Friday's Letters: Train conductor should be backed, not sacked

From the facts reported, it seems that he used his initiative in a positive way to deal with an unpleasant situation.

As a regular train traveller, I know from personal experience how annoying inebriated passengers can be.

Recently, I saw a group of drunken men – football fans or racegoers – join a train at York for the journey to Scarborough. They were seen on to the train by the British Transport Police, but not accompanied by them on the journey.

The drunks took over one end of the carriage and upset everyone with their foul language and rowdy behaviour. The conductor made little attempt to subdue them.

This kind of experience is common to travellers on Saturday trains and spoils weekend outings for the well behaved public.

I think Mr Wedekind should be applauded for the brave action he took and TransPennine Express are making a mockery of their train staffs' duties by dismissing him for this.

It is a long established principle of railway operation that the guard (now the conductor) is in charge of the train. This passenger was drunk, had no ticket, and was threatening a young woman. Would TPE have preferred their conductor to avoid this and hide in his

compartment, as I have seen some of them do in such situations?

It would greatly improve the lot of the travelling public if there was a ban on the consumption of alcohol on trains and if staff would bar the entry of drunken travellers on to stations and trains.

From: Colin Foster, Scalby Beck Road, Scarborough.

Vengeance has no place in this country

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

BARRIE Frost's defence of the death penalty is very persuasive ("Huntley's appalling use of tax payers' money", Yorkshire Post, August 2). He boldly cites the argument that "it is barbaric; it is inhumane; it is not the way an advanced society behaves" as the view of "liberal wallies".

Our handling of heinous murderers is, indeed, deeply flawed; it is expensive, inefficient and despised by large sections of the public. I will go further. It does seem outrageous that taxpayers should have to uphold the so-called civil rights of individuals who, manifestly, have proved their unfitness ever to be at large. There is even evidence that in some countries, draconian sanctions of medieval proportions for a range of offences have proved to be effective.

Yet, for all its eloquence, your correspondent's argument reduces a serious moral debate to to a matter of cost-effectiveness. Of course, the death penalty would save us all a lot of money but if I have to pay taxes to keep Huntley in prison, even if it entails the cost of protecting him from other inmates – releasing Peter Sutcliffe is

another matter – then so be it.

I would venture that Mr Frost sees Britain as a once great country. Actually, we are still a great country where vengeance, for all its efficiency, has no place. I have no desire to live anywhere else.

We must say no to Turkey

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

WELL said, Janet Berry (Yorkshire Post, August 3).

We must be mad to support the entry of Turkey into the EU and David Cameron must provide the electorate with a referendum to withdraw from the EU before we are submerged under yet more regulations and uncontrolled immigration.

The Prime Minister can make positive statements as we have witnessed recently with his forthright comments on terrorism and Pakistan, but he is inconsistent when it comes to standing up for the UK and its independence apart from the EU and US. It is to be hoped that Cameron is not watering down his policies for fear of upsetting his newly-found allies in the coalition and thereby trigger a fallout and the prospects of losing office.

The UK's interests must be foremost in his policies and he must resist the temptation to be cosying up to the Lib Dems while the UK requires firm policies and positive direction.

From: Michael Ross, Weeton Lane, Dunkeswick, North Yorkshire.

DURING David Cameron's recent Turkey trot, his support for that country's entry into the EU was unequivocal. By definition, therefore, he supports mass immigration of Turks into this country, not all of whom, I hazard a guess, will come here with the intention of making a positive contribution to the British economy high on their priority list.

Also, in his frantic drive to curry favour with the locals, Mr Cameron compared Gaza to a prison camp. He has obviously never been close to one. As far as I am aware, prison camps do not have new shopping malls, do not have shops full of produce, hospitals full of equipment and also billions of dollars of aid money pouring into their coffers.

What Mr Cameron might have made clear if he had to use this "prison camp" comparison, is that the jailers are not Israel but the terrorist organisation Hamas. He could have said that to bring peace and prosperity to Gaza, all Hamas has to do is to renounce violence and recognise the state of Israel.

Park at your peril

From: DI Foss, Warren Vale Road, Swinton, Mexborough, South Yorkshire.

I REFER to a recent article by Rosie Winterton MP and the subsequent letters relating to the distress caused by over- zealous wheel clampers in car parks at Haworth, Hull and Doncaster.

