Friday's Letters: Brown has destroyed private sector pensions

Labour rely on too great a proportion of votes from the public sector and party donations from the unions representing these employees to ever address this issue.

This Government prefers to leave the mess and the consequences, as they do with the economy's enormous black hole, to someone else to sort out. In my own memory, Labour have only ever been adept at bankrupting the country.

I have seen and been involved with the farcical and calamitous introduction of the stakeholder pension and now "Nest" looms on the horizon. It should be remembered that "Nest" is the consequence of Gordon Brown destroying final salary pensions in the private sector with the removal of tax credits and ever-increasing red tape for industry.

For 13 years, this destruction has gone on and half a generation of people won't know how cynical this Government has been until they reach retirement. For most, it will be too late and in the meantime, the Labour grandees will be sipping their port and luxuriating in the House of Lords.

It has been indicated that council taxes will increase to cover the shortfall in public sector pension funds. Let me say at this point that if the private sector cannot have any help with their pension provision by this Government, I will not stand by and see my finances being

directed to pay for any shortfall in the public sector.

From: Richard D Gledhill, Woodhall Park Drive, Stanningley, Pudsey,

West Yorkshire.

Gridlock fear over city arena site

From: M Clayton, Avenue Hill, Leeds.

I AM writing to say that a 12,500-seater arena should not be allowed to go ahead in Leeds on the proposed site on Clay Pit Lane for the

following reasons:

n The site is far too small.

n It is too near the two universities where there is already a chronic problem with parking.

n It is too near the city centre where there are also serious problems with parking. Apparently, there are only 6,600 parking places in total in the centre.

n There are already serious problems in the city centre with traffic congestion. An arena would complete the gridlock.

n The disjointed transport infrastructure in and around Leeds is totally inadequate to support a 12,500-seater arena. At concert start and finish times, there would be complete traffic chaos leading to accidents. There are already hold-up problems on the inner ring road at peak times.

Also Leeds City Council should keep their hands off Queen's Square, the small garden area near the proposed arena site as it is obvious

from their plans that they are going to ruin its quaint character.

The story continues

From: Alan Verity, president, Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library, Beech Street, Bingley.

WE know Bradford is a changing city: iconic buildings have been, or are about to be, demolished, household names have disappeared, empty spaces lie unfilled.

But history is only repeating itself. Many will remember that exactly 40 years ago the city council ordered the demolition of that imposing building opposite the City Hall. It was the Mechanics' Institute Library, founded in 1832, one of the oldest institutions in the city. It was pulled down to make way for council offices, a building society and pedestrian space.

But in those days there was a spirit abroad. The library did not disappear. Like the phoenix, it rose from the ashes and moved to premises at 76 Kirkgate (at the top end above Cash Converters) where it has been ever since.

To mark these 40 years, the library, which is also a study centre, is opening its doors to the public on Saturday, January 23 between 10am and 4pm. There is an open invitation to anyone to come and look round. There will be much to see.

Challenge for Tories

From: John Richmond, Harrogate Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire.

WHILE you will get a host of suggestions to what David Cameron must deliver, may I suggest that Rob Preece, your crime correspondent, delivers a frightening report on the "Lawless generation" which clearly depicts the lack of discipline within the education system (Yorkshire Post, January 9).

Re-offending teenagers, exclusions from schools, pre-teen crime, surely is a picture of how this Government has failed.

This challenge has to be met full on by the Conservatives, notably much of the "regulation" brought in through various avenues of either

local government, or self governing bodies who are non-accountable.

Health and safety issues are top of the list.

The recent school closures are a good example, where again the response of the local authority varied from school to school. Some parents and teachers were willing to help clear snow and ice while others were told "health and safety" could not allow such self-help.

Elementary mistake

From: MP Laycock, Wheatlands Road East, Harrogate.

MY wife and I, both former teachers, were dismayed to hear David Cameron's announcement that the next government will not allow applicants without a first- or second-class degree to become teachers (Yorkshire Post, January 19). He is making the elementary mistake of confusing "better qualified teachers" with better teachers.

It has long been understood that "the cleverest people do not always make the best teachers". It often happens that those who have struggled to master a subject as students are best placed to guide others to understand it.

