Saturday's Letters: Wizard Brown is far too clever for the Tories

Firstly, getting involved with the union and British Airways; secondly, condemn the union and attempt to get the strike put off until after the General Election; thirdly, lose the election and stand back and watch the ensuing dog fight between a Tory government and the whole trade union movement. And fourthly, win the election and then cave in to the union demands and claim that he has again saved the nation from catastrophe.

David Cameron, you cannot win and do not stand a cat in hell's chance against these people. They are far too clever for you.

From: Jeffrey Stirk, Newton le Willows, Bedale, North Yorkshire.

From: Alan Carcas, Cornmill Lane, Liversedge, West Yorkshire

GORDON Brown's right-hand-man, Charlie Whelan, is busy telling his 100,000 fellow Unite trade union members in marginal seats to phone round their friends and colleagues to persuade them to vote Labour at the General Election.

How about somebody phoning round those airline travellers who will have their holiday plans disrupted – again – and much else besides, by members of the Unite union that is bank-rolling the Labour party to the tune of 11m, and urging those 30 million travellers to vote Conservative?

You know it makes sense!

From: Ray Walker, West End Lane, Horsforth, Leeds

THE disclosure this week regarding the hold enjoyed by the Unite union over the Labour Party beggars belief.

Some 111 MPs are members, seven in the Cabinet and another 59 in the wings, plus 11m in fundraising.

Why all the fuss about Lord Ashcroft?

I also understand that Charlie Whelan is orchestrating Unite's latest war against British Airways.

I was pleased and surprised that our Prime Minister has spoken out at Unite's latest attempt at bullying, but where is David Cameron?

How to make most of us very happy

From: John Blakey, Roundhay, Leeds.

LUCY Parsons, in an apology for the very rich (Yorkshire Post, March 9), reminds us that the top 10 per cent of wealthy people pay over 50 per cent of the tax.

It's not clear if she means 50 per cent of income tax or 50 per cent of all taxes. It occurs to me that if the top 10 per cent of the wealth pay slightly over 50 per cent of tax, why not double it and make them pay 100 per cent? Then the other 90 per cent of us would not have to pay any.

Of course the poor darlings might just have to survive on a few thousand a year, just like the rest of us have to, but it would make a lot of other people very happy.

From: Ralph Musgrave, Garden Avenue, Durham.

LUCY Parsons claims that increasing employee National Insurance contributions (rather than increasing indirect taxes) means less in the wage packet, which reduces the incentive to work.

The flaw in this argument is that if instead of adding X a week to NI contributions, VAT on the average employee's weekly purchases are increased by X a week, then the average employee is back where they started.

That is, the total amount of goods they can afford to buy each week is exactly the same. So, shuffling sums of money between between direct and indirect tax is one huge irrelevance.

And even if the above tax fiddling did influence wages in real terms, the argument is still nonsense because real incomes do not influence the hours that people choose to work.

For example, wages in Sweden are double wages in Portugal, yet people in the two countries work pretty much the same number of hours per week.

In praise of licence fee

From: Tracey Simpson-Laing, Salisbury Road, York.

I think the TV licence is good value, I pay monthly by direct debit, and it is something that we should not criticise but cherish.

David Cameron and Rupert Murdoch have made it clear through their mouthpiece, the former Sun editor, Kelvin MacKenzie, that it will be worth even less if they have their way.

Mr Murdoch is once again trying to control the country through his media empire and he made it clear last month, through Mr MacKenzie, that he would sell off everything except BBC1 and 2 and Radio 4, just at a time when David Cameron's party talked about downsizing the BBC. It is clear Mr Murdoch wants more people to pay his outrageous fees of 35 per month, or more, to watch anything but the "bog standard" offering and it is something that as a public we must clearly stand up against.

Finally, the joys of BBC iPlayer, so you can catch up on the programmes missed when at meetings. Channels 4 and Five all provide catch-up services for free but Mr Murdoch wants us to pay for it. So let's protect the TV from Mr Murdoch, back the licence fee and say no to being charged twice.

Lily's best Yorkshires

From: June Wolfe, Lightcliffe, Halifax.

