to challenging modern works of art, having very recently enjoyed a visit to the wonderful Yorkshire Sculpture Park at West Bretton, home to some magnificent Henry Moores and other fabulous exhibits.
However, these galvanised monstrosities are hardly the Angel of the North!
Not to mention the amount of traffic chaos caused by the six- week installation programme (which made me late for work on several occasions) by having to manoeuvre around several vans and lorries staffed by council workers who I'm sure could have been better employed doing something that the city actually needs – like gritting its roads and pavements in icy conditions!
I work in a school in Harehills, one of the most hard-pressed and ethnically diverse areas of the city.
Despite increasing numbers of immigrant children joining the school roll with little or no English, we lost our funding for specialist language support in July. Education Leeds had allocated it to another school. We are also home to a centre dedicated to children with emotional and behavioural problems. This term they have been forced to raise their own money to buy essential equipment because of the increasing demand for their facilities.
Surely the money spent on these totally unnecessary, aesthetically bankrupt lumps of metal would have been better spent on providing the necessary support for the ethnic communities we are supposed to be so proud to welcome into Leeds, who will shortly become the next generation of the city's taxpayers.
Goodbye to courtesy
From: Rev Neil McNicholas, St Hilda's Parish, Whitby.
WHY do so many companies and businesses these days so consistently fail to answer emails and letters, or return phone calls?
There is usually a prompt enough response when you are ordering things or services from them, but if you later have a complaint, forget it.
"Customer service" provides no service and "customer care" should be renamed "customer don't care".
The good old days of courtesy and service based on (and this might inspire widespread mirth these days as a concept) the customer always being right have vanished without trace.
You'd think that businesses wanting to stay in business in these days of financial turmoil and recession would try just that little bit harder to keep our custom.
Give us all a cheque
From: Digby Thornton, The Vale, York.
INSTEAD of pussy footing around making cuts in VAT that no one notices, trying to introduce loan guarantee schemes no one can
understand and bailing out banks and other favoured businesses with blank cheques, Gordon Brown should send everyone in the country, aged over 18, a cheque for 30,000.
With the cheque should be an easy to understand letter recommending that the 30,000 should first be used to pay off mortgage/rent arrears, credit card debts, and then, if you've got one, to invest some of it in your struggling business.
After that, if there is any left over, a new car can be bought and a foreign holiday booked.
Problems solved.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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