Politicians and public play part in scandal

THE revelations about telephone hacking are appalling and those responsible must be dealt with accordingly.

However, the public are not morally guiltless as it seems that huge numbers bought the offending paper because it fed them salacious details about infamous people as well as other unfortunates in the news.

Further, it ill behoves politicians to trade punches in the matter, notably from the opposition. A bit less self-righteous screaming and more level-headed debate might be more constructive in healing wounds inflicted upon defenceless ordinary people and bereaved families whose grief and privacy have been sullied.

As a matter of history, politicians and media have cosied up to each other almost since Parliament and Press were invented. In later years before Murdoch there were Northcliffe and Beaverbrook to name but two. In times of war they were a great help to the government of the day, so all may not be bad, provided relationships are public and beyond reproach.

From: John D Barrow, Station Lane, Birkenshaw.

CALL me slow, call me old-fashioned or IT illiterate, but for heavens sake, tell me: how can anyone “hack” into an email or voice message system, that is supposedly password protected? Or is that simply where good old-fashioned corruption comes into its own?

Either way, England seemingly progresses from the dissolute to the degenerate, and it is now high time that moves are made to stop the moral rot.

I am very pleased to hear that a certain high-profile newspaper has closed.

From: Geoffrey F Bryant, Queen Street, Barton-on-Humber.

SURELY, someone has been hacking into recent conversations between Rupert Murdoch, his son James and News International boss Rebekah Brooks. We need to know; I am certain they won’t mind.

Farmers’ fresh field

From: H Marjorie Gill, Clarence Drive, Menston.

WE often hear about foreign markets coming to British towns and cities to sell their products, but I have never seen any information about farmers or any other marketeers from England going to other countries.

Have I missed the news? Surely our own farmer shops would be very welcome in foreign places and the good they have to offer is superb?

It would be great to hear about someone setting up their stalls in France or Germany or any European country for that matter.

Surely help would be available from Chambers of Commerce or other organisations if help were needed, but hopefully I have not been aware of what our usually very enterprising traders have been doing over the years?

Art of making a monstrosity

From: John Watson, Hutton Hill, Leyburn.

I AM concerned that I am becoming some sort of Philistine who doesn’t appreciate a work of art when I see one. I am, of course, referring to your front page photo (Yorkshire Post, July 8) of some monstrosity being set up at the Great Yorkshire Show. You say it is an “internationally renowned” work of art. Who says so? I would not have it my garden at any price.

It seems to be the trend nowadays for so-called artists and sculptors to exhibit their wares at places like the Tate Modern and ask the general public to show their appreciation. The Turner Prize, for instance, turns up entries which are so outrageous and objectionable, that they are abhorrent to normal thinking people.

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and surely it is beauty that one looks for in a work of art. I have fairly simple tastes and I know when I see something either I like it or I don’t! I don’t want to have to sit and pry into the deepest corners of my brain to find out what it represents.

I am afraid abstract doesn’t grab me at all, give me LS Lowry any day.

Teachers’ double toll

From: Arthur A Allott, Sunk Island Road, Ottringham, Hull.

I WOULD like to comment on Geoff Sweeting’s letter (Yorkshire Post, July 9).

He raises the issue of the Teachers’ Pension fund, asking to “see the value of the fund and whether it is in credit or not”.

As a teacher for nearly 40 years, I, too, would have liked to be able to see such information!

What I can say about the fund is that it was in surplus for all those 40 years and for decades before. In other words, there was more paid in than was paid out every year.

If that surplus had been paid in to a properly set up fund, then we would not be in the situation we are in today.

But it wasn’t – it went into the Treasury! So my employer’s contribution was just a means of moving local authority money into central government.

I would like to point out to Mr Sweeting that teachers are also taxpayers, So, using his argument, I paid twice as my contribution to the fund.