Archbishop certainly irritates me!

GODFREY Bloom MEP asked “Does anyone else find the Archbishop of Canterbury as irritating as I do?” (Yorkshire Post, January 7). It’s a resounding yes!

In my Christmas message to some relatives, I wrote; “Tried not to be irritated by the Archbishop of Canterbury earlier – pontificating as usual in his fancy dress and silly hat, the cost of which would feed a large number of starving African children.”

And I agree completely with Mr Bloom about the Bishop of London’s comments about the St Paul’s campers. They were only there because they were not allowed to be where they wanted to be and should have been.

Thank God our own Archbishop invariably has something more interesting to say (and generally backs it up with action). So I’ll forgive him the fancy dress and silly hat.

From: John Gordon, Whitcliffe Lane, Ripon.

PAUL Andrews’s recipe (Yorkshire Post, January 6) of Christianity and classics should be taken with a pinch of salt. It produced a governing class that administered a far-flung empire with admirable discipline. The millions who remained at home were condemned to a standard of living that was far inferior to that which pertains today, even in the infamous recession.

The plebs worked in mines and mills and produced a manufacturing nation that was the mainstay of those who sought prosperity abroad. I do not know what the answer is today – not public schools providing an officer class, our present colonial wars do not seem to recognise military ranks nor an education system that ignores both Christianity and the classics. Can we ever bring back the past?

Too harsh on Labour leader

From: Coun Frank R McManus, Longfield Road, Todmorden.

MY old Labour Youth comrade Bernard Ingham is in top form for his article on Ed Miliband (Yorkshire Post, January 4) but is less than fair to the trade unions who had the wisdom to trust Attlee and the Labour Party’s political stars of our younger days.

He remains a shade too dismissive of Michael Foot whose ability and integrity he nevertheless honours; for Foot’s Labour Party, which he alone could and did hold together, was well ahead of Thatcher in 1982, and only lost in 1983 through the Falklands Factor and the deep Lib/Lab rupture in the South East.

We paid and continue to pay a cruel price for the irresponsibility of the then Liberals who “fought for second place” through failure to recognise her threat to British society.

I hope that Mr Miliband will extend his power base by making use of John McDonnell’s great abilities, and by advancing Leeds MP Rachel Reeves as rapidly as fair treatment permits!

From: Allan Davis, Heathfield Court, Grimsby.

MAY I ask Brian McQueen (Yorkshire Post, December 23) to reconsider his comments on Ed Miliband?

It is at least arguable that the ideas of the world’s leading economies lie at the very roots of the present crisis.

That crisis is not a British crisis, it is worldwide, and it began with the collapse of major banks in the United States. Those banks, all of them, were and remain firm adherents of the neo-Liberal ideology which other leading economists espouse.

In passing, it is worth noting that the various highly influential credit-rating agencies gave them AAA ratings even as they fell.

German rules curb bosses

From: David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Holgate, York.

OUR Prime Minister said that he knows that the general public are very annoyed about companies paying their top executives huge pay rises, often after meagre results or even failures (Yorkshire Post, January 9).

He claims his Government will tackle the problem this year. The answer is obvious and only a few miles over the English Channel. In Germany, companies have to have ordinary employees on their Board and Remuneration Committees and shareholders votes are mandatory – they cannot just be over-ruled.

Germany is mega-successful in so many ways, especially in business and exporting – why do we not just “follow the leader” and adopt her policies and laws?

Free England from Scotland

From: Jack Kinsman, Stainton Drive, Grimsby.

IF Scotland wants independence from the English, we should give it to them (Yorkshire Post, January 9). Stop every penny that now goes to Scotland.

Throw out every Scot that is in the English Parliament making laws for the English that do not apply to Scotland. Throw out every Scot in the English House of Lords. See just how well Scotland would fare without English money.

Stadium plan ill-conceived

From: Mrs Susan Dobson, Leeds Road, Methley, Leeds.

I TAKE issue with Tony Morris (Yorkshire Post, January 5) in his rant against Leeds City Council’s opposition to the proposed stadium for Wakefield Wildcats.

As a Methley resident and a long time Leeds ratepayer, I can inform Mr Morris that LCC is not the only body to oppose this ill-conceived plan.

It would appear approval was given by Wakefield Council in order to accommodate the building of industrial units along with the Wildcats stadium.

The proposed stadium would cover only four per cent of the site, including woefully inadequate parking, the rest being taken by 24 hour distribution depots and warehousing units, fast food outlets and a hotel! Even agreeing that the Wildcats need a new stadium (which I don’t), there are other brownfield sites in the area more suited to the job.