I have a bit of advice for motorists – add Castleford to your list of where you park at your peril. Not wheel clampers but actually Wakefield Council penalising motorists (45) for the most minor of parking infringements.

In my case, it was not getting my car wholly within the parking bay of one of their car parks. My rear offside tyre was touching the bay line on the inside by about two inches but five inches were over it – less at the front offside.

Unlike Rosie Winterton, Yvette Cooper MP for Castleford and Coun Jeffrey for the very ward, both of whom I have written to, do not yet appear to consider that Wakefield Council (Parking Services) are having a negative impact on their town by unjustly penalising motorists in this way. There is no welcome in Castleford if you make the slightest of mistakes, so I repeat, park there at your peril.

National pride amid a magical ceremony

From: Mrs Mary Dickerson, Kirby Lane, Sheffield.

I SHOULD like to comment on the letter from Philip Smith (Yorkshire Post, July 26) – "High Price of Monarchy". My husband and I recently attended the graduation of my son who obtained his Masters degree with first class honours in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Birmingham University.

There were many graduates, not only British, but foreign ones and hundreds of proud parents there.

At the end of the ceremony, the university band played The Dambusters' March superbly with everyone clapping to the rhythm. Then finally, a brilliant rendition of our national anthem. Everyone was standing or singing enthusiastically and the scene was magical.

I don't know how Mr Smith has the time to go to so many football matches. However, most of us would melt in the presence of our Queen. Don't forget, she is very astute – God bless her and those who honour her.

From: Philip Smith, New Walk, Beverley, East Yorkshire.

I WAS very surprised at the heading given to Marjorie Gill's defence of the monarchy, "The Queen is indispensable" (Yorkshire Post, July 28). This is certainly not true. Graveyards are full of people who thought they were indispensable and yet I'm sure the Queen herself would never claim that she was indispensable.

Yes, our nation was stupid enough to bring the monarchy back through the thoroughly corrupt and depraved Charles II. However, very few, if any, other countries which have become republics have ever felt their monarchy was indispensable enough to be restored permanently.

All of us are dispensable and, indeed, this has to be the case because we are all mortal. We are all going to die one day.

Is the country going to be worse off when the Queen dies? Only because she will likely be replaced by someone who has few of her principles. However, as a nation we will hardly notice the difference on a day-to-day basis.

What would be undoubtedly of most benefit is the removal of the

monarchy. If monarchy was such a good idea why are they not being restored all over the world? It's simple – other countries want the benefits of true democracy where all those with political and other influence are either elected or appointed on merit.

Essential service to airport

From: Jeff Thomas, Strait Lane, Huby, Leeds.

NORTH Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has recently announced its proposal to withdraw funding for the 767 Harrogate to Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) bus service early

in 2011.

The service, I understand, is jointly funded between NYCC and LBA. Flight destinations are being increased from the airport again and it is essential that Harrogate remains connected to the airport, particularly for the business/conference trade.

The funding issue should be carefully examined with a view to finding an alternative funding formula and not NYCC simply opting out.

Use of a smaller bus/coach should be investigated which presumably would have a lower operating cost and also to increase the frequency of the service from 90-minute to 60- minute intervals. Reducing public transport should not be allowed to happen.

The gall of an ex-Minister

From: Barry Foster, High Stakesby, Whitby.

SO Jacqui Smith has applied for a two and a half day week post with the BBC at a salary of 77,000 per year.

Her qualifications, a failed Home Secretary and disgraced MP over expenses, should make her an ideal candidate for the post.

I am continually amazed by the gall of these no-hopers. Have they no common decency? Why don't they just disappear from sight and give us all a rest?

Accusers should not escape

From: Ruth Watkinson, Aberford Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

AFTER reading of the despicable and mendacious treatment by her colleagues of Dr Eva Michalek (Yorkshire Post, August 4), I should like to know what the consequences were for her accusers. Surely they are not escaping retribution?

Send in the clones

From: Bernard Robinson, Midland Terrace, Hellifield, Nr Skipton.

WHAT a lot of Bovine Scatorium is being printed about the cloned cow. It is 100 per cent cow, its milk is 100 per cent milk, the meat from it will be 100 per cent meat, so what is the problem? If it had been genetically modified with something like ragwort, then there would be reason for serious complaint.