Price to pay for ignoring dictators

I AGREE with part of the letter from Robert Leakey (Yorkshire Post, January 31) where he states that war should be avoided and his criticism of Prince Harry, however his suggestion that the “war industry should be relegated to history” is a laudable aim. Does he suggest, however, that we should simply ignore the threats and actions of dictators and extremists and turn a blind eye to their actions?

Yes, we all hate war and conflicts, but if we had ignored people like Hitler the likes of Mr Leakey would not be here or able to live in a free society and enjoy the freedom of the Press.

As for Prince Harry and “the Royal Family’s involvement with the war industry”, Mr Leakey has failed to appreciate that whether it is royalty or the common man we all have the right and duty to protect our own freedom and as far as Prince Harry is concerned he is damned if he does speak his mind, and damned if he remains silent and does nothing, so let’s leave him alone to get on with his own life.

What God has joined...

From: David Donnelly, Teall Street, Ossett.

i AGREE with Mary Hellawell (Yorkshire Post, January 31) regarding the impact on our society if we tamper with God’s marriage design.

We can see the impact that broken marriages have had on society. For years marriage ceremonies have included the words “What God has joined together, let man not separate”.

This is a quote from Jesus’s words recorded in Matthew 19:6 and Mark 10:9.

We, as a society, have ignored this command thinking that we know best and we are reaping the consequences.

This command from Jesus has been traditionally taken to apply only to splitting up a marriage, ie divorce, but Jesus’s full reply to the question about divorce shows that it applies to more than that.

He started by saying: “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’?” He goes on to state that the man will be united to his wife and the two will become one. Then he states: “What God has joined together, let man not separate.” God has joined a man and a woman together in marriage. If we separate that then the consequences of marriage separations that we are already seeing will be compounded.

From: John Watson, Hutton Hill, Leyburn.

Is it that our morals have gone down the drain, or is it that people are jumping on the gay bandwagon over the gay marriage laws?

Making a case for coal

From: Frank Jones, White Rose Way, Thirsk.

UP to two or three years ago I used to read The Daily Telegraph on a daily basis, but financial reverses forced me to reconsider the cost. Being of a generation to whom a daily newspaper is essential I decided to change to the Yorkshire Post and I have had no cause to regret it.

Excellent news reportage and for one who is of a Conservative persuasion some very thought-provoking articles. As for feeling the pulse of the nation, your Letters to the Editor page should be compulsory reading on every politician’s breakfast table.

Last week, I watched on TV a programme that featured what had powered the Industrial Revolution – steam engines powered by coal and I was very impressed the part steam turbines play at Drax power station.

Now a letter from a Dr Bev Wilkinson on the madness of the anti-coal policy has moved me to put pen to paper.

I seem to remember Aneurin Bevan saying that Britain was an island of coal and it was up to us to exploit it. In the last two or three years I have seen snippets and articles on the subject of clean coal and that the Government was reluctant to sponsor a programme of scientific investigation that would have cost £8m.

To me it is incredible that we have such a natural asset under our feet and fail to exploit it. I imagine the scientists in the coal industry have been working on this for years and many improvements must have been made compared with 50 years ago.

Is it possible that yet further developments could be made to make coal even cleaner so that it could be used for industrial purposes?

As Dr Wilkinson implies, a lot of nations close their eyes and ears to the condemnation of coal.