Monday's Letters:Time to bring local government finance into the 21st century

I was critical of the Labour government's decision to cancel the last revaluation, and I am critical of this decision. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles states "the relationship between the bands is roughly unchanged". Where is his evidence for this?

Mr Pickles is disingenuous in drawing parallels with the Welsh revaluation, as the Welsh legislation and revaluation terms of reference were different. In England, revaluation is a zero-sum

game. So if, as Mr Pickles alleges, some seven million homes will benefit by not having an increase in banding because of revaluation then, by definition, some seven million households are not going to gain from a reduction in banding which they deserve.

Finally, doesn't this decision mean that Nick Clegg's much- vaunted promise for a Mansion Tax is dead in the water?

Despite repeated questions to him, he was unable to provide any justification for his claims about the amount his Mansion Tax would raise. That wasn't surprising, as there is no reliable information – nationally or locally – about the number of homes valued at 1m or more.

The revaluation would have provided that information. The cancellation is more evidence that Mr Clegg's Mansion Tax announcement was just

empty rhetoric.

From: Howard A Knight, Lyons Street, Sheffield.

From: Alan Carcas, Cornmill Lane, Liversedge, West Yorkshire.

THE cancellation of the revaluation of property values is surely the death-knell of the council tax. Attempting a revaluation after the next General Election, almost a quarter of a century on, with all that has happened to house prices in the interim, is surely a political non-starter.

We need a new way of financing local government and dare I say, bring back the poll tax.

At least that way every taxpayer will be seen to contribute to local services, and will know they actually contribute, instead of, at present, only the mugs with their name on the rent book, or the deeds/mortgage, foots the bill. Time to bring local finance into the 21st century.

Capitalism cannot be controlled

From: Tim Hunter, Farfield Avenue, Knaresborough.

SO Vince Cable thinks we can afford to be fussy about the type of capitalism that can be allowed to exist in the UK (Yorkshire Post, September 23).

Only a low-risk, highly regulated and saintly form of capitalism is good enough for him, it would appear. However, is there anywhere on earth that such an idealised form of capitalism has ever succeeded?

Capitalism is all about risk, unpredictability, individualism, entrepreneurial instinct. These are things that governments don't understand. Capitalism cannot be controlled and made to perform to order by governments and Ministers don't create Microsofts or IBMs.

Given the situation the UK is in, I think we should welcome any form of capitalism, no matter how devious, murky or "devil-take-the-hindmost" it may be. Capitalism will do us far more good than any alternative system.

From: Dr Quentin Deakin, Newark Road, Crossflatts, Bingley.

VINCE Cable's thesis that free competition is a virtue is accepted too readily. Unfashionable they may be, but both monopoly capitalism and nationalisation have benefits for us, both as workers and consumers.

Self-exploitation is the name of the game in many a corner shop, where the wages are low, the hours long and the choice poor. De-regulation of buses ruined public transport in several of our cities for decades.

Countries usually nationalise in the interests of their citizens to protect what might be their only great assets. They will try to manage transport, health and education with a view to equal, national provision. Monopoly capitalism is second best, but give me a good quality supermarket over that corner shop any day.

Mr Cable has a quaint, romantic vision. In reality, he's a true

capitalist and what we need is more, not less monopoly.

As Marx said, monopoly was the last stage of capitalist development. The final progression was socialism, not a return to the hopeless scramble of wannabes.

Tips for a stress-free life

From: John Craven, Green Road, Baildon, Bradford.

AS I recently became the recipient of the state pension, I thought it only fair to share my tips for a satisfying and stress- free life with the younger generation.

On no account get a full-time job. If you feel the need to work, then do so only part-time otherwise you will disqualify yourself from the huge range of goodies to be had from the state.

Feel free to have as many offspring as you wish as you do not need to worry about who will pick up the tab and if you are male, you don't even have to worry about a contribution to their upkeep. Do not get a mortgage as getting your rent paid is much easier.

Do not worry about saving for your old age. If you're lucky enough not to kill yourself with smoking and drinking, getting a private pension is a waste of time as it will once again prevent you from getting any help or assistance in your dotage. If you choose to ignore my advice, I suggest you look for a job that requires no qualifications,

gives huge benefits and allows you to foul up the lives of others, ie, be an MP.

A criminal waste of time

From: Peter R Hyde, Kendale View, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

ONE of the current topics is the discussion that the police have abandoned the streets to the yobs and that many consider anti-social behaviour not to be a police problem (Yorkshire Post, September 23).

