Tuesday's Letters: Raising prices won't make binge drinkers pay the penalty

Irrespective of the reason for binge drinking, I believe four factors come into play. In order of seriousness: lack of self-discipline, lack of self-respect, availability of product and, finally, the price. Increasing the price does not address the main reasons.

Following release from hospital or custody, I believe the culprits should be given an account to settle, covering the costs of the service concerned.

Clearly, some will laugh and ignore the account, however, one thing they all have in common is a national insurance number. Is there a just reason why their debt cannot be placed against future benefits to which they become entitled? Perhaps, when they have matured, they should be given the opportunity to "top-up" against unpaid debts?

I am aware there is a "Big Brother" element to this idea, but court action would be very much more expensive and a sober clear head would understand that!

If there is one thing I find grossly offensive, it is the television coverage of the abuse suffered by police and sometimes hospital personnel in dealing with this problem.

Unless and until the punishment fits the crime, it will, of course, continue.

From: Dennis Whitaker, Baildon, Shipley.

From: John B Mainprize, East Ella Drive, Hull.

I REALLY fail to understand why John Wills feels he is going to be penalised because of a plan to impose a minimum price per unit for alcohol. I can't see how it will affect the price of a pint in the local pub or club.

There is little wonder that a large number of pubs are having to close down when supermarkets are selling a well-known brand of lager for as little as 1.27 a litre while pubs have to sell it at 2.70-3 a pint. For the man who likes a quiet pint at his local, it will have no effect.

A minimum price will not stop binge drinking but it may help to stop the demise of the British pub. However, I am afraid our politicians are running scared of the big supermarket chains and dare not impose a minimum price.

From: Linton W Gaunt, Snape, Bedale, North Yorkshire.

SURELY any restrictions on alcohol promotions imposed on pubs and clubs, as has recently been suggested, should apply to supermarkets? Penalising landlords for having customers who become a public nuisance won't stop revellers "free-drinking" a bottle of cheap supermarket vodka before going out, as shown on television. It makes me wonder why politicians appear to be frightened of confronting supermarkets, and worried about upsetting them.

If people become a public nuisance through alcohol and have to be taken to hospital or a police station, they should automatically be fined 250.

Also, fine parents if offenders are under age. This would be popular with voters as the law is too "nice" with offenders, and would hopefully release hospital staff to spend more time with genuine patients.

If, in America, Obama can "grasp the nettle" with regard to banking reform, there is every reason for our politicians to stop looking at life from their ivory towers, and make fair decisive policy concerning unruly drinkers and then say – yes, we can!

If you want a better society, use your vote

From: Geoffrey Thorpe, Lister Avenue, East Bowling, Bradford.

ROBERT Cartledge (Yorkshire Post, January 27) is correct; capitalism is a disgrace. As Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have also proved, socialism also does not work.

The only thing to try next is communism, then everybody will have a job and all the young will have to do national service like it or not, no hanging round street corners.

Up the workers, I say, so if you wish to try and have a better system, vote at the next election for a candidate who has the same views as yourself.

If you don't vote, you cannot complain.

From: R Baker, Sunny Bank, Hull.

I AM appalled by the letter from Robert Cartledge, not because I am a Conservative, but because I have always been, and still am, firmly on the political left. Surely he must know how abominably the Soviet communist regime treated the workers?

If Soviet communism was so marvellous, why did the workers rise up as one and, under the threat of brutal state suppression, say "enough is enough?" Despite all the triumphalist crowing of Thatcher and Reagan, it was the East European people who overthrew communism, because they were the ones who had suffered its worst effects.

Dangers of sand removal

From: Miss P Johnson, Cross Flatts Grove, Leeds.

I REFER to the letter from Stan Parker about Scarborough removing sand from the beach (Yorkshire Post, January 25) and would add that removal of sand and gravel from the beach appears to be a dangerous practice because it can cause erosion of the cliffs and lead to subsidence.

I don't know at what level this occurs but Dunwich, East Anglia, was a sizeable town in the 13th century, but sand and gravel was removed in order to rebuild the harbour wall and the town fell into the sea during a huge storm on January 14, 1328.

Hallsands is another example. Sand and gravel were taken in order to build the Royal Naval Dockyard. Dredging began in 1896 and continued until 1902.

There was concern about the erosion and a sea wall was built. On January 26, 1917, there was a big storm and the village was destroyed.

