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Saturday's Letters: Let's stop being so hard on Headingley as Test venue
I READ with interest your Editorial (Yorkshire Post, August 6), together with the erudite comments of your reporters in relation to the future of the Test status of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
I despair at the continuing negativity emanating from Yorkshire, and its chief executive Stewart Regan, in relation to both Headingley's limitations and, in particular, certain behavioural aspects which clearly involve a minority, and can occur on any cricket ground throughout the country.
I fear these continual adverse references to past conduct (which are so easily taken up by other correspondents and agencies) tarnish the good name of the county and will eventually lead to our exclusion from the Test circuit. By all means comment, but without this continual adverse harping, to our detriment.
Why do we have to self-destruct by continually referring to Headingley as being an old ground (which it is) and the, seemingly, "unfair" competition we have, therefore, to face from the modern arenas of The Riverside and the Rose Bowl – and anywhere else for that matter. We should be positive in our ability to compete, rather than continually running ourselves down, and feeling sorry for ourselves.
Neither should we be adopting a hard-faced attitude by over-zealous stewarding (as we have been guilty of in the past) and, seemingly, be unwelcoming to the likes of the Barmy Army by suggesting (as YCCC chief executive Stewart Regan has done) that their leaders, Vic Flowers and Bill Cooper, be "discouraged from attending" not to mention restricting their numbers to 200 (when a limit of 500, as at Edgbaston, would have been more acceptable).
At least Ricky Ponting has the good sense to acknowledge that the Barmy Army are the "best sporting crowd in the world"
as they will be at Headingley this year, albeit, regretfully, without the mean-hearted banning of Bill Cooper's trumpet that has been heard, just about, on every cricket ground in the world.
Imagine this happening at the Oval, and elsewhere, when the West Indies were playing with their supporting steel band.
Time to get to grips, Yorkshire, before it's too late and we are left out in the cold.
From: CP Dawson, West Ella Road, West Ella, Hull.
Tax the big bonuses of bankers
From: Jeremy Wilcock, Liberal Democrat prospective MP, East Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull.
WE are again witnessing the obscenity of colossal, undeserved bonuses being paid to executives in the banking sector – bonuses paid in many cases out of taxpayers' money to people whose greed and reckless gambling with other people's money have crippled the financial sector, destroyed public confidence, and put many ordinary families' and small businesses' livelihoods at severe risk.
People who now refuse to lend or extend credit despite Government urging.
While there is no moral case for these bonuses to be paid, it may well be that the banks are contractually obliged to do so and could be sued if they did not. Perhaps so.
But there is nothing to stop the Government from introducing swingeing taxation on these bonuses. I hope they do – I would propose 95p in
the pound.
That way, at least the Exchequer would recoup the money and it would not be used to reward people who frankly should be begging for forgiveness.
From: Chris Smith, Otley.
AT last some common sense, with the Federation of Small Businesses warning that banks should be pressed to give branch managers greater freedom to lend to small businesses.
They are right to do so. One reason we are in such a mess is that businesses no longer have a relationship with their local bank manager. They have to telephone call centres in Scotland and never speak to the same person more than once.
I hope that the Federation is successful in persuading banks to reinstate this important position.
The banks will benefit. They will know if their customers need help, or are struggling. And it will help businesses plan for the future.
From: James Coleman, Wellesley Avenue, Hull.
WELL done to Vince Cable for speaking some common sense about Northern Rock and saying that it would be wrong for the Government to sell the troubled lender now (Yorkshire Post, August 5).
He's right. Having bailed it out, the taxpayer would get a terrible deal from any "fire" sale. We need to play the long game and hope to recoup some of the public money invested in Northern Rock.
At least Dr Cable and the Lib Dems have a plan. Have the Tories? I'm not sure. All they do is criticise the Government – particularly the awful George Osborne. They are going to have to say, at some point, what they would do.
I realise Opposition parties are, sometimes, reluctant to reveal their plans in advance, but this recession is an exceptional crisis that demands an exceptional response.
It's important the Tories gain the public's trust if they are to run the country. They must put their cards on the table – now – starting with their future strategy for Northern Rock.
