The Keighley News: News from across Keighley and surrounding areas.

Letters to the Editor

From the archive, first published Thursday 9th Feb 2006.

SIR - What memories your picture of The Nomads conjured from my days at Haworth Youth Club in the 1950s.

It was there that The Nomads practiced in their very early days when my sister, Pat, was youth leader and her future husband, Brian "Squibs" Squires, was her assistant. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then, it was Pat who originally suggested the name Nomads. Perhaps Norman, who was a good pal in those days, or Spike could confirm or otherwise.

We had some great times at Haworth Youth Club, what with the Nomads, the formation of Haworth football team, trips to the continent (to Loret de Mar when it only had one hotel!) in the days before mass air travel, a fantastic girls' netball team which turned out just about en-bloc for the Yorkshire Ladies, Scottish Country Dancing with no bodily contact (remember that one, you former Haworth Youth Clubbers?). I think I could go on but I risk being boring.

Whatever happened to youth clubs? We met on Tuesdays and Sundays and they gave us a great sense of belonging. Perhaps they are what is needed today.

A few years ago there was a reunion, organised by Val Simpson, which regrettably I missed. I wish we could have another. I would love to meet up again with all my former pals. Incidentally, I met my wife Maureen at the youth club.

In April we shall have been married for 41 years.

Regrettably, neither Maureen nor I will be able to get to the Nomads concert but we both wish Norman, Spike and all the band every success in their endeavours for Manorlands, a most excellent and worthy cause.

Phil Dore

Holly Grove

Kirkby Malham

North Yorkshire

Sir - Muslims have been dismayed by three events last week:

1,The watering down of the Religious Hatred Bill so that it will be very difficult to secure any convictions under it.

2, The "not guilty" verdicts on Nick Griffin and Mark Collett of the BNP for some very poisonous remarks they made about Muslims.

3, The publication in Denmark and elsewhere (but fortunately not in this country) of deliberately offensive cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, and also the violent reaction to those cartoons by a minority of their fellow-Muslims.

May we urge the Muslim community in Keighley not to give up on Western society and retreat into a ghetto mentality, but rather to engage with it intellectually, economically and politically.

May we also urge the wider community to reject Islamophobia and work for better mutual understanding and respect between different faith groups.

Rev Peter Mott (Chair)

and Ahsan Ullah

(Vice Chair)

Keighley Inter-Faith Group

SIR - I feel compelled to add my voice to the debate surrounding the publication of those cartoons following Ann Cryer's appearance on Monday's Newsnight programme.

Many responsibilities come with the freedom of speech. It is not an unqualified right and no-one has the right to offend those beliefs which are held most sacrosanct simply for comical effect.

These responsibilities are not limited to the editors who published the cartoons but also to all Muslims. Mr Choudry of Al-Ghuraba used his five minutes of fame to shout at and to offend practically everyone. Luckily it was clear for all to see that this is no mainstream Muslim.

There should be no space for supremacist views in the British media, regardless of which side they come from. So when Ann Cryer said:"I wish that man would shut up" -- I sincerely believe she was speaking for every single one of her reasonable constituents, and definitely for every reasonable Muslim.

She must also be congratulated for being the first to make any attempt to answer him while others were mesmerised by his discourse.

Perhaps Mr Choudry would take heed of the call of the Muslim Council of Britain in its latest press release calling on Muslims to act with dignity at all times.

Mohammed Sajid

Doctoral Researcher

University of Bradford

(formerly of Keighley)

SIR - The Muslim community in Keighley has been deeply hurt and offended by the cartoons published across Europe.

Mockery or insult of any religion cannot and should not be tolerated.

The fact that the British press refused to publish them demonstrates the standard of decency and understanding in this country, may this continue.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of those demonstrators outside the Danish Embassy in London last week who carried offensive placards that were clearly an attempt to incite violence. This cannot be tolerated either and they should be prosecuted. They are in a tiny minority -- and do not represent British or Islamic beliefs -- the vast majority of Muslims have protested peacefully. Islam is a peaceful religion and anyone who attempts to use it or depict it otherwise is doing so for their own motives.

SHAMIM AKHTAR

South Edge, Keighley

SIR - The voters of Denholme and Cullingworth must be well pleased with their elected representative at Westminster who, as our polluted planet sinks ever more deeply into a new dark age of violence and gross superstition, takes up the cudgels in defence of Rupert Bear and Rule Britannia.

Why can't everybody else see that what the world needs is gung-ho tunes and bears in trousers?

ROBERT SWINDELLS

Spring Row

Denholme Road

Oxenhope

SIR - The trial of Nick Griffin and Mark Collett was nothing short of a modern day witch-hunt.

West Yorkshire Police have wasted hours of manpower, money and resources in pursuing this pernicious prosecution.

Meanwhile the BNP have enjoyed publicity that money just couldn't buy. This victory for freedom of speech is not just a personal or even political one, but one that can be enjoyed by every free thinking person in the land.

And thanks to the freedom of speech, I can openly state without fear of reprisal that I find the words of the Rev Dr Jonathan Pritchard (last week's KN, front page) abhorrent. The Rev Pritchard is always ready to voice a vicious soundbite against the BNP. The liberal left organisation Keighley Together show no empathy or understanding towards the majority of `working class' people in this town and their ideology is redundant and bankrupt.

STUART FEATHER

Hainworth Lane, Ingrow

SIR - Richard Topham's assurances that the Aire Valley Recycling service will improve are welcome, but I can't help but feel there is a very long way to go.

The stickers he refers to in his letter show that we will have a collection on August 14, 2006, and that there will be no collection after that until September 11, 2006. This is four weeks, and such a gap between collections is ridiculous.

Imagine the outcry if our wheelie bins were only emptied on this kind of frequency! There are also other basic flaws in the service. For instance, at the last collection we put out a clean crate; we received back a filthy crate full of broken glass. Hardly an incentive to use it again.

Having lived in various parts of the country over the last few years I can say that the service we receive from our bin men here is second to none. Until Aire Valley Recycling can provide an organised and reliable service comparable to that of the refuse collection I fear that they will continue to weaken peoples' enthusiasm for recycling.

Duncan Boud

Damems Lane, Keighley

SIR - re Haworth Traffic, I am pleased that my letter (Keighley News 20/01/06) has provoked a response from Brontë Country Partnership in the form of Graham Mitchell's letter in last week's paper.

The original news item gave the impression that this organisation was suggesting that the residents of Haworth would be asked to foot the bill for any traffic improvements in the village. I am pleased that Graham Mitchell has now confirmed that this is not the case and that there is no suggestion that Haworth council tax payers will be asked to pay for any traffic plans which they or their consultants put forward. I am sure that Mr Mitchell would agree that any such proposal would be extremely unfair.

GARY SWALLOW

Sand Street, Haworth

SIR - Nine months ago to the day I installed my remote-control rainfall gauge on the shed roof with small screen indoors.

In nine months we have had only 20.72 inches of rain, which seems very little to me, and unless the heavens open the total for the year will not even reach 30 inches. As it is only `year one' for me I cannot say if this is below average or not, but maybe you have readers who can?

BRUCE WOOD

Exley Road, Keighley

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