October 3: Ukip and fine exmaple of unbiased press coverage

LAST Saturday’s editorial, praising Ukip was a fine example of thoughtful and unbiased press commentary, unlike the kind we get from other sources (The Yorkshire Post, September 26).

Last week, I heard a radio presenter make scathing racist remarks about Nigel Farage along with coded references to ‘deluded’ supporters that were totally unfounded.

If detractors managed to pull themselves away from their prejudices and listened carefully to the Ukip leader’s words, they would realise that he is not racist but talks with more common sense than any of the other party leaders.

The belated move by David Cameron to deal with Syrian refugees before they climb aboard the death boats was a policy voiced by Mr Farage a long time ago.

You suggest that Ukip need more policies, and perhaps they do, but a look at their election manifesto shows a number of features that would appeal to most of the electorate.

They relate to the NHS, education, taxation and the economy, defence, welfare, environment, plus the scrapping of HS2. A good read.

From: Christine McDade, Morton on Swale.

I HAVE been reading about the various problems arising in the several German towns where camps have been accepting the numbers of political/economic asylum seekers, many of whom are young males. In one, the rape of a young local girl in June but details held back until September, due to the sensitive nature.

The local schools in that town have, by letter, informed their pupils that they should adapt their usual way of dressing so as not to provoke these young men who are from countries where young girls are covered completely. I am incensed. Surely the answer is not for the local, indigenous population to alter their way of living but for the asylum seekers be instructed in the ways, customs etc of the country in which they are seeking asylum so that these problems do not arise?

I might add that the town in question is Detmold where I was raised when my Army father was posted there and which I visited a few years ago.

A very pretty friendly town and it saddens me to hear of such acts.

Rail deserves compensation

From: Paul Brown, Bents Green Road, Sheffield.

OUR railway system has become primarily a passenger transport system with freight traffic carried almost entirely by road. The logic behind this move is that the direct costs of road transport are less than rail.

However this argument excludes the cost of filling in the potholes caused by the pounding by heavy goods vehicles. The railway companies have never received financial compensation for the way that rail transport reduces the cost of road maintenance and all of the other items such as police and other emergency services which are needed as a consequence of our over-reliance on road transport for all of our needs.

From: Mr K Byrne, Horsforth.

IT strikes me (Tom Richmond, The Yorkshire Post, October 2) that Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy should also be running the Department for Transport.

The knack of being a politician is to know which of your civil servants to listen to: the one per cent recruited for their expertise in the subject at hand, or the others merely awaiting their pensions.

Police not held to account

From: Duncan L. Long, Coxley Crescent, Netherton, Wakefield.

I, ALONG with many people I suspect, was very disappointed to read that no one was found guilty of gross incompetence following the death of a member of the public run down by a police van whilst innocently visiting Pudsey Park.

There is very little wonder that your average decent person has little or no time for the police when, consistently, we see that the law never appears to be the same law when it is applied our law-makers and keepers.

Headache of air pollution

From: Nigel F Boddy, Fife Road, Darlington.

IN the media, it is reported an estimated ,6000 people a year are dying in this country directly or indirectly from air pollution.

The recent scandals which have over taken diesel cars have left us with a big headache; quite literally from the vehicle fumes we are breathing. Former Transport Minister John Prescott imposed the same levels of duty on bio-diesel we have on ordinary diesel fuel.

Lord Prescott killed off the embryonic bio-diesel industry as it started.

We have to solve the diesel fumes emission problems caused by certain individuals in motor companies allegedly fixing their vehicle tests. We could again sell bio diesel in large quantities in our cities.

Couldn’t this be achieved immediately by George Osborne removing the duty Prescott imposed on bio-diesel? Then at least we can breathe again in London, Leeds and elsewhere.

From: Mike Smethurst, Cavendish Close, Rotherham.

NOW we know that more than one million VW cars in Britain are fitted with software to falsify exhaust emissions, I wonder how long it will be before our Government cotton on to the fact that the owners of these vehicles may have being paying too low a rate of road tax?

Considering this has been going on over a six year period, it is not inconceivable that 
the shortfall could exceed £100m.

As the owners would have been unaware of the problem, perhaps VW might like to factor such a sum into their reparation calculations.