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Tuesday's Letters: Fox hunting ban was based on prejudice
YOUR anti-hunting correspondent William Snowden is barking up the wrong tree (Yorkshire Post, August 4).
Before the hunting ban came into force, as anybody knows, hunting finished in early spring for approximately six months. In a properly managed hunt country, vixens could have their cubs without interference. If that was conservation, so be it.
As things stand at the moment, those days are gone. There is no respite now, you can destroy foxes 365 days a year, the breeding season does not come into it.
I will ignore the usual emotive nonsense that all antis seem to indulge in and say the writer falls into the trap by comparing fox hunting with bear hunting, cock fighting, etc.
These pastimes all took place in enclosed places and were the gambling and betting pastimes of their day.
Foxes were hunted in their wild and natural state. Trying to equate these events is like comparing chalk and cheese.
Lord Burns wrote his report, told the truth as he saw it, saying basically that hunting with hounds was no worse than other forms of fox control, which, to those of us old enough to remember was the same conclusion as the Labour government enquiry in the 1950s.
At least the Government of that time had the good grace to accept the Scott-Henderson findings.
The people we have now ignored the Burns report. So, basically, the inquiry was a waste of public funds, plus the 700 hours spent in debate. Instead, spite, ignorance and prejudice won the day.
So what are your correspondents on about? They got their ban (at what
cost to the fox population is a matter for debate), hounds still go out, riders still follow them, people calling themselves "hunt monitors" still roam the countryside pretending to know what is going on, looking for evidence.
Which to anybody who goes out on foot is laughable. Hounds can be in the next parish before you can blink.
What a shambles.
From: John Grice, The Close, Durkar, Wakefield.
EU cash and the cost of defence
From: Dorothy Cope, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate.
SOME time ago, there was much discussion in the EU about a European
Defence Force.
It strikes me that not many European countries are even pulling their weight with Nato in Afghanistan, let alone wanting to form an EU Army.
The French and Germans only have a token force, but how many others? Why don't we hear about their casualty rates?
The sooner we pull out of the EU the better, and save millions and millions of pounds that instead could be spent on doubling our defence budget, employing many more workers in producing helicopters, vehicles and armaments and increase the size of all the services.
It would give our troops the real back up they need to finish the job they are struggling to do with only half the men and half the
equipment, and probably do it in half the time.
Past cares, future fears
From: David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Acomb, York.
WHY is Rotherham MP Denis MacShane more worried about the past than the future (Yorkshire Post, August 15)?
One of the biggest threats to our nation is from a fully federalist EU, not from a group of MEPs on the Right, whose leader might have been
a fascist.
There is an absolute fanaticism from so many "liberal" UK politicians when it comes to accusations of anti-semitism, but at the same time a complete whitewash of far-Left communism.
If someone can be shown to have supported in anyway at all, far-Right policies, then they are hounded out of a job, out of the public domain, forbidden to apply for new positions and made out to be persona non grata.
This never happens to those who backed the USSR and its Soviet allies, and all their terrible and despicable deeds under Josef Stalin and the old guard of Mother Russia.
The right not to choose
From: Peter Lacey, Sharpe Close, Barton on Humber.
I PARTLY agree with John Hodgson's view (Yorkshire Post, August 10). The part I agree with is the depressing choice of leadership offered by both main political parties.
I disagree with his comment, "Thank goodness we still have the freedom to choose to vote for none of them".
The point is that we do not. We do have the freedom to vote or not to vote. If we choose to vote, we have to choose one of the candidates on the list.
If I write "none of these" on my ballot paper, my vote is counted as spoiled.
I wish to practise my democratic right to vote and, at the same time, be able to tick a box which says "none of these".
The increasing proportion of electors who choose not to vote on the grounds of there being no candidate of worth threatens our hard-won democracy.
Given that one of the roles of the Electoral Commission is to encourage democratic participation, I am surprised that the "none of these" option has not been introduced.
It would diffuse the possibility of extreme candidates being elected simply because the voter wishes not to vote for someone else.
Unfair deal for real workers
From: Michael Swaby, Hainton Avenue, Grimsby.
READERS will sympathise with Tim Hogan, who has lost his job again, after having been a farm labourer for 30 years (Yorkshire Post, August 15).
