YP Letters: Oxfam shame shouldn't stop donations

LETTERS use the Oxfam scandal as an excuse to terminate foreign aid. It is indeed a scandal that this situation has occurred, and remained secret, within this respected organisation, questions must be answered.

Sadly, these occurrences seem to be endemic in all walks of life, it would appear there are “rotten apples in every barrel”.

To compound one transgression by committing another would help no one, and I doubt the NHS would welcome tainted money.

I sincerely hope that readers of The Yorkshire Post, the population of God’s own county and Parliament treat this suggestion with the contempt it deserves. It won’t affect my donations. I hope it doesn’t affect yours.

From: Tim Patchett, Slaithwaite.

REGARDING the ongoing problems associated with Oxfam, why do so many people give to Oxfam when there are so many local charities who do not receive “foreign aid” monies or the ability to spend on television promotions, mail drops, etc?

Many people, myself included, did not know that Oxfam were basically “sponsored” by governments – past and present – to promote their aid across the world. Charity should begin at home.

From: Dave Roberts, Scunthorpe.

BILL Carmichael (The Yorkshire Post, February 16) mentions the almost £32m provided by the British government in the last year, but fails to mention that their income and expenditure was over £400m. Given this, the Government’s contribution is well under 10 per cent.

Many of the recipients will be suffering from the dual effects of the legacy of colonialism and climate change, where our historic greenhouse gas emissions are many times higher than theirs and yet the current effects on them are far greater than on us.

I am not generally a fan of 4x4s, but the roads in the areas the agencies operate in will normally be no more than mud tracks; so 4x4s will be the only feasible means of transport for significant distances.

Sad day of last city trams

From: Robert H Foster, Skipton.

IN my first term at primary school, on a foggy November 7, 1959, my father took me to Leeds to travel on the last day of the city’s trams. He said that it was a big mistake to abandon them. I wince whenever driving through Lawnswood where the segregated tram route is still clearly visible.

This week it is reported that those in charge of transport in Leeds propose a new regime of buses. Before they condemn those living in, working in and visiting Leeds to yet a third generation of inadequate city transport, might I suggest that these people spend a day in Switzerland?

They should visit Basel and Zurich – both cities are about the same size as Leeds – and ride the tram systems there. They will see how public transport should be organised and the advantages to the environment and wellbeing conferred by trams.

Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Edinburgh have recently re-installed tram systems while Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow have underground/metro systems in addition to London. It is tragic that Leeds intends to persist with buses.

Limits of sanity...

From: Hugh Rogers, Messingham Road, Ashby.

STATUTORY speed limits are an ineffective and ultimately pointless way of trying to control road user behaviour.

Yet it is the one which the police spend their time enforcing. If I drove down our local high street at 30mph, I would rightly be called mad or bad. But it would still be legal.

A drive from my house to Brigg involves limits of 30, 40, 70, 60, 50, 60, 40 and 30mph. For a 10 minute journey. It’s madness.

I want to concentrate on the road not my speedometer. Just for the record, I’ve never been caught for speeding, so it’s not personal!

Schools key to Dales’ future

From: Sue Shackleton, Richmond.

IT is a fact that good schools have a strong influence over where families choose to live and that parents are willing to travel to good schools.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and local councils should be exploiting these facts and start investing in their rural schools, making them centres of excellence.

They should make use of the environment they are situated in and the wealth of key skills people returning to the Dales bring with them.

The schools would repay the investment by attracting family and day children back into YDNP, and giving the villages a new lease of life.

Osborne is not missed

From: Iain Morris, Caroline Street, Shipley.

I THINK the best thing Theresa May has done since coming to power is to have sacked George Osborne and I do not think there will be many who have ever spent any time on the shop floor who would disagree with that, despite the opinion of Spencer Pitfield (The Yorkshire Post, February 16).

Speak to us

From: Henry Cobden, Ilkey.

WHY are Ministers like Boris Johnson not making Brexit speeches to Parliament? Wasn’t the EU referendum about sovereignty – or only when it suits them?