YP Letters: Road safety course better than slap on wrist

WHAT a splendid article by Jayne Dowle (The Yorkshire Post, September 14) on the matter of road awareness.

The item within it, which rang a bell with me, was the issue of tailgating. Foolishly I was “pushed along” recently on leaving Halifax and was caught speeding at 36 mph in a 30 mph area.

Pleading “tailgating” would not have helped my cause so I went along to a Speed Awareness Course, at a cost of £78.50, rather than paying the £100 fine plus three points. The course reminded (and taught) me of lots good ways to become a better driver.

I think that, on the first infringement of some road law, such a safety awareness course should be made compulsory. I reckon that is more likely to improve driving standards than paying a fine and being given three points on one’s driving licence.

Limit lending for houses

From: John Riseley, Harcourt Drive, Harrogate.

I AGREE with Allan Sutherland (The Yorkshire Post, September 14) on the need for government intervention to limit house prices, but not on the form he suggests this should take.

If increasing the supply of housing at public expense had the intended effect, we would not only be crashing the value of a major public asset but also one that is held by many of the taxpayers who put up the money for this exercise. We could expect to see widespread defaulting on mortgages, bankruptcies and a more generalised financial crash.

Government does, however, have an alternative lever which it has a right – and duty – to employ to stop further price rises. This is to control the supply of money available for buying houses by restricting the percentage of a property’s price which may be borrowed.

This, of course, will be seen as a threat to our love affair with owner-occupation. Yet it has always been rather misleading to speak of householders in heavily mortgaged properties as owning their homes. What they have effectively owned is the future fluctuation in its market value.

Blair’s EU power dream

From: Alan Chapman, Beck Lane, Bingley.

ONCE Parliament re-assembled, Tony Blair emerged from the shadows attempting to persuade MPs to stand up and follow their true opinions that would block, then reverse, the majority will of the people resulting from the EU referendum.

Blair attempts to convince us he is fighting for the benefit of the country. This is a mirage, he believes his true destiny is the become the EU Tsar, as proposed by Jean-Claude Juncker in his State of the Union speech, and thus condemning the UK population to serfdom.

Blair’s problem, no longer being a resident of a member state of the EU, is that once we depart, he cannot even obtain an application form to live here. What a bonus, what a blessing, hooray!

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

SO the Brexit folly has cleared another hurdle. One argument I’ve got sick of hearing is that a democratic decision has been reached and we must get on with it. What dangerous nonsense!

Decisions, or at least results, of referendums are not sacrosanct.

All choices made by human beings can, and must, be open to challenge because man himself is fallible.

There is plenty of doubt 
about the wisdom of cutting adrift from the EU and to consider retracting must remain an option.

This country will not meet with disaster whatever happens, but it is obviously prudent to proceed to a second referendum when the time comes.

The young would be the ones affected most if things go wrong – and they voted overwhelmingly to stay in.

School will not lose out

From: Julian Sturdy, Conservative MP for York Outer.

THE Education Secretary (Justine Greening) guaranteed a minimum funding rate earlier in the summer and I am delighted that this has now been confirmed and the national funding formula will be introduced from 2018.

At times, it has felt as 
though our campaign might falter and there have been a number of delays and necessary tweaks.

However, the latest guarantees are positive and I shall be having further discussions with head teachers and City of York Council in coming weeks

This reform has been a long time coming and will make a real difference to many schools in York.

Initial proposals suggested that a small number of schools in my constituency would be losing money; thankfully the Government has listened to the recent consultation and this is no longer the case.

Poverty is relative

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

READING Frank Field’s article about children going hungry during school holidays because of poverty tends to make me cross (The Yorkshire Post, September 15).

Poverty is relative and much of it is because families put the possession of the latest big screen TV and the most up-to-date mobile phone or other gadget ahead of the essentials of life.

Keeping up with the Jonees has often become more important than food.

If we want to know what real poverty was like, we have only to go back to my childhood in the 1930s and ‘40s.

Father was a labourer 
who was on a very low wage 
and yet we were still fed 
properly.

Although we didn’t have the latest footwear and designer clothes, we always had something to wear, albeit hand-me-downs.