Monday's Letters: Crude spin campaign should not fool voters

The only viable alternative seems to be for the taxpayer to foot the bill. At least getting wealthy patrons to cough up avoids the necessity for the poor taxpayer to pay for parties and policies he detests and would never vote for in a million years.

Something similar happens already when some union members are asked to bankroll Labour whether they vote for the Party or not.

Far too much is spent on crude spin campaigns designed to mislead and fool people into voting one way. The methods of a second-hand car salesman or an estate agent should not be used when deciding who should run the country.

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

From: David Collins, Westfield Drive, Skelmanthorpe.

AS someone with an interest in taxation, there appears to be some confusion over domicile and/or residence for tax purposes.

Domicile or residence are matters of fact, albeit complicated and subject to much confusion.

However, one cannot then decide to change status as the situation demands.

It requires change in personal circumstances and positive action not just a whim.

If however the individuals are admitting to being incorrectly classified in the first place, then I expect HM Revenue and Customs to reassess the tax for as many past years as possible.

Perhaps the overdue taxes, penalties and interest will do more to correct the national debt than all the tinkering

of politicians.

But I don't hold out much hope for any action as there will be one rule for politicians and one for the rest. As usual.

From: Robin Small, Nethergate, Nafferton, Driffield.

WITH regard to the Inland Revenue's generous offer of a tax haven in Liechtenstein (Yorkshire Post, March 6), could you please pass this information on to Lord Ashcroft?

Poll system could change our politics

From: Gerald Jarratt, Baghill Road, Tingley, Near Wakefield.

PM Robinson (Yorkshire Post, March 8) supports Malcolm Naylor's call (Yorkshire Post, March 3) for a change in our political and democratic system and asks for suggestions on how this change at the ballot box can be brought about.

The first requirement is to determine the nature of the change from the present discredited first-past-the-post system. Malcolm Naylor's view is that "instead of politicians telling us what they will do, we should be telling them what they 'must' do." Precisely.

Ever since 1858 by virtue of a Constitution based on referenda the Swiss have been telling their politicians what they "must" do. They are the only people in the world to enjoy true democracy which has enabled them to become one of the richest nations in the world and to avoid two world wars.

A demand for a major change of this nature must come from the people. The certainty is that professional politicians of all parties will close ranks to deny people involvement in order to protect their own power base.

Therefore, the first step must be to review the Swiss Constitution and then to spread the word by using modern day information technology. I am in my 85th year and sadly, ignorant on matters such as the computer, internet, face book, tweeters and the like. Had IT been available to me 40 years ago when I campaigned in a national and a local election on a platform of referenda based on the Swiss system, the mould of British politics would have been well and truly broken.

Russian failures

From: Michael Meadowcroft, Waterloo Lane, Leeds.

DAVID Howell's opinion piece on Mikhail Gorbachev (Yorkshire Post, March 11) gives a valuable insight into the character of a man who arguably had more influence on the late 20th century than any other single individual.

David Howell stresses the disastrous effect of the laissez-faire economics advice given to Gorbachev by western economists, but he fails to point out that the failure of western governments to give practical assistance to Gorbachev's modernising policies undermined any possibility of a stable transition.

In 1996, when I was in Moscow in charge of the OSCE's election monitoring programme, it was clear that the abject weakness of the Russian currency had already undermined social stability and with it Gorbachev's reputation.

A Russian "oligarch" said to me at a reception: "I don't why you're bothering about the elections. They don't matter. We're making so much money that we're not going to let this country disappear."

What was crucially needed was a new Marshall Plan capable of underpinning the rouble and guaranteeing a staged and careful dissolution of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev. On my return to the UK, I made fleeting attempts to lobby MPs and diplomats but no-one seemed to care. I thought I had been a lone voice in the wilderness but I recently discovered that George Soros had asked the White House to back a new Marshall Plan but the American administration would not help. This complete western failure of imagination led directly to Russia's collapse and humiliation – and to Gorbachev's total political demise.

Depressing TV picture

From: Janet Berry, Hambleton, Selby.

HOW depressing was the programme Famous, Rich and Jobless featured on BBC1 last week.

This featured two young people with six children and expecting another living on benefits of 29,500. They allowed their young children to be awake at 3 and 4am and Diarmuid Gavin could not cope with the situation and moved out. I would have done the same.

A single mother with a child refused to work voluntarily at a zoo initially and was persuaded by her mentor Emma Parker Bowles to do this with a view to having a job at the end of the trial period.

