Saturday's Letters: Nibbling away of green belt must be halted

Continually, we seem to have portions of green belt land nibbled away as the goal-posts are moved either by central government or local authorities.

Much greater importance should be given to these "lungs of suburbia" – certainly from a legal standpoint.

Sadly, with planning regulations already being relaxed and the might of the larger developers, further encroachment on these vitally important green spaces will continue apace.

We have such an example on the very borders of our supposed

conservation village of Micklethwaite – a title we seem to have in name only with no regard to the meaning of the word conservation.

Apparently, because of central government rulings, our local authority has to allow so-called green belt land adjacent to the village to come within the scope of "allowable development" in order to cope with government-imposed targets for housebuilding.

I am a realist and know only too well that houses have to be built somewhere and developers have to build them, but I feel we are in grave danger of creating such huge urban spread into green belt land – and not just in the Aire Valley – that there will be nothing left of what

one could remotely call green in a swathe from the eastern side of

Leeds to beyond Keighley.

The ordinary man in the street seems powerless in efforts to protect such green spaces if faced by huge development companies employing countless experts whose sole task is to bulldoze through planning applications.

Perhaps, at last, we may have a white knight in the guise of Peter Nottage and his colleagues who not only can bring up to date the now long-in-the-tooth designation and meaning of green belt land but

perhaps bring together the vested interests of developers, local authorities and the public to work together in order to amicably solve the vital protection of our green spaces while also allowing

development to be carried out intelligently.

From: Graham Hall, Bingley, West Yorkshire.

Cadbury plant closure was inevitable

From: A Ogden, Oxford Road, Gomersal, West Yorkshire.

LORD Mandelson and Gordon Brown should hang their heads in shame.

A complete novice would have known that Kraft's takeover of Cadbury would involve job losses and possible plant closures.

How is it that the Prime Minister and the Business Secretary could not, or would not, contemplate the obvious?

Yet another great British company is sold off to the highest bidder, with the connivance of a compliant management, and with only mealy-mouthed platitudes from Mr Brown and Lord Mandelson, without any real conviction behind them.

Now the consequence of this latest surrender is plain for all to see. The closure of the Somerdale factory near Bristol, with the loss of 400 jobs, is just the beginning. So much for Kraft's assurances to the Business Secretary.

The phrase "Lions led by donkeys" springs to mind.

Thatcher's frilly lace

From: William Snowden, Butterbowl Gardens, Leeds.

I WAS amused to read about the "release" of Lady Thatcher's personal papers, which reveal previously undisclosed personal details (Yorkshire Post, January 30).

After Margaret Thatcher's General Election victory in 1979, I went into a shop in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex.

The elderly proprietress expressed her relief that I wasn't "yet another blessed reporter". The press had discovered that Margaret Thatcher shopped there for "personal items". They were keen to know the "intimate details" which the proprietress had resolutely declined to disclose.

"They'd have had a field day if they'd found out what she was really buying," she suddenly revealed in a conspiratorial whisper, and with a twinkle in her keen blue eyes. "Frilly lace underwear!"

A "world exclusive" which I now "release" to the Yorkshire Post... after honouring the 30 year rule!

Forcing the issue

From: AW Briglin, Sefton Street, Hull.

I HAVE just watched a programme on TV about what to do if people find intruders in their homes.

Apparently, the law states that "reasonable force" can be used to deter these criminals. What is "reasonable force?" It is so unclear that it can be interpreted in any which way.

It is my view that the law should be a lot more precise. It should state that sufficient force can be used against the perpetrators as is necessary to either evict them from the premises or incapacitate them to a degree to render them relatively harmless.

It is my view that if any criminal invades someone's property, they should lose all rights to the way they are treated. They shouldn't be there.

Charade of Chilcot

From: David W Wright, Uppleby, Easingwold.

HAVING witnessed the continuing charade of the Chilcot Inquiry and the excuses and double talk of the politicians, particularly Geoff Hoon, the former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith and Tony Blair, it was particularly refreshing to hear Claire Short breathe some clarity and truth into the proceedings.

However, this sorry state of our political scene extends even further into the pure fantasy when one reads that the unelected Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, is lecturing the business community and the Conservatives on how to run the economy (Yorkshire Post, February 2).

What a laugh – the man has had no practical experience of business and is another example of the pathetic state of politics. We elect 600-plus MPs to represent us and to run the country with the aid of thousands of civil servants, and yet Mr Blair and Gordon Brown have appointed unelected ministers and cronies from the House of Lords to bolster the administration.

