West Yorkshire mayoral candidates lack qualifications – Yorkshire Post Letters

THANK you for publishing the aspirations of the candidates for West Yorkshire mayor (The Yorkshire Post, April 5 and 9).

You have yourself commented editorially about the need for 
the new mayor to operate effectively with the Government and existing local authority leaders.

This means the new mayor, whoever he or she is, must be somebody who naturally and intuitively commands attention and respect.

That means being a big hitter. It also means having enormous experience already.

Against that background, it is noticeable that none of the candidates really tell us 
anything about their achievements to date in 
whatever field they work in.

That’s so disappointing.

If I were conducting a job interview, I’d be reluctant to appoint any of them.

It is almost as though we are being asked to vote for the least worst of people whom we know little or nothing about anyway.

That’s dangerous for democracy and sad for the future prospects of West Yorkshire.

Could I ask, through your pages, that each one of them explains to us in some detail why and how he/she will be the champion we so desperately need?

From: Michael Meadowcroft, Former Liberal MP, Leeds.

BUSINESS skills of all kinds will be more vital than ever as we seek to recover from the serious damage done to our economy by the pandemic (Mark Casci, The Yorkshire Post, April 6).

One detrimental trend in 
post-war politics has been the decline in the number of businessmen and women in politics able to speak from experience of the practical needs of industry.

Gone are the days of Sir Alfred Mond and William Mather, giants of the chemical and engineering industries who served time as MPs.

Given the low esteem, constant social media barrage and the constant surveillance of their lives, there is very little incentive to enter the rough and tumble of politics.

Most politicians are, like myself, individuals who have spent very little time in any directly profit-making role, but rather we have depended on others doing so in order to provide the cash for the work we do and the policies we promote. I have always respected those who make politics possible.

I recall a posh meal many years ago in the Leeds Civic Hall. I was sat next to Raymond Ellis, a rich Labour councillor for Chapeltown. His Labour fellow councillors were teasing him and asking how he could be wealthy and also a Labour representative. Raymond said: “Well, someone has to pay for socialism!”

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