These rights are simply wrong

From: Barrie Frost, Watsons Lane, Reighton, Filey.

So, now we all know who actually makes and implements our laws.

The European Court of Human Rights, sitting in Strasbourg, has decided that the safety and human rights of two criminals outweighs those of Britain’s law-abiding people.

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Two Somalis facing enforced return to Mogadishu after being convicted of serious criminal offences took their cases to the ECHR with more than 200 similar actions against the UK pending.

The ECHR ruled that however “undesirable” or “dangerous” the immigrants who had committed the crimes were, they may face ill-treatment at home, and the UK’s duty to protect people against torture or inhuman treatment was “absolute”.

The safety and welfare of innocent people living in Britain is, apparently, of lesser importance.

It must be so very obvious to the vast majority of people why criminal behaviour is so healthy and flourishing yet this seems to escape the attention of too many of our so-called learned friends who, too often by their actions, appear to encourage its growth and to penalise law-abiding citizens.

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To add further insult, the two Somalis were awarded 14,500 euros and 7,500 euros respectively, for costs and expenses, money which our hard pressed citizens will, somehow, in the current climate of cut-backs and job losses, have no option but to pay up and shut up.

Can anyone possibly justify why Britain has to accept such perverse decisions? Did so many people sacrifice their lives in two World Wars in order to live by rulings made by others?

From: Stephen Davis, Sheffield.

ACCORDING to the European Court of Human Rights, the UK is instructed not to deport two convicted Somali criminals because we have a “legal duty to protect these two from torture or inhuman treatment” in the land of their birth – a prececedent, it seems, for at least 214 other cases involving Somalis and goodness knows who else.

I strongly object. My human right is not to have convicted foreign criminals in my country at my expense.

When will somebody wake up and exercise some common sense?

High speed to nowhere fast

From: Alan Haigh, Foster Close, Morley, Leeds.

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AS a rail user and campaigner, I support the idea of high-speed line HS2 to London but question the current proposal. It is too expensive and will divert funds from other much needed schemes while not delivering any benefits for 20 years at the very least.

Furthermore, we cannot trust politicians to stick with the project and it is more than likely to be cancelled or seriously delayed at some time in the future.

HS2 could also be used as an argument for avoiding any major investment in our transport for years to come and this can be clearly demonstrated by the Government currently withholding the small amount of cash needed to open Kirkstall Forge station, near Leeds.

Since the end of steam, British Rail progressively improved the East Coast route to London by taking out bottlenecks to reduce journey times resulting in the fastest train taking just two hours from Leeds.

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When Virgin was bidding for the East Coast franchise, they proposed taking this idea further by rebuilding the route on the present alignment. Consideration should, therefore, be given to reviving these plans.

This would involve widening the existing line with the elimination of flat rail and road crossings together with a fast new spur to Sheffield.

The end product would be a grade separated high-speed railway with the big advantage that the work would be completed in stages with immediate benefit without the 20-30-year wait.

This approach would release much-needed funds to provide improvements to our current inadequate local transport such as a light rail scheme for Leeds, plus an upgrade of our suburban railways.

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This would benefit far more people more quickly than HS2 in its present form.

Praise for a great cyclist

From: D Harrop, Malton Street, Sheffield.

A FEW more items of information about Beryl Burton to add to those offered by Graham Snowdon in his informative letter (Yorkshire Post, June 25).

Beryl Burton was the first female cycling time trialist to ride 25 miles in less than one hour, 50 miles in less than two hours and 100 miles in less than four hours.

She won seven world championships – two on the road, five in the velodrome.

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She was also an amateur rider throughout her career, though many of her competitors in world championship races were from the USSR and Eastern Bloc who were, in effect, full-professionals.

On the domestic time trial scene, Beryl Burton established a dominance over all her female rivals which lasted for 25 years.

Beryl Burton was awarded the MBE in 1964 and the OBE in 1968.

She was a truly phenomenal athlete.

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