Brutality of police during miners’ strike

I AGREE with Bernard Ingham (Yorkshire Post, January 8) on the fact that Arthur Scargill made a mistake by not calling a national strike ballot, but the brutality of the police (and I suggest the soldiers involved) are ignored by Ingham.

He doesn’t acknowledge the photographic evidence that was taken during the strike whereby a mounted police officer is seen galloping towards a young woman, standing on her own in a drainage ditch, with his baton drawn, obviously intending to hit her body.

I ask Bernard Ingham as to why police officers were not wearing their shoulder numbers during the miners’ strike. I ask him if it was lawful for people to be, supposedly, policing our streets without any identification?

I went on several picket lines, as an unofficial observer, during the 1984/85 strike and saw lots of supposed police officers (with no shoulder numbers on display) who would probably have been found, if the full truth was out, to be soldiers, but we will never know for some more considerable time, if ever.

From: Richard Billups, East Avenue, Rawmarsh, Rotherham.

THESE newly released papers which show that there was a list of over 70 pits down for closure also show that Arthur Scargill was right.

There is some doubt whether Margaret Thatcher was a liar or not. Readers of this newspaper already know she was.

According to Sir Bernard Ingham’s column, Maggie was in contact every night with Sir Ian discussing strategy about the strike. This was a brilliant bluff to tell the British people a downright lie.

Roads cry out for investment

From: David W Wright, Uppleby, Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

TWO important issues have been raised by Peter Davies (Yorkshire Post, January 9) and the report on the state of Yorkshire roads and David Cameron’s “vow to look carefully at an A64 upgrade”. Meanwhile here in North Yorkshire we have to endure the hazards of the disgraceful state of the minor roads which are potholed, dangerous and neglected while major roads such as the A64 York to Scarborough are crying out for urgent investment and improvement.

However, as Peter Davies has admirably pointed out, Cameron continues with his crusade to spend millions of pounds on the HS2 folly whilst the state of the roads, not only here in Yorkshire but countrywide, are in urgent need of upgrading and improvement. Roll on the next election, when hopefully the electorate can make some drastic changes to vote for more enlightened and practical MPs.

TV shows running late

From: Peter Horton, Sandy Lane, Ripon.

I DO so agree with your columnist Neil McNicholas (Yorkshire Post, January 7) on the state of British television and the overwhelming preponderance of advertisements on all channels other than the BBC. The same adverts are repeated ad nauseam, and most of them seem to be for sofas.

He did omit to mention another prime source of irritation and that is sloppy timing on all channels.

The BBC was once renowned for its precise timing, but nowadays programmes can be anything up to four minutes late in starting (except The One Show which is usually two minutes early) and often therefore late in finishing, which makes a complete mess of any attempts to record programmes.

Commercial channels are also guilty of this, no doubt through their desire to cram in more and more adverts, but the BBC still cause it by mimicking commercial channel practice and forcing us to see the same trailers for their own programmes over and over again. A shake-up is needed at the BBC to give better value to licence-payers.

Gambling 
on the rise

From: Mr L Hutchinson, East Carr, Cayton, Scarborough.

I READ the article by Philip Davies (Yorkshire Post, 
January 11) with interest and could not dispute his facts 
and figures regarding betting offices and FOBTs because I 
do not have ready access to the data.

However he makes the point that problem gambling is going down and not up.

I watch a lot of sport on TV and particularly on Sky Sports and the majority of advertisements seem to be from bookmakers peddling their wares.

They almost all offer large amounts of free bets when you sign up so surely they must be attracting a lot of clients or they would not do it.

It would appear to me to be similar to the online shopping scenario, fewer high street shops but still the same customers, many shopping online. Philip Davies does not seem to address this issue.

Time to trim PM’s budget

From: ME Wright, Grove Road, Harrogate.

THE recent news that David Cameron pays £90 for a haircut certainly confirms that he is very much part of rip-off UK 2014; whether he fully understands what this means is open to question.

If he wishes to resurrect his 
“all in this together” myth, perhaps he should consider giving the £90 to his local food bank and ask Samantha to 
have a go with the kitchen scissors.

Please tell us that he cannot claim this on expenses.

Raw deal

From: Keith Wigglesworth, Mead Way, Highburton, Huddersfield.

I READ that Leeds City Council has ordered a restaurateur, in the interests of “health and safety”, to pre-cook his speciality dish before serving it to diners.

As his “speciality dish” is steak tartare, I wonder how long we will have to suffer the continued idiocy of these buffoons?