Missed chance to hail farmers

YOUR article on CPRE president Sir Andrew Motion (Yorkshire Post, October 16) certainly provoked thought, but it was interesting there was no mention of food production, farming or indeed any rural enterprise.

Sir Andrew acknowledges that the landscape is “an ingeniously made thing” but fails to recognise that this is in no small part due to the faithful stewardship of generations of farmers and landowners.

Producing our food and managing our environment are not mutually exclusive.

The economic activity generated by our farmers and rural landowners underpins the environment and the sustainability of the more 
remote communities of the 
rural England Sir Andrew campaigns to protect, and it is disappointing that he does not acknowledge it.

Try figuring this one out

From: Malcolm Hanson, Bachelor Road, Harrogate.

CALL me a cynic, but doesn’t the cost of living index fall every September and then increase again in October? This is because the September figure is the one used to determine most pension increases, particularly the retirement pension, from the following April.

I am reminded of the saying “Figures can be made to prove anything”.

Doomed by a mug’s game

From: Andrew Cliffe, Sandal, Wakefield.

SO Margaret Hodge’s reply to the question of how to deal with the situation of nil corporation tax paid by Starbucks was to encourage people to drink Costa instead!

If this is yet another example 
of the quality and intellect of people helping to run this country then, we’re all doomed.