Wednesday's Letters: Alani tribunal ruling ignores the views of Prime Minister

The consequences of such evil behaviour was to deprive these much respected and talented surgeons of their lives; to bring unimaginable grief and suffering to their families and loved ones and to ensure an unknown number of future patients would not benefit from their expertise

Now Alani will soon be released from jail, but despite the Home Office, the Prime Minister and probably a huge majority of the British people believing he must be deported, an immigration tribunal has decided against this course of action. The immigration tribunal has decided that:

n It would endanger the safety of the Iraqi public should he be

returned there.

n Deporting Alani would breach his human rights.

RIP all our understanding of common sense, justice and decency and abandon any notion that our own authorities, whom we have to pay for, care about the safety and welfare of the British people. Forget about the Prime Minister's earlier and clear message on the fate of immigrants: "If you commit a crime, you will be deported from our country."

It appears the immigration tribunal do not regard the views of the Prime Minister as important or desirable and treat those of the British people with total contempt. Yet, we are compelled to pay the salaries of those responsible for such perverse logic – why is this?

What is very obvious and therefore easy to understand is why Britain is sinking ever faster into a cesspit of its own making, and the real tragedy is that the British people simply cannot do anything about it, for they are not in charge of running the asylum. Why do we continue to even consider these obscene decisions, let alone accept them?

From: Barrie Frost, Watson's Lane, Reighton, Filey.

From: Brian Middleton, Croftlands, Batley.

I SEE that yet again the "rights" of a convicted murderer are, says our judge, more important than the rights of the wider community. He has also decreed that the rights of the entire Iraqi population, every one of them, are more important than the lives of every person in the United Kingdom. He appears to have taken no note of the statement by the Ministry of Justice (what a joke) in guidance to the Human Rights Act that "it is a fundamental responsibility of the state (and therefore our Judges] to take appropriate steps to protect the safety of its citizens".

Shame on any government, who believe (and support] that the rights of a double murderer are greater than that of the majority. Do any of our politicians realise it is time for change to this abominable piece of legislation by abolishing it?

Cadbury sale damages our heritage

From: JW Archer, Rainton Lane, Dishforth, Thirsk.

AS a Cadbury's shareholder, I am exceedingly concerned about Kraft acquiring the Cadbury empire. It is said that Kraft have paid too high a price for Cadbury's, but I do not think that that is true.

The value of Cadbury's is not a matter of turnover and profit. Cadbury is a symbol of the Great in Great Britain. Cadbury covers the globe and is the main player in many foreign countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India.

The work it does is worth a thousand diplomats. It is involved in Third World Fairtrade, drills water wells for villages in Ghana, raises money for deserving charities such as cystic fybrosis, as well as acting as a sponsor to many sporting events in a number of countries.

In Birmingham, at Cadbury's World, it shows the public how chocolate is made and it shows at Bournville Village: a village, which was set up for the workers in an age, that, when philanthropy was exceedingly uncommon, big business was not "only for profit".

It is almost laughable but the timing of this takeover is important as it is taking place in the run up to the General Election: a time to bury bad news. Politicians will be more concerned about their jobs, and the lust for power than to concern themselves about the demise of

another British company, whatever it is.

No doubt, if Cadbury had been a French or Swiss company, it would have been designated of "strategic importance", and therefore protected from foreign predators. We must understand what we are selling to a foreign country is a highly profitable company, not a bankrupt one. Also we are selling more than a business: it is part of Great Britain. A few years down the tracks our children will say why did you sell it?

If the sale goes ahead not only will our British heritage be damaged, but also our diplomatic position lost for ever. I wish that we would stand up for what is ours, make it better, and fund our future.

Capitalism is a disgrace

From: Robert Cartledge, Starth Lane, Sheffield.

OUR democratic system is overstated as it is specifically a capitalist democracy. For whichever party wins, it is capitalism that governs – they have the wealth, the power.

Socialism, as in Soviet times, was, as a matter of fact, true democracy as it was the people – the working class – that governed. Recession and inflation are words unakin to socialism. Banks, the NHS and industry should all belong to the people – nationalised. Ownership should belong to all; not the few.

The voting system is all wrong as money plays the vital part of

convincing people by glorified advertising campaigns.

Our system is "class-ridden". The upper class have the cream, the lower class the rotten apples. They, our working class servicemen and women, are sent to war for imperialist objectives.

Capitalism is a disgrace to mankind, we have witnessed first hand. Unemployment is a real issue. It didn't exist in socialist Russia.

Dealing with the deficit

From: Paul White, Tennyson Road, Wibsey, Bradford.

