Thursday's Letters: Bullying row tells us nothing we didn't know

The Government has the nerve to turn the full blast of their spin machine on to the National Bullying Helpline chief and wheel out such luminaries as John (one punch) Prescott, and Lord Mandelson, that doyen political schemer and New Labour apologist.

Do they take us for idiots? We know what Gordon is like behind closed doors. He is the archetypal dour Scot, with a foul temper and with very few saving graces, and what's more, he knows we know. Brown was never suited for high office, he has been a disaster as Prime Minister as well as Chancellor, and the people's verdict will soon make that clear.

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

From: DL Long, Coxley Crescent, Netherton, Wakefield.

REGARDING Chris Bond's article "Why I had to quit when bullying charity went public over Downing Street claim" (Yorkshire Post, February 23), what complete liberal Left twaddle Professor Cary Cooper comes out with. Top marks to Christine Pratt of the National Bullying Helpline for giving us a glimpse of life in the top office and of the obvious wimps who populate it. Can anyone imagine one of Winston Churchill's staff phoning a bullying helpline?

From: Alec Denton, Oxford Avenue, Guiseley, Leeds.

THE other day, I saw Lord Mandelson complain on television that statements about Mr Brown's alleged bullying were "political", which is just about as daft as it is possible to be. Someone should remind his lordship that not only is Mr Brown clearly a politician, but unlike the noble Lord, he is also an elected politician.

I do not like Mr Brown, but this affair is impossible to resolve because of Mr Brown's admitted impatience and the fact that what is pressure to some is bullying to others and the sooner we return to serious political debate the better.

Where is all the money coming from?

From: Edwin Hirst, Welburn Close, Sandal, Wakefield.

I WONDER if any of your financial advisers or readers can help me solve the question which is keeping me awake at nights?

We read about the vast amount of money some bankers will be receiving in bonuses. I realise that they are making money by being good gamblers, but if they are winning, who is losing?

Is it money the Bank of England is printing for them? Are other banks gambling away the money they received from the Government? Can it be from increasing our national debt?

I'm a pensioner, just keeping my "head above water". I don't even know how many noughts there are in a billion but I do know there are a lot.

To think a billion days ago there wouldn't have been a banker on this earth – in fact, there would have been no-one. Where on earth have all these billions of pounds come from?

From: John Holland, Lindeth Road, Silverdale, Carnforth.

WITH reference to the Comment piece (Yorkshire Post, February 20) on economic cuts and economists' support for Gordon Brown, are some of "the world's most respected economists" the same people who ridiculed Mrs Thatcher's economic policy?

Mr Brown wants us to look forward rather than let us consider Labour's (his) economic record. This is the man who sold half our gold reserves at the bottom of the market, ruined the private pension system, ended "boom and bust", created the shambles of the FSA, said we would be the last in and first out of the recession, and presided over a widening of the gap between rich and poor. Why should we believe that he has suddenly got something right?

Legacy of the Tories

From: Andrew Cooper, Ascot Avenue, Kimberley, Nottinghamshire.

I would like to add my support to JE Steele (Yorkshire Post, February 12) who quite correctly pointed the finger at Margaret Thatcher when he stated that the Tories shamefully sold off our crown jewels in the form of the utility companies.

Our manufacturing industry was decimated and we find ourselves in a position today with hardly anything to export.

Mr Steele was also correct when he alluded to the Tories buying votes with the softly- softly approach to the oil companies. Let us not

forget Mrs Thatcher's husband was employed by an oil company.

What Mr Steele fails to mention is that the Tories also used the oil revenues to pay for the three million unemployed who were the result of a deliberate economic strategy.

Having just visited Norway I learned, as Mr Steele mentions, that they have used the oil revenues to provide great benefits for their citizens.

Realities of cancer care

From: JW Slack, Swinston Hill Road, Dinnington, Sheffield.

THE latest Government promises relating to the treatment of cancer at home need some careful clarification.

There has been remarkable progress made in recent times, bearing in

mind that there are very different types of cancer.

Where the final situation arises where no further treatment can be given, then the regular presence of Macmillan nurses or other suitably qualified professionals as a support to the surviving partner should be regarded as standard.

However, chemotherapy treatment depends on the results of each blood test prior to each dose, however administered, and this requires a visit to hospital.

Similarly, radiotherapy often requires daily visits for a few weeks at the specialist centre. Treatment can only be given at the hospital.

In fact, the journey to the hospital is often more stressful than the treatment, due to pathetic parking facilities at every hospital I know. The cheerfulness of patients and the dedication of nursing staff soon allay fears but then there remains the issue of getting home again.

