Letters to the Editor

From the archive, first published Tuesday 21st Feb 2006.

Airport privatisation makes good sense

SIR - Was Councillor Greenwood's histrionic reaction to the proposed sale of Leeds Bradford Airport really a considered view made after first reading the detailed report produced by council officers in Leeds (T&A, February 17)? Having read the report, this is clearly one of the least difficult decisions the Council will ever have to make.

Leeds Bradford remains the only UK airport left in local authority ownership and is the only airport not part of a major consortium. It is starved of the access to capital markets and airline contacts that private, multi-airport operators bring.

It is extremely vulnerable to the collective threat from the six neighbouring airports which are now operated between just two conglomerates.

Leeds Bradford is ranked just 15th in the UK despite serving the fourth largest conurbation, and 75 per cent of passengers from the region use other airports, predominately Manchester.

Privately-owned airports in the UK are so obviously doing much better than Leeds Bradford, despite having smaller hinterlands.

Councillor Greenwood should talk to his Labour colleagues on Merseyside and in the North East to see how privatisation has benefited their airports and local economies. This is not about ideologies, it is about common sense.

Andrew Metcalfe, Great Horton Road, Bradford 7

Facts and figures

SIR - Recently Mike Priestley told us that the presentation of government policy was mostly smoke and mirrors.

But when it comes to subtle distortion of the truth, political commentators like Mr Priestley are in a class of their own. In his North of Watford column (T&A, February 4) for example, he mentioned the fact that 100 servicemen have now lost their lives in Iraq, which is true, but the context of his comment (which was to complain about Tony Blair's apparently cheerful indifference to this sombre milestone) would suggest to the casual reader that all had been killed in action.

Had he said that of the 100 deaths, 51 were attributable to contact with the enemy and of the other 49, many had been killed in road accidents, on the firing range, by friendly fire and even natural causes, the force of his blanket denunciation would have been greatly diminished.

Such tragedies can and do occur any where and at any time across the military establishment so it is wrong to suggest they are only happening as a consequence of the `illegal' invasion of Iraq.

Brian Holmans, Langley Road, Bingley

EU eye-opener

SIR - I am afraid that Lol Kirkwood (T&A, February 10) seems to have missed the point about the threat to the British "pint".

Every so often the European Commission wants to standardise packaging sizes across the EU and we are supposed to be grateful when they give the British pint a stay of execution.

The big picture he does not see is that in my view it should not be for the EU to decide whether or not we can sell milk or beer in pints. It should be a matter decided in Britain and Britain alone.

When people voted to join the EEC in 1975 did they realise that the majority of laws in this country would come from Brussels rather than Westminster? Did they think the EU could decide whether or not we sold measures in pints or litres, and groceries in kilos or pounds?

I suspect not. I think most people thought they were just voting for free trade.

Philip Davies MP, Hartlington Court, Baildon

Get volunteering!

SIR - Did you know that across England thousands of people give up their time to create urban community allotments, giving children a chance to learn first hand about healthy food, clear up local grot-spots or start rural conservation projects to protect endangered butterflies?

They do this because volunteering is a great way to show you care about improving the environment. Better still, volunteering is also good for your health.

Research by CSV Make a Difference Day and Barclays found that 42 per cent of environmental volunteers say volunteering helps them to lose weight while 61 per cent say volunteering helps them combat stress.

A great way to `go green' is by signing up with CSV's environmental volunteering campaign Environment Agency Action Earth. You can get involved in the campaign by visiting www.csv.org.uk/actionearth and registering your own project or by linking up with other volunteers in your area.

Kirsty King, BBC Ground Force Presenter, CSV, 237 Pentonville Road, London

A better option

SIR - S J Close of Baildon (T&A, January 27)) takes far too negative a view of parish councils, some of which have proved highly successful, even `models'.

His central point is that residents would have to pay twice for services due to them already from the district, overlooking the likelihood that when service delivery is increasingly constrained by financial limits, communities without a strong identity and voice will simply fall behind in the queue.

Moreover, a parish or town council might make better use of the delegated resources, cut out waste and duplication and apply for additional funding from outside the district.

Ward councillors cannot always carry out this role since they often belong to intractably opposed parties, unable to agree on the common good. Indeed, they may not even share the life of the community, whereas parish councillors have to live within a three-mile radius.

The current crop of Urban Villages are but short-term palliatives with limited resources, staffed by unelected volunteers, whereas parish councillors are democratically elected, thus able to speak up for their neighbourhoods and challenge City Hall.

Coun James Lewthwaite, (BNP, Wyke), City Hall, Bradford

Nuclear truths

SIR - Kamran Hussain (T&A, February 10) correctly points out that America is the only country that has used nuclear missiles, on the assumption that he refers to the atom bomb used against Japan.

The Japanese were fanatics and to end the war with them would have resulted in considerably more deaths if more conventional means had been used.

My information, of many years, is that the Americans were mortified with the results of the bomb drop and proposed to the Soviet Union that the world should not go down the nuclear path. The USSR, being near to producing its own bomb, said no.

T Hill, Harbour Crescent, Bradford

Details, please

SIR - Residents of Addingham will be informed shortly of the 2006/2007 precept to pay on top of their council tax.

Surely, after two years in operation, a report should be prepared and circulated for quiet reflection.

The fullest detail would be welcome, but at least expenditure and objectives achieved and proposed for next year if only in outline would be welcome.

H Johnson, Stamp Hill Close, Addingham

More respect

SIR - In reply to Diane Duguid's letter (T&A, February 4), I agree with everything she said: "an eye for an eye".

But to compare these vile people with animals is wrong. Animals have more respect for each other than humans.

Mrs J Ball, Ridgeway, Wrose

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