I DO so agree with Robert Goodwill (Yorkshire Post, March 11) regarding the perfect Yorkshire pudding. Those dry, puffy little things masquerading as Yorkshire puddings these days just aren't the same.

The best ones were made by "Auntie" Lily in the side oven of her coal fire in a big square tin, resulting in, as Mr Goodwill so rightly says, a crispy outside, a more doughy middle and a crispy base.

Although I was very young, I can still remember them, served with delicious rich gravy.

All Tory MEPs broke faith with the voters

From: Paul Andrews, The Beeches, Great Habton.

I WONDER how many readers are getting as fed up as I am with all the partisan calls for Edward McMillan-Scott's resignation (Yorkshire Post, March 13).

When we were asked to vote for him at the last Euro election, we were not told that he and his colleagues were going to be directed by his Westminster Party to join a small Right-wing group of MEPs. We thought the Conservative Party in Brussels and Strasbourg was on the Centre Right, as they still say they are in the UK.

So it's not just this one MEP who has broken faith with the voters by changing his political allegiance: it's the entire bloc of Conservative MEPs. Doesn't it follow that if McMillan-Scott should resign, then so should every other Conservative MEP – for changing their political position?

From David Gray, Buttershaw Lane, Liversedge.

YOUR correspondents who complained about the outcome of the defection of Edward McMillan-Scott raise a very important point.

Certainly MEPs are elected on a party representation ticket. If they find that they are unable to support the policies of that party, surely they should resign and the seat should go to the next person who was on the party list at the last election and who has not taken up

a seat?

There should not be the need for a further election as the voters have already selected their policy direction. No expense necessary, just a

new face.

From: Michael Swaby, Hainton Avenue, Grimsby.

ALTHOUGH he has been expelled by the Conservatives, Edward McMillan-Scott's re-emergence as a Liberal Democrat seems to have aroused some ire.

John Dawson and Andrew Jones both protest that they had voted for the label, not the man (Yorkshire Post, March 16). Certainly, Mr McMillan-Scott would have been aware of the Conservative position on the matter. But, it is also likely that both gentlemen were aware of his strong pro-European views, which haven't changed.

The party itself has changed, having moved in opposite directions, domestically and in the European Parliament. This left Mr McMillan-Scott to accept the party's unusual new allies in the Conservatives and Reformists Group as suitable partners, while over here his colleagues were able to portray the BNP and UKIP as extremists.

It's not really surprising that he found himself unable to do this.

Savers need rise in interest rate

From: H Marjorie Gill, Clarence Drive, Menston.

CONAL Gregory (Yorkshire Post, March 16) talks dolefully about the decision of Skipton Building Society's managing director to increase fees for mortgage borrowers, but never once mentions the plight of savers.

Mutual building societies, such as the Skipton, rely on savers to provide funds to lend to borrowers, unlike some other businesses in the news, who lent more than their savers provided and depended on the open market.

Those of us who invest also have to live and earn a reasonable amount of interest to keep our heads above water. It is no wonder that

mortgage borrowers are expected to pay a small increase.

A question for William Hague

From: Robert Craig, Priory Road, Weston-super-Mare.

With their slavish adherence to Brussels, the Tories' Shadow Business Secretary, Ken Clarke, and Tory Shadow Chancellor George Osborne have confirmed that David Cameron is a closet enthusiast for the EU.

It is difficult to see how William Hague can remain within the Conservative Party, in view of the policy gap between him and his

leader.

Could his defection to UKIP be imminent?

Churchman found time

From: David Gillion, Dronfield, Derbyshire.

Many people will have happy memories of their contact with Eric Treacy (Yorkshire Post, March 17).

I recall in the 1950s, when I and a group of teenage friends were beginning to get interested in spiritual matters, Eric Treacy was in Halifax, and he gave up an hour of his Sunday afternoons to come and discuss matters with us.

Extra cash for the jobless

From: Pat Fisher, Francis Street, Scunthorpe.

WOULD it not be a good idea to give work to the the long-term jobless cleaning up public areas? They could be paid about 50 on top of their dole money.