YP Letters: Fracking and Brexit viewpoint ill-informed

WHILE graduating in politics, Samuel Ribsansky has clearly learned to argue that black is white (The Yorkshire Post, July 17). He uses the same tactics as Lord Lawson by presenting information that appears to show that there is doubt about the scientific findings regarding fracking when there isn’t.

When touching upon atmospheric pollution, nothing is said about the vast volume of water that fracking requires, nor what will happen to the contaminated water. This demand for water is likely to impair everyone else’s as well as polluting water courses.

Conservationists argue that we should be reducing our energy requirements, starting with making our homes more efficient.

Returning to water, during the Industrial Revolution, hundreds, if not thousands of factories, relied on water power, a renewable energy source that is barely tapped. When the sun doesn’t shine, it tends to rain, making hydro-power the ideal counter-balance to solar.

From: Peter Scott, Frack Free Totnes.

SAMUEL Ribansky’s article entitled ‘Why Brexit equates to fracking if Britain to secure energy independence’ is misinformed. He states “there is a strong climate case for fracking”. One only need read the recent statement of Lord Deben, chair of the Government’s Climate Change Committee, to understand how little Mr Ribansky understands the subject. The Government has accepted a carbon budget which will not allow gas for generation in 2030, which makes fracking impossible.

From: Jon Mager, Park Avenue, Beverley.

AS a politics graduate of Sheffield University (1972) may I reassure your readers that Samuel Ribansky’s ill-informed “opinion” on fracking does not reflect the high academic standards set by the university and the department established by Professor Bernard Crick.

Trump is all talk

From: Karl Sheridan, Old Lea, Holme upon Spalding Moor.

IT appears that President Trump’s visit to Europe has overwhelmingly proved that he’s “all mouth and no trousers”.

He seems quite happy to make caustic and critical comments about others – Theresa May and European leaders – via Twitter or the media behind their backs.

Yet, when actually confronting them face to face, he backs down and ends up being mealy-mouthed and conciliatory.

Frankly, if I were an American citizen, I’d be thoroughly ashamed of both the man and the extensive damage he is doing to their country and reputation.

Then again, if one is stupid enough to vote in a glorified builder and developer with no experience of diplomacy and respect, what do you expect?

From: Eddie Peart, Broom Chase, Broom Crescent, Rotherham.

WHAT was the cost of President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK? I suspect we will never be told. A few phone calls would have achieved the same result. The money saved could have been spent on an inquiry into policing of confrontations at Orgreave during the Miners’ Strike.

Issue raised reluctantly

From: Coun Jonathan Bentley, Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrat Group, Leeds City Council.

YOU reported my question to Leeds City Council’s leader, Councillor Judith Blake, concerning a recently elected Labour councillor who is being investigated for an alleged election offence (The Yorkshire Post, July 13).

In the report you quote Coun Blake as saying that she ”was not impressed with the way” I had approached this.

What you do not report is that as part of my question I made it clear that I was raising this in full council with great reluctance. My group would have preferred to have had private talks with the Labour leadership to discuss the implications of these allegations, but our approaches to the leadership, and to the Labour chief whip, were rebuffed. I therefore had no option but to raise the matter in the way I did.

Royals didn’t miss school

From: Jacqueline Beecham, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Ilkley.

A LETTER (The Yorkshire Post, July 16,) asks if Prince William paid a penalty because Prince George and Princess Charlotte were present at the christening of Prince Louis in term time?

The ceremony took place at 4pm, well after both the children’s schools were closed. They were not “taken out” of school and neither could their education have been disrupted.

Carbon sums incomplete

From: Neil Richardson, Kirkheaton.

IN the Energy pages of Yorkshire Vision, there’s a reassuring equation of how CO2 captured as biomass grows is equal to the emissions released when used to generate electricity at Drax, hence no new carbon is added to the atmosphere.

Where do other stages enter this algebra, such as cutting down trees, turning trees into wood pellets and transporting the pellets (which have a lower calorific value than coal) across 3,000 miles of ocean?

True bravery

From: Philip Taylor, Milner Street, Lockwood, Huddersfield.

DIVERS in Thailand have rescued all 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave after they were trapped underground for 17 days.

I believe the brave divers, one of whom lost his life, should receive the highest civilian medal award for extreme courage.