Larry Lamb gave advice to a poor chap who had lost his job and having problems within his marriage coping with it and the most positive was an ex convict who was being helped by Meg Matthews to obtain a job, and seemed grateful and positive.

I, myself, much prefer Lark Rise to Candleford where the most pressing issues are Emma and Margaret both determined to teach at the

local school and Thomas the postman being rather stroppy about his working conditions having visited Oxford.

Pure escapism – wonderful. I look forward to it every week.

Fair reason for discursiveness

From: Patricia M Bowers, Maiden Grove, Malton, North Yorkshire.

AS a regular reader of about 65 years (as I am now over 80), I do hope the paper will keep to its present format but I think it could be a little more discursive.

A edition of the weekend magazine had Scarborough Fair on its front cover. I eagerly turned straight to this feature but I was disappointed, I was hoping for information on the fair's origin – were herbs particularly successful there? Why? When did the Fair cease to exist, etc.

Then there was a report on Staveley and its small unimportant village lane being given a new tarmac surface, to the surprise of the villagers (Yorkshire Post, February 27). Fine, and interesting, but why not bring in an extra paragraph? Staveley was once very popular with medieval pilgrims as the place of St Mungo's healing well It would be just an added snippet but of interest as the site can still be visited.

Walkers should use their sense

From: Mr and Mrs Trenholme, Thirkleby, Thirsk.

WE feel that we must reply to Mrs Armitage's letter (Yorkshire Post, March 6) to highlight the inaccuracies in her letter as my wife and I were visiting the farm in question at the time. Large amounts of melted snow have left low lying land saturated, common sense should have told you not to keep walking into a low area which was clearly unsuitable to walk on.

If you were in so much difficulty, did it not occur to any of you to ask for assistance instead of saying no help was offered? You seem to forget that you were walking on extremely wet farmland, not shopping down Oxford Street. In future, accept the countryside the way it is due to weather conditions and choose your walking route with more thought.

Photo shoot for Gordon Brown

From: Michelle Catherall, Church Lane, Fylingthorpe, Whitby.

FOLLOWING his appearance at the Chilcot inquiry where he "disingenuously" told his toothless enquirers that he had provided all that the military had requested of him, Gordon Brown then took himself off to Afghanistan (Yorkshire Post, March 6). There he strutted about in his padded vest amongst the troops. Could it be there is a General Election in the offing? Cue for a photo shoot, thinks Gordon. Despite his denials, he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer who denied the troops decent equipment which has resulted in many deaths. No wonder Gordon Brown is despised by the military.

Driven to distraction by my mobility scooter

From: Austin Holroyd, Dark Lane, Almondbury, Huddersfield.

THE letter by Mr Nottingham (Yorkshire Post, March 12) suggesting that "pedestrians look kindly on the users of mobility scooters" brought a wry smile to my withered lips. I took possession of my first driving licence on October 11, 1940, and since then have driven many different kinds of vehicles on many different kinds of roads and in many countries.

Of course, because we were on a war footing, in 1940 driving tests were suspended for the duration, so there was no problem. After the war, (during which I drove many miles as a serviceman) there was no immediate requirement for a test for we lucky ones, so just to make sure that I could really call myself a driver, when in 1956 the Institute of Advanced Motorists (a very grand title) was formed, I opted to take their test. I duly passed and my membership number is still 338. Just to make sure I was still capable, I successfully re-took the test under modern road conditions when I was77 in 2002.

By offering all the above information, I am not by any means trying to be boastful, but merely trying to show that I have safely driven a mile or two over the past 60 odd years and can speak with some authority. Now comes the crunch. A couple of years ago the medical people at Swansea decided in their wisdom that my motor vehicle driving days were over, and that was that. My only other means of maintaining four wheeled transport

was to purchase a mobility scooter.

I'm sorry Mr Nottingham, but while the machine is a wonderful thing, it is the

most lethal vehicle I have driven! I can rattle along at eight mph on the pavement, except where there happens to be a hole in it, and taking evading action too quickly can prove catastrophic.

The most serious aspect is on a road without pavement. Driving one's car when turning right one looked behind, indicated, pulled into the middle of the road, and made the turn.

This is an impossible manoeuvre on a scooter; it is obviously so slow that whilst the road may look deserted when one starts the turn there can be half a dozen vehicles of all sizes speeding along in both directions and you and your scooter are trapped in the middle.

The scooters are a great boon, and are appreciated by those of us who unfortunately have to use them. However, I can assure Mr Nottingham that they are not easy to drive, and some measure of skill should be achieved before anyone, young or old, is turned loose on to a public road.