Wednesday's Letters: Lack of technical skills is a shameful loss to this country

The prime guilty party for this shameful state of affairs is government in one form or another. These variously have used education as a political football, the one side stoking up enmity and jealousy for the last 65 years. Their opponents' responses, when in office, have done little to improve the situation. Further, it was an act of government which destroyed at a stroke the tradition of apprenticeships. Now, astonishingly, these are suddenly thought to be a good idea.

Some 30 years ago, as a representative of a business organisation and a school governor, I drew attention to the appalling standard of school leavers' education, where those put to training at technical colleges had to pause in their courses to learn what they should have been taught at school, notably English and mathematics.

Then, government having converted technical and further education colleges to second- tier universities, many offering unusual degrees, we now hear that it is going to be another good idea to have establishments where real practical technology will be brought to the fore of further education.

It is no wonder that British commerce and industry needs to recruit elsewhere, but let us not forget that far too many of those self same companies chose to deprive people of jobs in Britain in favour of cut-price overseas labour in low wage factories.

Finally, those sitting idly drawing benefits should be put to training so that our businesses do not have to look overseas for recruits, and the Government should work with industry to ensure that they are gainfully employed. It will be better for the Government to share the cost of such starter employment than to have to pay the whole cost of idle time on full benefit.

Iain Duncan-Smith's proposal (Yorkshire Post, November 8) to create legions of street and open space cleaners may not provide the skills industry needs, but it might at least introduce a work ethic as a starter.

From: RC Curry, Adel Grange Close, Leeds.

From: Alex Alexander, Woodhall Road, Calverley, Pudsey, Leeds.

REGARDING people working on benefits, I agree with the coalition and not the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams (Yorkshire Post), November 8.

Dr Williams is less than realistic. He is allowing his Christian ethics to overcome the realities of the situation. Having worked over 40 years for my family and myself, not without trials and tribulations, I might add, I am a strong believer in the ethic of work.

Dr Williams groups all the unemployed as vulnerable people. They are not!

There are a lot of scroungers out there, who have no compunction in drawing benefits, which the last Government did not address.

One good deed spoiled by council waste

From: Mrs Jean Seage, Moseley Wood Gardens, Leeds.

LAST week, Leeds City Council announced they were to cancel the 2010 New Year's Eve celebrations in the city centre, thereby saving council tax payers 33,000.

I applauded this decision and contacted the council via email to express my opinion. I received electronic confirmation that my email had been received and passed to the relevant department. Assuming that was the end of my communication with the council, I was aghast to receive a letter through the post thanking me for my communication.

I'm thinking that this is actually a waste of money, paper, resources and time, which is exactly what I was thanking the council for saving.

I think I have now changed my mind!

Value for money

From: Coun John Fareham, Ella Street, Kingston Upon Hull.

THANK you for your kind nod about the work I put in and meetings attended (Yorkshire Post, October 30).

May I clarify for the benefit of your readers that I assume the figure of over 100 meetings I have attended, that you quote, are only those at committees and sub-committees level that you can readily glean from the minutes.

Your readers may be interested to know that diligent councillors' work involves a lot of meetings with members of staff and if those are taken into account then my figure is considerably higher.

I mention this with no vain glory but merely to point out that some of us do earn our 11,000 per year and thus represent value for money to our electorate.

Heat still on steel loan

From: Don Alexander, Knab Road, Sheffield.

DAVID Quarrie (Yorkshire Post, November 3) may be interested to know that Ikuo Sato, President of Japan Steelworks, has also said that the British Government were right to renege on the promised loan to Sheffield Forgemasters (he's not made clear whether he thinks Nissan of Japan ought to repay the 20m gift they got from our Government).

Of course, both the Japanese government and Japanese banks support Japanese industry with favourable laws and loans, so he can bask in their support and in the knowledge that his 15,000 ton forge has got the monopoly, still, for the largest forgings for the new nuclear power stations (500 minimum to be built around the world in the next 20-30 years, according to the Steel Times, needing billions of pounds worth of forgings).

Lord Digby Jones, ex-CBI chief, has called the decision crass, disgraceful short-termism and which is totally against the national interest. It is ironic that US firm Westinghouse had more faith in Forgemasters than our Government, and was prepared to loan 40m, to be repaid eventually by forgings from Sheffield.

The European Bank, too, was prepared to chip in with 15m.

The longer this saga rumbles on, the more I'm convinced that the coalition fully realise they've blundered, but with Cabinet joint irresponsibility, daren't now admit it.