Scarborough already suffers from erosion and I hope that they will not continue this practice and that they haven't overstepped the mark and that other seaside towns and villages will not follow.

The solution to the problem of icy roads and pavements is for councils to ensure they have enough storage space and they prepare for an icy winter. Should this not occur, the grit will keep.

It could become an annual event again as the ice in the Arctic melts into the oceans, lowering the sea and air temperatures.

Fickleness over leaders

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

WINSTON Churchill was called a warmonger. He suffered a humiliating

electoral defeat – spurned by the very people he had delivered from evil.

Margaret Thatcher transformed the British economy, and restored our international reputation. She won three successive general elections. And yet she was reviled; and her own party broke her.

Tony Blair enjoyed similar electoral success – and the same fate. He has been called a liar, and a war criminal. But his calm, measured and dignified response to his inquisitors contrasts sharply with the mindless chants of his vociferous critics.

People longed for Churchill to displace Chamberlain; Thatcher to displace Callaghan; Blair to displace Major. Why? Because they wanted strong and decisive leaders, who possessed the requisite courage and conviction to take tough decisions.

And when they did, they turned on them; scorned and excoriated them. Such is the fate of valiant leaders; and the fickleness of public

opinion.

Children's lessons in life from their parents

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

I HOPE the group which drafted the Government guidance to teachers

relating to sex education (Yorkshire Post, January 26), together with Ed Balls, is prepared to go into schools to demonstrate to teachers

how this topic should be approached without causing distress to many children and staff.

Anyone involved in voluntary work with children is fully aware of the sensitivity involved when parents sign a consent form and parents or guardians are not straightforward.

Children in such a situation need sensitive care – a very difficult situation for a mere volunteer, let alone a professional teacher, and such cases are now very common, each class may contain several situations each of which may require individual help and not be of value in a classroom lesson which could be particularly hurtful to

an individual.

Teaching the basics of reproduction is not a problem as TV programmes like Springwatch and other nature programmes involving farming illustrate the considerable skill and effort made by parents to safeguard and feed the young. Most children are very aware of the facts of life now at an early age.

However, having the ability to conceive children and having the knowledge, skills, patience and commitment to bring up children is a different matter.

Recent research, for example, suggests that the basis for obesity is well established by the age of five due to poor diet and this is likely to continue into adulthood.

Perhaps most problems begin in the pre-school years and are due mainly to a lack of self-respect by both parties – a lack of respect and understanding of the needs of the child and if accompanied by poor academic standards by the parents in a tobacco, alcohol and drug dominated culture is a disaster waiting to happen.

Even in the so-called middle class families, many young pre-school children do not experience the model of good motherhood because they are passed to other adults to be brought up while priority is given to the modern need to upkeep possessions.

Children learn to be parents by the model set by their own parents – we appear to be in the second generation of society where the economy and money making is more important than the quality of citizen we create.

Agencies can help with problems but the ultimate responsibility lies with those who brought the child into the world. Any problems need to be identified at birth and clearly monitored.

Wind of change in perspective

From: Karl Sheridan, Selby Road, Holme-on-Spalding Moor, East Yorkshire.

ISN'T it strange how a stunningly brilliant idea comes from nowhere and could save the world? Reading about the increase in proposed wind-farms and the protests against them, it suddenly came to me just how useful these wind turbines could actually be.

The minus side to these things – apart from the noise and vibration and ugliness – is that they fail to produce electricity when the wind drops. Well, as the global warming increases, resulting in us getting warmer and calmer weather, it becomes obvious, doesn't it – feed surplus electricity back down the line to the wind turbine, and hey-presto we have gigantic fans!

Global cooling on a grand scale... why hasn't anyone else thought of this?

Then and now

From: Richard C Gudgeon, Woodsome Road, Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield.

JEREMY Kilner (Yorkshire Post, January 27) refers to what he believes to be a local greeting – "Na then then".

He may be correct in relation to his upbringing in Holmfirth, but in my

neck of the woods (Kirkburton, only a few miles away), the greeting

was "Nah then" (emphasis on "Nah") and the rejoinder "Nah then then" (emphasis on the last word).

Sad symbol

From: Iain Morris, Caroline Street, Saltaire.

IS it not typical of today that what has become a shrine for the people of Hull in memory of so many trawlermen lost at sea should be under attack by hooligans (Yorkshire Post,

January 25)?