ALL three major parties seem to now accept that the public sector

deficit has to be reduced, though without clear agreement on how this will be achieved and that somehow wealth creation from the private sector has to be encouraged.

Chris Leslie (Yorkshire Post, January 21) thinks that this can be achieved by a) clawing back bail-out money from the banks (good idea) and then b) investing in policies all of which would mean more public spending.

I don't have a problem with new good quality jobs coming to Yorkshire and yes it would be great to see more infrastructure investment into Bradford, but surely we are in a period in our economy, when any clawback from banks should be used only to reduce the public sector borrowing requirement and there should be no further expansion of the public sector until the economy can afford it.

The ayes have it

From: Jeremy Kilner, Choppards Mill, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.

YOU have had a number of letters recently about local dialects – perhaps I could add that the local greeting round here used to be "Na then then" rather than "Hi" or "Hello" – but it is a long time since I last heard it.

Perhaps my favourite story relates to a meeting of The Holmfirth Prosecution Society – a body set up to deal with local malingerers more than 150 years ago. I joined in about 1960 when the membership was down to five and I – and others – felt it should be kept going.

A few years later, when the membership had already risen to about 50, the annual meeting was held in The Butchers Arms in Hepworth, and there was an application from a woman to join.

There was a stunned silence, until a man at the back said: "Wha duz shi look lark" – she was immediately accepted.

Manufacturing is the way to regenerate Britain

From: George Jardine, Mount Parade, York.

WILLIAM Snowden's response to Austin Mitchell (Yorkshire Post, January 23) and his synopsis of the course of the disease which now ails

Britain was breathtaking in its accuracy.

However, he did not offer a solution – and without that you only have a complaint. I am off to drive through France – past some of its 52 nuclear power stations and I know that 80 per cent of the other cars on the road will be Citrons or Renaults.

To regenerate Britain, we need able managers with the courage to manage and a motivated workforce willing to co-operate and a public prepared to buy British (and demand economy and quality).

Otherwise we will drift further into dependency on Chinese goods and Russian energy. Like Mr Snowden, I am not convinced that the next lot of politicians have the vision or the ability to create the environment required to deliver the cure – and that is really depressing. The idea of a hung parliament for two or three years, perhaps leading to a more inclusive model of government, is looking increasingly attractive.

From: David McKenna, Hall Gardens, Rawcliffe, Goole.

HERE we go again! It really is about time that your correspondent William Snowden read up on his history. He falls into the same trap that has bedevilled many correspondents over the years namely, equating socialism with "New" Labour.

After the First World War, the manifesto "Labour and the New Social Order" was published and for the first time definitely committed the Labour Party as a whole to socialism as an objective.

Anyone who cares to read this document can easily see that there is little to be gained by trying to square the circle of Labour with "New" Labour.

"New" Labour came into existence during a meal in an up-market

restaurant and was dreamed up by a bunch of political wannabees who had neither policies nor principles but who just wanted power at any price, using the "New " badge to show people that they were different from

Labour, more "modern" than the Tories and hence would be more

attractive to the voters.

It is not bone-headed socialism we need to fear, but bone-headed, power-crazy pseudo-socialist wannabe politicians.

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle.

WHAT an excellent comment piece by Austin Mitchell (Yorkshire Post, January 16). He hit the nail smack on the head, too many paper

shufflers and too few manufacturers.

Just one question, why isn't he Prime Minister?

Where is today's Churchill?

From: C Giddings, Springwood Drive, Halifax.

I READ with interest the column written by Gervase Phinn (Yorkshire Post, January 23). Of special interest was his final comment: "How I long to hear another Winston Churchill in the coming months". This was reference, no doubt, to the General Election to be held later this year.

Along with many others, I am sure, we would wholeheartedly agree as there does not seem to be a political leader of any strength in Britain today and it is a positive strength and leadership the country needs bring us out of the mess we are in.

Will someone please stand up take the lead and get rid of this present disastrous administration before we sink any further into debt?

Open and shut

From: Andrew Dennis, St John's Road, Harrogate.

WE are constantly told that the Government believes in openness. The decision to close all details arising from the suicide of WMO scientist David Kelly for 70 years, and to close any material not presented to the public inquiry for 30 years, shows no commitment to open

government.

What does this information apparently held back from the public inquiry tell us about the death of David Kelly, and why is the Government running scared?

Spoiled outing

From: Peter M Lumley, Haworth Road, Bradford.

MY first visit to Yeadon Tarn recently should have been an enjoyable experience for me and my family.

However, no pathways in the car park or around the tarn had been

gritted or cleared of ice, although there was plenty of dog mess everywhere.

Also, all four doors were locked on the new toilet block. It will be a long time before we go there again.