Richard needs help to fight his last battle

Several weeks ago we were on our way back from a concert in Birmingham and saw signs for Bosworth battlefield so decided to take a detour and visit.

The exhibition was excellent but what really made the day was that the replica head of Richard III had just arrived to go on display, so to my delight I got to meet the king in person. It was a huge privilege.

When I came home I started to think about all the lovely places I’ve visited in my life but how it’s still always nice to come home.

I’m sure most of us feel the same because home is where we feel safe and familiar; it’s where we are loved and love in return.

Unfortunately Richard III never came home. He went to battle at Bosworth to defend his crown, his people and country.

He lost the battle that day because those who had promised loyalty turned their coats out of greed and ambition.

During his time as Duke of Gloucester and subsequent king he was thought of as a good lord to the common people and especially loved by those in the North and made his home at Middleham. He had great plans for the city of York which sadly for us were never fulfilled due to his untimely death.

We now have a chance to finally bring him home to have his remains interred where I believe he would want to be – at York Minster.

The support and campaign for this has been immense and is still ongoing but it needs a final push, if everyone in Yorkshire would take just two minutes to go online and sign the e-petition, there’s not much time left.

Can we not stand with him this one last time and help our last true Yorkist king fight his last battle?

The replica head of Richard III is now on exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum in York – it’s definitely worth a visit.

Hot air and a puff of smoke

From: Hugh Rogers, Messingham Road, Ashby, Scunthorpe.

For the benefit of readers who tried to read Yorkshire and Humber MEP Linda McAvan’s diatribe on the letters page (Yorkshire Post, September 20) on the subject of e-cigarettes and lost the will to live in the process, may I offer the following resumé.

Linda says the question is “how (e-cigarettes) should be regulated”. No, it isn’t. The question is “if” and “whether” they should be regulated. The answer to that one is that they shouldn’t, any more than fizzy drinks should be sold in packs with pictures of rotting teeth, bikini sizes monitored to reduce hypertension in the male population, or bars of chocolate sold in plain, government-approved wrappers to avoid tempting young consumers.

Socialists are too keen by half to regulate and control people’s lives, especially in the field of public health. They just can’t seem to leave well alone, can they? In any case there is no conceivable health risk associated with e-cigarettes. It would be regulation for regulation’s sake, something which the Left loves, but which the rest of us should watch out for and stamp upon before it takes root.

Fortunately as the European Parliament is a completely useless body which wouldn’t be missed if it were to be disbanded tomorrow, the chances of any such regulation becoming European law by this particular route are pretty minimal, so I’m not going to start worrying about the possibility any time soon.

How to extend the recovery

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

yorkshire seems to be one of the regions which has not been invited to the recovery party. The introduction of one simple measure could at least mitigate the problems up here and that would be the removal of VAT on all home improvements.

Everybody loves to spend money on their home and this would ignite a chain reaction, starting with small businesses and in due course lead to spending right across the board. What economists call the multiplier would spark a healthy recovery.

Where would we replace the funds lost to the Exchequer? Well, your columns are full of suggestions of sources which could fill the gap. It’s about time some common sense was applied to our predicaments. Soaking the rich is not the way to growth and a firmly based recovery.

Horse manure is neigh bother

From: Caroline Davis, Otley.

I FEEL I need to address the concerns that have been raised by several recent correspondents about horse manure on the road. Horse manure is totally different to dog waste.

Dog waste is hazardous and can cause blindness and other problems. Although horse waste can have worms, these worms are host specific – i.e. they cannot survive in any other species. So all you have left in horse poo is processed grass or hay and lots of good stuff.

I hope this explains why horse waste does not have to be picked up as there is no hazard to health.

So ladies, I would advise you to pick it up, let it rot down and use it as an excellent composter for your garden. Alternatively put it in an old pillowcase, dunk it in a bucket of water to allow all the goodness to seep into the water and then use the water as an excellent free plant food.

Rail speed concerns

From: David F Chambers, Sladeburn Drive, Northallerton.

IT was once said that travelling by train at 40mph would result in loss of consciousness, miscarriage and who knows what else. The rail developers scoffed at this, and speeds have risen to 125mph without so much as a headache in result.

Modern scientists however have pointed to wave patterns at speeds of 250mph or more, which threaten derailment unless a quite different design of track construction is used.

I hope cost considerations have not resulted in these studies being rejected out of hand, even if the estimated costs of HS2 are pushed even higher.

Perhaps the price of an HS2 ticket should include an insurance policy covering on the one hand derailment and on the other failure of an adequate electricity supply?