From: Samantha Hopkins, Leyburn, North Yorkshire.
HOW can the 4bn loss announced by Lloyds Banking Group be construed as good news (Yorkshire Post, August 5)?
It's, once again, a symptom of the City of London – and the Government –under-estimating the level of debt facing the country.
Far from being good news, it's a matter of grave national concern.
For, at some point, all this borrowed money is going to have to be paid back. By whom? When?
Definitions of fascism
From: Peter Marshall, Barnsley.
BULLY for Edward McMillan-Scott MEP, and his heroic campaign against what he calls the "new face of fascism" (Yorkshire Post, July 30). Contrary to his suggestion, it is not clear to me which is the more fascist, the BNP or his own party, the Tories.
Chambers Dictionary defines fascism as comprising, among other
things, "militarism". Labour, backed by the Tories, sent the British military to Iraq on the basis of little more than doctored intelligence reports and a pack of lies. In contrast, the BNP always opposed this daft military adventure.
Secondly, the above definition also includes "restrictions on personal freedom". There have been a large number of articles in the national press recently cataloguing Labour's withdrawal of civil liberties and human rights in the UK. As for the restrictions on freedom to criticise religion imposed by Muslims and backed by Labour and Tories, well, we better not go there.
Professor Timothy Garton-Ash said in a Guardian article recently that the word fascism has been "hollowed out to mean little more than something the Left hates at the moment". Quite right. But if we have to use the word fascist, it's a moot point as to which political party is the most fascist.
Why weather forecasts are a guessing game
From: Matthew Shaw, Golcar, Huddersfield.
WE were given a hopelessly optimistic long range weather forecast for this summer, seemingly based on the rather unscientific principle that we'd had two rubbish ones so it's time we had a good one.
In reality, the Met Office/BBC with all their computer models, satellite technology and "experts" have no more idea what it's going to be like a week on Tuesday than thee and me.
Long range forecasting is a dangerous game, as seen in 2007. I remember well some attractive weather girl, fresh out of meteorological school, cheerfully announce that the Azores high would soon bring fine settled conditions in June/July. We had the wettest recorded summer (I was on the Pennine Way so can vouch for that).
In the good old days, the synoptic chart was widely used in presenting the forecast to us. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence could then have a go at working out a likely forecast for themselves.
Today's cartoon graphics "weather show" presented by the BBC largely ignores this useful tool.
We're left feeling dumbed down and the BBC is left exposed to well-founded criticism when their forecasts fail.
The delicious vagaries of our climate makes forecasting more than 48 hours hence little more than a stab in the dark, so why do it? Since August was hilariously downgraded after a disappointing July, the sun hasn't stopped shining in Huddersfield.
How rail route can get on track
From: Michael Sheperd, Sherbuttgate Road South, Pocklington, East Yorkshire.
PEOPLE were asked (Yorkshire Post, July 31) what they want from the new East Coast Main Line rail franchise.
n Cleaner trains.
n All the walls and seat backs, not to be scratched by the tea trolley.
n Restaurant cars to be reinstated as before.
n Cups and saucers to be used in first class as before, not these lousy beakers.
n Rubber mats to be used again, as before, to be under the saucer, to stop it sliding about as the train moves.
n Remove the 2.50 seat reservation charge.
Please include these in your lists.
A drain on our resources
From: Ken Holmes, Cliffe Common, Selby.
FIGURES recently revealed tell us a "mind boggling" 3.3 billion litres of water is lost every day from pipes across Britain.
The mystery is, how is it getting into the sky? Because it seems that is the amount we are getting showered with every day, instead of the promised barbecue summer.
Incidentally, how long now before a weather man or woman becomes a lord or a dame (like many others) as their reward for abject failure?
Danger with airport access
From: Mrs ML Ratcliffe, Redburn Road, Shipley, West Yorkshire.
I REFER to the letter from Judith Harding on access to Leeds Bradford International Airport (Yorkshire Post, August 3).
I agree with every point made. Two weeks ago, I was nearly knocked down by a taxi crossing the pedestrian walkway at some speed, which seems to be accepted practice. This cannot be right. Something should be done about it quickly, before someone is hurt.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