Short, sharp shock urged

From: Dr Hilary Andrews, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

I WAS disgusted to read of the behaviour of the young offenders in South Yorkshire (Yorkshire Post, November 8). Why do they have to go to these units?

Surely a short (or longer if necessary) spell under the care of an army sergeant major with some discipline and little privileges would sort them out and make them realise their responsibilities to the community.

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

DO not immediately rehouse those responsible but make the offenders live in the accommodation they have so wantonly destroyed. If there's no washing and toilet facilities; no comfortable beds; no cooking equipment and if when it rains or snows they get wet and cold, these will simply be the consequences of their own actions.

I am certain if law-abiding people suffered cutbacks and wrecked their own homes, the Government would not rehouse them or compel others to fund their repair, for they would rightly say their position was self-inflicted.

Airport help is appreciated

From: Margaret Forster, Helredale Gardens, Whitby.

I WOULD like to publicly thank the "assistance" people at Leeds Bradford Airport and all the other airports, both at home and abroad, that provide this facility. If it were not for this free service, people like me would not be able to travel by air. I am so grateful.

I book assistance and I am met at the "check-in" desk with a wheelchair and escorted to the cafeteria.

At boarding time, someone collects me and takes me to the plane where I don't have to struggle up the steps as a mobile lift is provided.

The same sort of service is given on landing at the airport. The mobile lift arrives with wheelchairs and takes me off the plane. I am then escorted through passport control and taken to collect my suitcase then escorted to the hire car.

The assistance service not only helps with my mobility problems but takes away a lot of the stress involved with travelling alone.

So what if we have to wait more than usual sometimes? Other planes are arriving within minutes, with people on board needing assistance. We can't all be helped at once as I believe the airport has only two or three mobile lifts and limited personnel.

Thanks again and carry on the good work.

We should all be supporting British farmers

From: Derek Foot, Northway, Pickering.

LINDA Lawson (Yorkshire Post, November 6) is appalled by the thought of intensive milk farms and does not want to buy milk which originates from animals denied access to grass and fresh air.

Is Ms Lawson aware that such farms almost certainly use vast silos to store soya which is fed to the cows to improve the quality of the milk? Perhaps she will consider buying soya milk instead?

It is far healthier than cows' milk (no residue of vets injections, or chemically enhanced feed) and uses five times less land and 10 times less water to produce than products from animal protein.

Breast and prostate cancer patients have found their health improves by ditching dairy products. We are the only mammal that consumes animal milk after infancy.

From: Joan Machin, Carr Hill Drive, Calverley, Leeds.

I AGREE with Linda Lawson ("It's time for shoppers to use power", Yorkshire Post, November 6).

Shoppers have the power of their purses, and they should use it to promote the kind of produce they want. Linda, and all your other readers can also help British farmers by asking their MPs to sign the Early Day Motion 530 – Public Sector Food.

The Public Bodies (Sustainable Food) Bill, will make sure that hospitals and all public bodies source good quality sustainable food, where animals are raised humanely. The Bill is being heard in Parliament on Friday.

Hypocrisy of Harman

From: Ralph Musgrave, Garden Avenue, Durham.

TOM Richmond is right to criticise Harriet Harman for calling Treasury Minister Danny Alexander a "ginger rodent" (Yorkshire Post, November 5). However, your columnist missed the enormity of Harriet Harman's hypocrisy here.

Harriet Harman was the driving force behind the Equalities Act (2010). And this law greatly enhances the right of those on the receiving end of "offensive" remarks to sue.

If Harriet Harman is so concerned about offensive remarks, she is the one person in the UK above all others who should abstain from such remarks!

Golden legacy

From: John Whiteley, Stonedale Close, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Otley.

HOW nice it was to see the lovely picture of Margaret Thatcher on the front page (Yorkshire Post, November 2). How mean-spirited of those who wrote to object.

It seems that the old class warriors of the Left clinging to their bankrupt ideas still cannot come to terms with the facts.

Mrs T turned around the basket case that was Britain, left by the previous Labour Government, and left a golden legacy – only for the country to be dragged once again to the brink by a Labour Government.

Balanced view

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

JUST when I thought that Silvio Berlusconi's credibility couldn't sink any further he comes out – no pun intended – with the assertion that it is "better to have a passion for beautiful women than to be gay" (Yorkshire Post, November 6).

However, we have come to expect a bit more discretion from Stephen Fry who says he feels sorry for heterosexual men because women aren't intrinsically keen on sex.

Setting aside the puerility of both statements, isn't it about time gay and straight people stopped patronising each other?