On another page, there is a short report about Roger Jenkins, describing him as "Barclays' top dealmaker", and attributing to him personal wealth of 120.7m.
While these cases are unrelated, they are symptomatic of the anomalies that had been highlighted in the outstanding letter from Gerald Hodgson (Yorkshire Post, August 5).
We are treated to continual self-serving letters and articles, predicting calamity if the status quo is greatly disturbed.
In fact, it is potentially ruinous, and needs more than just disturbance. It is preposterous that some individuals should become
very rich merely by arranging for existing assets to be transferred from one person or entity to another.
The fact that so much time and effort is devoted to such activities suggests there is a serious shortcoming in our whole financial system.
By this time next year, we could have a Conservative government. Are they up to the job? In my view, the urgent need is for fewer "deals", and more wealth creation and value-adding production.
Mansion House best venue for library service
From: Ray Nortrop, Doncaster Council Watch, Doncaster.
AS certain areas of Chequer Road, Waterdale and College Road are about to see the demolition of former educational institutions, it is of some concern as to what precautions have been put in place to protect customers (including many children) and staff at Doncaster Central Library who may be affected by noise, dust and possible toxic particles.
The Central Library, like the retail trade in the Waterdale Centre, has been suffering from a tremendous lack of footfall since the opening of the Frenchgate Interchange and the closure of the Southern Bus Station more than three years ago. The demolition works will only make matters much worse.
Doncaster Council should seriously consider transferring the Central Library operations to the Mansion House which would be far more convenient to everyone.
For most of the time, the Mansion House appears to be redundant. The front doors spend considerably more time closed during business hours than they are open. A quick glance of the municipal diary for August and early September will reveal that there is hardly anything doing.
Quite rightly, Peter Davies, the elected mayor, is always on the scout for new efficiency measures and I respectfully suggest that, if the Mansion House was to become the Doncaster Library Service headquarters, this would be a boon to customers who no longer patronise the blight-ridden Waterdale library which was originally constructed as a carpet store.
During the summer the heat is intense and such conditions are not conducive to common sense. I suggest Mr Davies should check out the electricity usage during the summer months when he would discover that the lighting is normally on when most domestic consumers would switch off.
If cuts were to be enforced here, the savings could be used to re-instate the much missed Coffee House which was closed in December 2008.
Pensioners who live on 'rations'
From: Phyllis Capstick, Hellifield, Skipton.
THE millionaire Conservative MP Alan Duncan's words stating: "MPs have to survive on rations and are treated like s***" could be believed and understood if they were pensioners trying to survive on the state pension after having worked and contributed all their lives (Yorkshire Post, August 13).
He should be able to console himself with the fact that when he is down to his last few thousands he will be able to be means tested, and maybe able to claim pension credit, once he reaches 68 or 70, whichever applies at the time.
Only then will he be living in the real world and know what it is like to be surviving on rations.
Harvest hazard
From: Pamela Frankland, Hull Road, York.
MAY I through your newspaper make a plea to all road users. Please be aware that harvest time brings out combine harvesters, tractors and trailers and other heavy farmyard machinery, slowing up the traffic on the roads.
Motorcyclists are a major concern (at any time) as they are invisible to wide loads. With 10-ton trailer loads of corn coming from farms, slowing to turn off into the homestead is hazardous to say the least. So, patience is essential.
Thank you for your forbearance.
Grateful to NHS
From: AW Briglin, Sefton Street, Hull.
REGARDING Daniel Hannan's and other Tory MPs' denigration of the NHS (Yorkshire Post, August 15), there are 40 million people in America, the world's richest country, who are without any kind of medical cover and, I'm sure, would be grateful for a fraction of the cover we enjoy
in Britain.
Starring role
From: Barbara Shaw, St James Drive, Northallerton.
WE were delighted to hear how much Stephen McClarence enjoyed his visit to Scarborough as described in your Magazine (Yorkshire Post, August 15).
He and his photographer would have at least doubled their enjoyment if they had gone to any performance of any play, music, film or lunchtime one- act play, etc at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.
After the illustrious Alan Ayckbourn we now have the resourceful and brilliant Chris Monks to develop further the excellent name of that excellent theatre.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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