Shortage of social housing

YES, Bill Carmichael, the bedroom tax is indeed 
“designed to free up larger 
social housing” but Minsters know as well as the rest of us that the smaller units for people to move into do not exist in anything like sufficient 
numbers (Yorkshire Post, September 13).

And the reason the larger units are so “desperately needed by families” is that when Margaret Thatcher sold family houses at giveaway prices the houses were not replaced.

Perhaps before berating 
others for getting their facts wrong you might look to your own.

Wise words on history’s lessons

From: Mrs Jean Hopkins, Carlton Drive, Guiseley.

IT was interesting to read the letter from Iain Morris (Yorkshire Post, September 12) quoting 
the wise words of his history master, Mr Hutton at the Moravian Boys School in 
Pudsey, that a reason for 
studying history was so as 
not to make the same mistakes over and over again.

As is well known, sadly we do not learn from history.

Mr Hutton is alive and 
well, into his 90s, and still presenting interesting and informative talks to the History Society in Fulneck Village, Pudsey.

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

IAIN Morris’s recollection of asking his history teacher what was the point of studying 
history is certainly relevant 
to the crisis in Syria, especially 
with regard to avoiding 
repeating the same mistakes (Yorkshire Post, September 12).

However, there is 
another simple answer which applies to every walk of life: knowledge is always 
preferable to ignorance.

Many of our failings, from dropping litter to deep-seated prejudice and persecution, are often due to a lack of education in the broadest sense.