Endemic greed in our society

I AGREE with your correspondent John Watson’s first sentence about the fire service retirement outrage: “It cannot and must not go on.” However, the other correspondent Barrie Frost (Yorkshire Post, July 30) was correct in that it will soon be forgotten.

It is greed and “getting one over” that is endemic, not in any particular group but throughout society – page three of the same publication of the Yorkshire Post reports on Arthur Scargill’s battle for expenses and page seven reports on similar payments to the chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency.

In addition, page nine reports on an exit package for an executive of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).

Mr Watson was correct in that it is the “people at the bottom who take all the flak”. Another different example being that we are paying for the running costs of the Ofgem quango and we also pay when they impose fines on energy suppliers – a lose-lose situation for all households.

From: Michael Swaby, Hainton Avenue, Grimsby.

IN suggesting that Tim Mickleburgh should read some A-level text books, Allan Davies apparently assumes that there is only one respectable school of economic theory (Yorkshire Post, August 2).

The arguments for increased interest rates I would summarise as:

The artificial low rate merely transfers wealth from creditors to debtors, it does not provide a general economic stimulus.

It has been in place so long that there is a serious risk of a large group of low interest rate dependants (unkindly called “zombies”) being created.

The invisible tax of inflation, with all its inherent distortions, is in danger of becoming entrenched.

As Mr Mickleburgh says, “the economy is hardly flourishing under low interest rates, is it?”

Why bale out Europeans?

From: GR Thorpe, Lister Avenue, East Bowling, Bradford.

AFTER reading Don Burslam’s letter (Yorkshire Post, July 29) he seems to think that the British public should accept our entry into the United States of Europe, the only way that the British people will accept this is to have a referendum.

We read in the Press and hear on the TV news of how the Europeans are changing our way of life.

A new European map shows part of the south coast is now part of northern France. This annexing would not be accepted by members of the other countries so why should we accept it?

France and Italy removed Romanian citizens because of the crimes that they committed. Britain cannot expel criminals that have been convicted of crimes because it is against their human rights.

MEPs receive exorbitant pay and expenses and still want more.

The accounts have not been signed off for a large number of years. Why is this?

Everybody is entitled to an opinion and while the press is free to print letters from members of the public attacking the EU it will continue to do so until some party has the gumption to hold a referendum this debate will go on for years.

It is time that this Government stopped giving into the EU.

Economists have said from day one of the euro that it is impossible to control each country as they all have different economies.

Why should the British working man help bale out Europeans that have joined the euro that is their problem not ours?

Legacy of Leper Chapel

From: The Revd AWR Lodge, St John’s Grove, Kirk Hammerton, York.

It was fascinating to see the pictures of St Mary Magdalene and the Leper Chapel (Yorkshire Post, July 27) especially after your previous photograph of Lady Barber. She used to worship in that church, as did Mary Moorman, wife of the then bishop.

I used to see them both when I took services in both churches during my time in Ripon (1968-1991), when the chaplain was on holiday.

In those days, the chapel was only open for worship in one month of the year (possibly August) and, indeed, lepers never worshipped there.

There was (is?) a hole in the wall and the lepers would put their hands through this to receive the sacrament, so that none inside would be infected. This would have been a wafer/bread possibly intinctured by a drop of wine.

“Leprosy” may not have been leprosy which Albert Schweitzer encountered in Africa – but any skin disease.

This may also have been so in firstst century Palestine. In other words, “leprosy” might have been disfiguring but not necessarily destructive.