‘Bureaucracy’ represents good value

IT looks as if Jeremy Banyard (Yorkshire Post, December 12) feels he is being overtaken by “progress”.

Yet the disappearance of the items he laments cannot be blamed on the EU.

As science and technology evolve we find improvements for almost all things. Look what happened to horse-drawn carriages!

Creosote, specifically, is most unhealthy stuff – poisonous and carcinogenic.

Also very toxic is sodium chlorate and in its dry form it can be explosive: not good to have around the home.

An advantage of the EU is that we can pool resources and deliberations for the benefit of all its citizens.

Whatever the ranting tabloids say, the “Brussels Bureaucracy” 
is only about the same size 
as the UK’s Scottish Office, yet it serves three hundred million people as against five million Scots. Surely that is value for money?

Minor corrections on Jeremy’s wish “to stand on our own two feet”: Denmark is a firm member of the EU and Iceland has applied to join.

He probably wanted to associate Norway with Switzerland, who both remain outside the EU.

Those two nations have to comply very largely with EU regulations without having any say in their formulation. How neat is that? Exactly the point made recently to the UK government by the Norwegians: “Stay inside and work on improvements”.

Tibet left to its fate by world

From: John Copperthwaite, Orchard Court, Leeds.

IN 1945, the wider world became increasingly aware of the dreadful atrocities committed by the Nazis and the Japanese.

Sadly, in 2013, the wider world is yet to acknowledge the equally heinous crimes which have been perpetrated by China upon Tibet and its people.

Britain and its Allies stood against the Nazi threat, but could not save over six million people from being murdered. To date, over one million people have been murdered in Tibet by the Chinese, to say nothing of the thousands tortured and driven from their homes and homeland.

The world community has turned its back and abandoned Tibet to its fate, whilst at the same time encouraging greater trade with its evil aggressors.

It is shameful.

Cameron 
in contempt

From: Robert Reynolds, West Bank, Batley, West Yorkshire.

A FEW weeks ago, the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, gave sound legal advice to the idiots commenting about ongoing trials on social media: “Anyone commenting about a case or defendant in a way that could prejudice a trial could be prosecuted for contempt and imprisoned.”

Ignoring this excellent 
advice, and barging in like a Saturday night drunk, the 
Prime Minister made a 
comment about the TV personality Nigella Lawson, who is participating in a trial at Isleworth Crown Court.

Judge Robin Johnson told jurors they should disregard Mr Cameron’s comments.

My only question is – when will the Prime Minister be arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned?

Eton – Oxbridge – Downing Street – Jail. Seems fair to me.

Grim time 
for animals

From: Fiona Pereira, Animal Aid, Tonbridge.

AS the Christmas season approaches, reindeer, donkeys and even camels are being transported up and down the country to be used as entertainment in parades, nativity plays, Santa’s grottos and other festive events.

Such events attract crowds of people but put the animals under severe stress and cause health problems.

According to research at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, the increase in deaths in young reindeer, including seven reindeer who died from liver and gut flukes in Shropshire and another who died from a lung disease on a farm near Winchester, were likely to be linked to bad diet, poor welfare and the stress of being uprooted from their natural habitat.

Invariably, many animals used in parades suffer long periods of confinement, gruelling journeys to the events in which they will be used and stress from being paraded or even ridden in public.

Animal Aid urges all readers to be kind this Christmas, and choose entertainment that does not involve the use of animals.

Germans bearing gifts

From: Keith Jowett, Woodland Rise, Silkstone Common, Barnsley.

I FOUND your news item about the clock which said “Die” amusing (Yorkshire Post, December 13).

As you explained “Die” was the shortened form of the German word “Dienstag”, which translates as Tuesday.

German friends in Barnsley’s twin town of Schwäbisch-Gmünd found the story equally amusing.

It reminded me that at this festive time it is wise to be cautious of speaking with our German friends about giving a gift, since “gift” is the German word for poison.

Christmas tree mystery

From: Keith Bainbridge, Victoria Street, Clayton West, Huddersfield.

WHAT has happened to the Christmas tree in Clayton 
West this year? All the other nearby villages have one 
but for some reason we are missing ours this time.

Are we the village that Christmas forgot?