Amid gloom, take pride in bombers

THE troubles of the world and the depressing weather in recent weeks has made many people feel they are living in bubble of gloom. Yet, as a nation, we have much to be pleased about and can certainly be proud of what we have.

Recently I visited the Vulcan Experience in hangar three at Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster, and saw the magnificent aircraft that has been restored.

I heard about her Cold War exploits, the bombing of the Falklands, and met a pilot 
and those who keep XH558 
flying. I came away inspired and proud of what Britain has achieved.

Then I visited the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield for the magnificent production of My Fair Lady. Superb cast and music presented on a South Yorkshire stage to encore after encore, proud to be British. At Christmas, we had buskers on the streets of our towns and cities to add music 
to shopping exploits and then 
the magic and sincerity of children’s nativity plays and carol services. Readers today should look in the mirror and realise that the world is still a wonderful place.

Of course, we also have Strictly Come Dancing to excite young and old.

Curse of the
internet age

From: James Anthony Bulmer, Horbury, Wakefield.

MODERN technology is, once again, rearing its childish head when the twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee – alias tweet and Twitter – are being used to insult, malign and bully people.

As a child I was given to understand that birds with feathers were the ones to 
tweet and twitter. Thirty years later, my children were watching on TV Sylvester the Cat and Tweetie Pie.

However, the recent wrongdoing on T witter has brought in the Keystone Cops and Rumpole of the Bailey. Again putting the onus on our recently, through necessity, depleted forces of the police.

I write this because I really feel that most modern technology resembles the old Saturday matinees and cartoons we have seen over the years.

Is technology a virus inflicted on us by aliens from cyber 
space? Shall we call for Flash Gordon?

It would appear that most 
of these hi-tech electronic gadgets are opening doors for the more devious in our society to exploit, as we have seen government files being taken, millions of pounds stolen, old people’s savings being conned from them and credit card details stolen.

The list is endless of this electronic mayhem and madness.

Is the word “cut” an abbreviation for Constables Under Threat or Computerised Utter Turmoil?

Ukip sniping
debases issues

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

CRITICS of one government policy or another do tend to oversimplify. Take the ceaseless sniping by Ukip and their supporters.

To hear them talk we only 
need to decide to come out of Europe to release billions of pounds we pay to Brussels overnight and these can then be spent on new schools and hospitals and all the other deserving causes.

Do the people who believe this ever stop to think that if it was that easy, even our blind politicians would not hesitate to jump ship and we’d all live happily ever after. When you put it in those terms, the fallacy is laid bare.

It ignores or disregards treaties, relations carefully built up over years and our vital contribution to the wider pan-European scenario.

Not least it would gravely prejudice our interests as a trading nation.

I am afraid the policy of scuttle is unrealistic, flawed, immature and simplistic.

It is a pity that so many ostensibly well-educated and intelligent people waste so much time in pursuit of a wild and fanciful chimera.

Selfless acts
amid carnage

From: Coun Nader Fekri (Labour & Co-op, Calder Ward), Cheetham Street, Hebden Bridge.

REFLECTING on the terrible massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 
Newtown, Connecticut, much has been written on the Americans’ love affair with guns, and the National Rifle Association’s frankly bizarre response of suggesting armed guards at all schools, or heaven forfend, teaching children to shoot.

However, I would like to highlight two particular acts of love, kindness, and bravery displayed by a couple of the adult victims.

Firstly, 27-year-old teacher Victoria Soto, who managed to save the lives of some of her students by hiding them in a store-cupboard and telling the murderer they were in the gym, who then shot and killed her.

Secondly and even more poignantly, was 52-year-old teaching assistant, Anne 
Marie Murphy who was found cradling six-year-old Dylan Hockley in her arms, presumably to protect him, when police found them both shot dead.

My heart goes out to all the family and friends of the victims, but I’m sure that we can all take comfort in the fact that even under the most horrible of circumstances, folk can be kind and good and selfless.