Unless someone knows different, it would appear to me to be totally impracticable for treatment to be given at home.

Killing for pleasure

From: William Snowden, Butterbowl Gardens, Farnley Ring Road, Leeds.

JOHN Grice (Yorkshire Post, February 10) bitterly denounces the parliamentary procedures that facilitated the hunting ban. And yet, he would thwart the will of the people, which is the very essence of democracy: most people, in town and country, are opposed to hunting.

CI Jackson (Yorkshire Post, February 10) fails to understand that all predators are "vicious killers" – they have to be to survive. Has he never witnessed the "vicious" way in which a blackbird dispatches a hapless slug or worm?

I once had the misfortune to witness a fox killed by hounds. It wasn't "quick", Mr Jackson: it was a horrific spectacle. A slightly-built vixen (perhaps 16lb) savaged to death by a pack of muscular fox hounds (each of which weighed perhaps 60lb).

Fox hunters have corrupted primitive man's natural instincts to hunt in to perverse acts of killing for pleasure. Fox hunting isn't a sport; it is a barbaric, blood-letting ritual. Shameful.

A talking point over benefits of foreign languages

From: The Rev PN Hayward, Allonby, Maryport, Cumbria.

YOUR correspondent Sarah Freeman (Yorkshire Post, February 15) over-estimates the importance of conversation in mastering a modern foreign language.

Looking back at my own education, I note that in the School Certificate (O-level) French (compulsory for all), conversation carried only 30 marks out of 300. The examination was conducted (individually and orally, of course) by two French masters at the school concerned. My own score was a meagre 12 (about 40 per cent), but even if it had been zero, I knew that I would register enough marks out of the 270 assigned to written work to secure at least a credit (between 50 per cent and 60 per cent).

The senior French master hammered home time and time again the point that the vital thing in French was mastery of the irregular verbs, not the ability to speak the language, and the examiners obviously saw conversation as a soft option, reckoning that it came later if reading and writing French was already in place.

My own main subjects, Latin and Ancient Greek, were often derided as dead languages, being useless for conversation. Classicists replied by dismissing French or German as the poor man's language.

I would not include conversation in these top four advantages in learning any language:

n The great and formidable mental exercise and discipline required to learn any language;

n The ability to write acceptable prose (verse as well in Greek and Latin!) in the language;

n The ability to translate the language into English, so as to be able to read and study its great written works;

n The ability to make reasonable sense in English of a hitherto unseen specimen of the language.

Never in my life have I wished that I could converse fluently in any language other than English. The need does not arise – although British dialects have been more of a problem!

Right to be safe from terror

From: AB Collier, Burlington Court, Gordon Road, Bridlington.

HERE we go again. The human rights cronies are questioning the use of body scanners at airports which could be abusing human rights.

For goodness sake, the scanners are essential for national security. If all passengers are "clean", then they have nothing to fear. The refusal of this country to ban the burkha and full veil (human rights again) is without doubt a security risk at airports, etc.

Mumbling, blundering Jack Straw has openly supported the wearing of both. I strongly believe he is vote catching the Muslim community to support Labour at the next election.

The man is not fit for office but he has no need to resign as his role will be insignificant after the next General Election.

Why are we still there?

From: Kevin Maguire, Hanover Street, Batley.

WHY are British Allied troops in Afghanistan and Iraq? We have now been in Afghanistan for nine years and still a solution to the problem has yet to be found.

Whatever the problem is, Whitehall or the Ministry of Defence appear to be immune from the situation. Yet the loss of life goes on.

Yorkshire has lost young soldiers, families have lost sons and

daughters, wives have lost husbands.

In the midst of all this people will have to carry on living.

Winner's loss

From: June Hawes, The Sawley Arms, Fountains Abbey, Ripon, North

Yorkshire.

THANK goodness Michael Winner doesn't come to our beautiful North very often (Yorkshire Post, February 20).

Who does he think he is to pretend to judge something he knows very little about?

Thank you, Michael, we will manage to cook wonderful food of real quality, in beautiful surroundings for our very appreciative customers, so I suggest you stick to your film-making and we stick to the job we love.

Block quotes

From: Brian Hardy, All Hallowes Drive, Tickhill.

AFTER hamming it up for the cameras on Channel 4's Tower Block of Commons, Austin Mitchell has the impudence to bleat about how badly he was treated (Yorkshire Post, February 18). Might it not be interesting to know how much Mr Mitchell was paid for his week of "hardship"?