We must be mad to allow this charade to continue.

Rewards for 'liabilities'

From: Trev Bromby, Sculcoates Lane, Hull.

ANOTHER accident helpline has hit our TV screens. Yet more misery for the employer.

I wonder how many small firms have been hit by the compensation culture, higher premiums for workers' claims and gone out of business.

Here are just a few instances: "I was walking through work when I slipped on a wet patch. I got 5,000"– 5,000 for not looking where I was going.

"I was using the wrong sort of ladder, I ended up breaking my wrist, I got 7,000" – 7,000 for being stupid enough to climb up an unsuitable ladder.

The majority of the claimants seem to be liabilities and should be dismissed as a danger to themselves and others.

They certainly should not be rewarded, in many cases, for being inept.

Stop meddling in the affairs of other countries

From: David McKenna, Hall Gardens, Rawcliffe, Goole.

JUDGING by the comments made by your two correspondents about Islam and immigration (Yorkshire Post, February 10), it would appear that the indigenous population is living in fear and trepidation in a land that was once all law-abiding and peaceful.

Tim Brett says that if someone goes to live in another country, "they should be prepared to live by the customs and culture of their adopted country". While there is some limited merit in this statement – "when in Rome..." – it was hardly carried out by the British in the heady days of Empire.

Read up on Indian history for a start. He goes on to equate the wearing of an Islamic code of dress with the Scottish kilt or the Druidic garb. In the common parlance, I "just don't get" that one.

Mrs BJ Cussons uses the age old "some of my best friends are coloured" argument as she goes on to state that "drugs, money-laundering and murder were never very prevalent in British life until huge numbers of immigrants arrived".

Where has she been living? She has either forgotten or never heard of home-grown goodies like the Krays in east London and perhaps never experienced the present crop of weekend revellers who make most town centres no-go areas as they drunkenly roll around the streets.

Both your correspondents should by now have realised that British foreign policy, or lack of it, started this anti-Muslim feeling and if our bunch of elected and non-elected nitwits would only stop pretending that they can "send out a gunboat" to meddle in the affairs of other countries, perhaps all the rest of us could get on with our lives in peace.

For goodness sake, stop pinning the blame for all our woes on

immigrants, whether Muslim, eastern European or whatever else, and let's try to get our Great Leader to clean out his own shop before running behind the Americans and meddling in other places.

Selfish drivers fail to light up

From: SB Oliver, Churchill Grove, Heckmondwike.

LIKE G Lomas, I too am appalled at drivers not using sufficient, legal lights in fog (Yorkshire Post, February 9).

During last week's combination of icy, foggy, overcast weather, I had to drive to Otley, setting off before 8.30am and the list of the thoughtless, absent-minded, selfish or ignorant drivers that passed me in the opposite direction was quite horrendous.

Most were cars, but many others were larger vans, even HGVs. They were: driving with no lights, driving on one or both sidelight, or on just one headlight or front foglight. Some were driving on both front foglights and some had heads and fogs with one (or two) not working.

Drivers in front of me were not using their rear fog-lights either. We reckoned that about 35 per cent of vehicles were not using lights correctly.

A long time ago, I was advised: "If it's bad enough for sidelights, it's got to be bad enough for headlights." The lighting laws should make driving on just sidelights illegal.

Concern over dog mess

From: Mrs L Woodhead, Bramley, Leeds.

MY grandson plays football for Farsley Celtic under-13s. One Sunday, they had a home game on pitch 5 in Bramley Park.

When I arrived at 10am to watch the match, the coach and several parents were busy clearing the pitch of dog excrement. The coach had been there since 9am and the start of the match was delayed while four bags were filled.

The state of the pitch and surrounding area was a disgrace. I do not understand how dog owners can allow their pets to wander on to the pitch and not clear up after them. It is not just the mess but it can cause illness.

I appeal to Bramley dog owners to please keep the pitches clear, thank you.

Chance meeting

From: Harold Laycock, Sunnybank Avenue, Mirfield.

YOU published an archive photograph (Yorkshire Post, February 5) of young autograph hunters meeting Jock Stein, the then Celtic manager.

During the same visit to Leeds United, I also met Mr Stein. I was working in Leeds and had the occasional lunch at The King Charles's public house in the Schofield precinct.

I shared a table with Mr Stein and a friend. While I did respect his privacy, we did have a limited conversation about football.