PC became diplomatic immunity

I WRITE in praise of Bill Carmichael and his brilliant, completely truthful column (The Yorkshire Post, August 30), and the paper for having the courage to publish it.

Political correctness is the biggest confidence trick worked on the UK for many years. During the Labour Government it was Harriet Harman’s Equality Act that virtually enshrined political correctness and bred bullying in every sinew of the public sector.

Civil servants and local government officers would do anything to save their jobs.

This was done to underpin Labour’s policy of expanding immigration in order to buy votes, as it was perceived that most immigrants claimed welfare and thus supported the Party of Welfare, namely Labour.

Labour has not paid the price for this deeply cynical, manipulative and secretive policy.

Why is Labour’s new high profile Shadow Minister for Violence Against Children rather quiet?

Political correctness has provided diplomatic immunity for too many years. Local authorities and police reject the claims made by the abused and local authorities do nothing for fear of being called Islamophobic.

From: Robin Ashley, Sheffield 
Road, South Anston.

My daughter was for 10 years with South Yorkshire Police in Doncaster and it certainly was policy then, although not admitted openly, that arresting Pakistani men was not the thing to do as the “race card” always came out, which appeared very much to work.

From: Mike Smethurst, Cavendish Close, Rotherham.

As and when Oxford English Dictionary carry out their next round of amendments, could I suggest the following addition: “Shaun – an incompetent, self-centred money grabber with no regard for anyone except themselves”.

Then perhaps the people of Yorkshire could coin the phrase “he’s a right Shaun”.

The wrong emphasis

From: Charles Taylor, Hemingfield, Barnsley.

Full marks to Jan Leeming (The Yorkshire Post, August 30) for her comments on the current trend of news readers to “put the emphasis on the wrong words” (although I think it would be more accurately described as “pausing in the wrong place”).

I am really surprised it has taken so long for this fad, which has spread like a virus through the broadcasting world to be noticed and remarked upon.

Even some of the previously well-spoken veteran announcers are starting to adopt this jerky talk.

Jan Leeming recommends elocution classes for her successors, but I fear for them it is too late – before pronunciation they must first learn joined-up speaking and punctuation.

I just wonder if reading from those auto-cues is part of the problem: though I darkly suspect that those Daleks are actually at the bottom of it somewhere!

Seeing wood for the trees

From: Connie Hird, Mount Drive, Bridlington.

when I read Andrew Vine’s evocative article (The Yorkshire Post, August 23) about the tree planting in the Yorkshire Wolds, two sayings sprang to mind: “You can learn something every day” and “You are never too old to learn”. True in my case – I am 93.

I always knew some vague story about these plantations which related, as I thought, to witchcraft, but how good to know that these copses have a much greater relevant significance.

I also did not know of the connection to Bridlington of the trees via Mr Joseph Turner. What a wealth of information from that one article!

I did know about Otley Chevin and have walked many times in that delightful area when living in the West Riding before our move to Bridlington.

We can always find beauty everywhere in nature, but how much more enjoyable it is to know the true stories behind these features.

EU drain on health funds

From: Richard Godley, Meadowfields, Whitby.

In his column (The Yorkshire Post, September 1), Tom Richmond stated that there should be a parking system in NHS hospitals that is manageable and that England’s 140 hospitals are facing a combined deficit of £750m.

I agree that charges should be more reasonable, however he might have finished by stating that this deficit could be negated by allotting just two weeks’ worth of Britain’s net contribution to Brussels to our NHS.

Emission impossible

From: B Murray, Sheffield.

I FIND it unbelievable (Jayne Dowle, The Yorkshire Post, September 4). Planes are allowed to crowd our skies and cause immense pollution and no one seems to curb them, and yet we have to watch our emissions from hairdryers, kettles and sweepers!