Justice not served for poppy insult

AS an Army veteran, not only was I enraged by the burning of the replica poppies by the Muslim extremist, Emdadur Choudhury, but I was appalled to read that he had been fined the paltry sum of only £50 (Yorkshire Post, March 8) for this disgraceful act.

To add insult to injury, his monthly income of £1,272 is, it seems, made up in part of benefits which I, as a UK taxpayer, contribute to from my pension of £420 per month. Freedom of speech and expression or not, this was a despicable act which warranted a more severe punishment or at the very least a larger fine.

From: Bill Marsh, Beadle Garth, Copmanthorpe, York.

IT constantly surprises and disappoints me that those who so vociferously demand respect for their own rights and customs are callously disrespectful of others.

The perpetrator of this act is fortunate to be living in a country that penalises such gross behaviour so lightly. It’s a great pity that Mr Choudhury can’t find the time in his busy schedule of poppy burning, court and TV appearances, and membership duties of the Muslims Against Crusades, to find full-time rather than part-time employment, thereby freeing himself from the burden of claiming nearly £800 a month in benefits.

From: Terry Palmer, South Lea Avenue, Hoyland, Barnsley.

WHAT a total disgrace! Emdadur Choudhury gets just a slap on the wrist of a £50 fine for insulting every one of our military, both dead and alive, by burning a poppy.

If Foreign Secretary William Hague wants to sharpen his SAS skills, he should dispatch a force forthwith and remove this man to a place he so craves, with our blessing of course.

Strategy that is off the rails

From: Gerald Hirst, Pontefract Road, Cudworth.

AFTER reading about the new tourism strategy (Yorkshire Post, March 4), I came to the conclusion that the inmates have taken over the asylum and are running it.

The aspirations set out in the article are laudable. Yes, Yorkshire could really do with another 50,000 jobs.

The big question that this article raises, but doesn’t answer, is how are these tourists supposed to travel to and get around in Yorkshire?

The trains in Yorkshire are crowded enough as it is. On my last three visits to York with my wife, it has been standing room only.

Sheffield to Manchester and Liverpool services are also overcrowded with standing room only.

The article by Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity (Yorkshire Post, March 7) did nothing to convince me otherwise.

Before expecting more people to come to Yorkshire as tourists, the travel infrastructure needs improving.

Despoiling the countryside

From: Brian Wells, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

PEOPLE who behave in ways which cause offence to their neighbours in particular and to the public in general are deemed to be anti-social.

Litterbugs, when challenged, might claim that their litter is insignificant because of the amount of litter already there. They are still being anti-social and breaking the law.

Flytippers might claim that they only dump rubbish in places where someone else has already dumped rubbish. They are still being anti-social and breaking the law.

The erection of tall machines in the countryside which by dint of their size, constant movement and continuous noise spoil the basic quality of life of existing neighbours and all who presently enjoy and value the environment.

These developments are anti-social, as are the planners who recommend permission to be given for them by accepting that there are existing vertical structures such as trees, telegraph poles and fence posts, and existing noises such as bird song and rustling leaves.

Not only do these structures harm the environment for present generations, they are degenerating the environment for generations to come.

Keep ‘lifeline’ of Post Office

From: RW Geldard, Skipton Road, Steeton, Keighley.

On the day it was reported that migrants from a further eight eastern European countries will be entitled to avail themselves of our welfare system, we also learn that the Government has given the contract for paying pensions and benefit cheques to an American bank who will then sub-let that business to PayPoint.

I, for one, have given up all hope of ever getting a government which puts its own long-suffering taxpaying citizens first. The Post Office is – or has been – one of the best facilities the public has ready access to. For the elderly especially it is a lifeline in carrying out their daily affairs.

The Minister responsible – Chris Grayling – says it is too costly to carry on with the present system of payment. I would have thought having more people having access to the welfare system is what will be really costly, while the ones who will be paying for this are the ones to become so disadvantaged by the loss of yet another Post Office facility.

This will cause very real problems for many elderly people having to travel to Lord knows where to collect their own cash, and that is assuming they can still get about, but that will hardly resonate with Mr Grayling as he is driven around in his ministerial car.

The only time the public is of relevance to politicians is when they want your vote.