Towering figures leave stage, but did they help their causes?

WE have now seen the demise of two towering figures of our politics viz Margaret Thatcher and Tony Benn (The Yorkshire Post, March 15).

They neatly represent two sides of the same coin and both have their adherents.

In my opinion they epitomise two unacceptable extremes.

It is interesting to reflect how people given access to the highest quality of education and undoubtedly possessing many personal qualities should enter public life and cause so much damage to their parties and the country.

For instance Mr Benn said that capitalism had failed 
and socialism was the only answer.

Capitalism has its flaws but it is the only system which, combined with democracy, can be used to run a country on a sustainable basis.

In the case of politicians, the quality which the Good Fairy seems to bestow at birth only rarely is sheer common sense.

From: Rod Swann, Hexthorpe, Doncaster.

JUST a few words in condemnation of the letter from Nigel Boddy (The Yorkshire Post, March 15) in which he suggesed RMT leader Bob Crow “looked much older” than his 52 years. I just thank goodness that Yorkshire people aren’t as ignorant and ill-educated as the writer of that letter.

From: Paul Holmes, Branch Secretary, Kirklees Unison.

THE sudden death of Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, has shocked many people.

Those who for years attacked him, then pretended that they respected him once he was dead.

But the Government, media and employers lambasted him endlessly when he was alive.

Unfortunately if you stand up for working class people in Britain you are ridiculed by the employers – and the media.

If you stand up for decent wages for working people you 
are accused of being a communist.

But working class people 
are not stupid – the outpouring 
of genuine feelings for Bob 
Crow on his death were both 
for his achievements and for what he stood for.

He was regarded as “one of us”.

You didn’t have to agree with him on everything – you just knew that he cared.

Well done Bob – you made a difference.