Many of my former colleagues at Leeds College of Commerce (now part of LMU) had professional qualifications but not degrees. However, their knowledge of their subject gained from practical experience gave the college an international reputation.

We have had more than enough "tick box" target culture from this present Government. This country needs to recruit teachers who know their subject and can teach, rather than those with the most impressive certificates.

Welcome relief

From: William Lakin, Bracken Park, Bingley.

IT was rather bizarre to read the comments of Richard George of the Campaign for Better Transport (Yorkshire Post, January 18) that the A650 Bingley Relief Road has been a failure. Either Mr George has never been to Bingley or he is letting an ideological opposition to road transport affect his objectivity. The experience of living in the town is that the new road has been a great success for Bingley.

The volume of traffic through the town centre has reduced considerably and, particularly, the number of heavy goods vehicles passing along the main street is a small fraction of what it used to be. This has allowed some important developments to be made in the town centre, which is beginning to function far more effectively as a shopping and

recreational centre for the local community.

An encouraging British success story on the cards

From: Douglas Hartley, Irving Terrace, Clayton, Bradford.

IT was a pleasure to read of the success Card Factory (Business, Yorkshire Post, January 5). Your article reported that the greeting card industry of the UK, the world's most successful, is worth more than 1.7bn.

Internet enthusiasts regard the envelope and postage stamp as outdated. But evidently many in this and other countries disagree. Card Factory is looking at entering international markets.

Germany is now the manufacturing and enterprise leader in Europe. Rolls Royce cars are made by BMW, Bentleys by Volkswagen. Our local electric trains are Siemens-made. My Wilkinson's razor blades are made in Solingen. My wife makes soup, using a whisk made by Bosch. Deutsche Bahn owns our freight rail company. Deutsche Post delivers parcels on our streets.

I do not resent Germany's pre-eminence. It is to be admired. But I think of my country's one-time industrial leadership, our successive governments' indifference and lack of support, and I am sad.

I stand, in mind, with a group of young servicemen in the Goose Girl Square, Gottingen. The year, 1946. A brand new Leyland lorry, with Nordic lettering on its side, speeds by. We raise a patriotic cheer. Post-war recovery and exporting for Britain? "We export or die," said the Attlee government. No, the future brought Mercedes, Volkswagen and huge MAN articulates.

Greeting cards, though. Could we be the leader in this one field? My wife had a spangled Christmas card from a young lady friend in

Horstedt. It bore the greeting – not "Weihnachts Begrussungen,"

but "Merry Christmas".

Could German card manufacturers be about to expand into Card Factory's territory?

Snowball from a priest

From: Clive Inman, Leat Close, Norton, Malton.

YOUR letters page (Yorkshire Post, January 15) included one from the Rev PN Hayward bemoaning the practice of snowballing.

It immediately brought to mind an incident which once occurred, at this time of year, while I crossed the bridge from Norton into Malton.

On being struck by a snowball, I spun round to identify the culprit. Across the road stood the local Catholic priest, with a grin from ear to ear. I relaxed, smiled back and thought to myself, "they" are just the same as us after all.

Thereafter, the clergy appeared less starchy to me (the Rev Hayward, please note).

Producers and politicians

From: Geoffrey Bryant, Walseker Lane, Woodall-with-Harthill, Sheffield.

I NOTED the letter from Peter Green (Yorkshire Post, January 15) which referred to the vast amount of regulations and bureaucracy with which farmers and other business people are now inundated.

Perhaps it may be of some small consolation to recall that Dean Swift made the following observation: "Whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put

together."

No one loves the PM now

From: Roger M Dobson, Ash Street, Cross Hills, Bradford.

HOW mad can Gordon Brown get? He still believes he can win the next election even when no one likes his policy on Afghanistan – he

continues to send our soldiers to be killed and injured.

His economic policy is in ruins having destroyed the pension system in this country. He cannot see the end of the road or piles of trees.

Finally, his world credibility has gone – no one loves him any more.

Bonus point

From: Harold Mason, Chapel Close, Rawcliffe, near Goole, East Yorkshire.

TO add insult to injury, I note that our bankers are expecting to

receive mammoth bonuses totalling several billion pounds.

Perhaps they might consider contributing some, if not all of this sum, to help relieve the stricken people in Haiti.