One of the major difficulties the police service faces today is the massive amount of paperwork that has to be filled in for every little event an officer comes across. It is because of this that many officers just don't have time to leave the police station to patrol the streets.

In the 1950s and '60s, my deputy chief constable devised a system of booklets to deal with road traffic accidents and minor offence reports.

These, together with our pocket book, enabled us to do many reports while still out on patrol. The booklets were handed in as a record and, should a prosecution follow, they were returned to us as a record of our evidence for court purposes.

Later as an inspector, if I found an officer in a police station, I would question why he was there to ensure his presence in the station was essential. Now it seems the officers operate a policy of only going out if there is an emergency and not always then.

Photographic aids that were vital to Spitfire pilots

From: Stuart Clark, Aberford Road, Garforth, Leeds.

VIEWING the 70th anniversary programmes for the Battle of Britain has taken my mind back to my days when as a trainee photographer before joining the Army Film & Photographic Unit and becoming a film cameraman, I was associated with the training of Spitfire pilots.

Commercial Photo Services, CPS, was part of Gilchrist Bros Ltd photo engravers, located in Claypit Lane, Leeds, whose war effort was making and engraving graduated plates for bomb sites, and the conical range finder cones for 25lb howitzers, there being no other means of achieving such accuracy.

For Spitfire pilots, accurate aircraft identification in combat was essential to avoid friendly fire, but of even greater importance was achieving maximum fire power of the four machine guns in each wing of the planes.

These converged and harmonised at a central point and CPS photographed scale models of all aircraft in silhouette to the exact scale seen in the gun sites when maximum fire power would be achieved.

After photographing the models, fixed to rods attached to a circular graduated table, through 180 degrees in level attitude and then through 90 degrees to the vertical, photographic prints accurate to one millimetre were cut out by hand and pasted on to harmonisation recognition display boards.

At the time, the importance and significance of this exacting and tedious operation, could not be visualised.

From: PA Shepherd, Yorkshire Branch Fleet Air Arm Association, Cherrywood Crescent, Fulford, York.

MEMBERS of the Yorkshire Branch of the Fleet Air Arm Association attended the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain at York Minster, supporting our Branch Standard which was on parade. The Minster was full and the very moving service was enjoyed by all. The preceding parade was a credit to the RAF personnel who took part.

We were also there to remember the Fleet Air Arm Air Crews who served under RAF Fighter Command from July to October 1940.

804 and 808 were the two Naval Battle of Britain Squadrons to operate under RAF Fighter Command, with 33 aircrew and supporting ground crews. Twenty-three naval pilots served with 12 RAF squadrons flying Spitfires and Hurricanes. 242 Canadian Squadron RAF had three Fleet Air Arm pilots assigned to it.

Douglas Bader was CO and his Wingman was Sub Lt RJ Cork RN, who was awarded the DFC during the Battle of Britain.

Seven Naval pilots were killed and two wounded. All 56 Naval Aviators are listed on the Battle of Britain Memorial on the Embankment in London.

The contribution made by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy is rarely recognised, however those with an interest in Naval Aviation history should never forget the bravery of the "Few" within the "Few" who fought in naval uniform.

Parliamentary performers

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

WITNESS the ease of our politicians to graduate from Parliament to the world of entertainment, with the latest recruit being Ann Widdecombe to join the ranks of Mellor, Brandreth, the Hamiltons and Blair.

One has to question the role of Parliament and whether it is a training ground for comedians, entertainers and globetrotters who either gravitate to the world of television and the media – and even to the House of Lords where they can combine their egotistical and frivolous activities with the supposedly serious side of politics. And if they are exceptionally gifted with spin, gift of the gab and thick skins, they can go onward to the ultimate goal in the entertainment world by joining the EU gravy train.

No wonder the UK is in a mess with more comedians and entertainers than serious dedicated politicians and administrators.

Sound and TV fury

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

IF television bosses read the Yorkshire Post on a regular basis, they would come across impassioned pleas in your columns begging them to cut down on the ever present "background music" which seems to have to accompany everything from high drama to a walk round Dewsbury Town Hall.

Even the sound of the presenter lauding the waves beating on the rocky headlands of our beautiful Yorkshire coast are drowned out, and the dulcet tones of Norris or Deirdre in Coronation Street rendered undecipherable against the ever present radio in the Rover's Return or even Roy's Caf.

While on the subject, I can't see that rocket science is needed to put sports commentators in a little soundproof box so that we at home can hear what's happening above the constant roar of the crowd.