Letters to the Editor

Sir - May I suggest Mr Heaton (T&A July 15) goes and stands by any busy road and observes the drivers. What he will find is that attitudes to safe driving are so lax that they are non-existent.

He will find the majority of drivers travelling breaking the speed limit will be the mature, responsible individuals, his so-called life-long conscientious drivers, although there will also be the boy racers.

If he had read my letter properly he would have found I said "if drivers will not heed the speed limits then yes, let's have more cameras". I certainly was not demanding more. In truth, I would rather there were no cameras.

Let drivers decide the suitable speed limit - why not, we could also get rid of those bothersome traffic lights so they won't have to slow down every so often.

I am all for freedom and in this country that is what we have. Our freedom is only taken away when we want to do just what we like.

I never mentioned 'security cameras' but I have no qualms about such cameras in our cities. In the main they provide a valuable aid to preventing or solving crime.

Don Oliver, Gerard House, Fairhaven Green, Idle.

Expose the lies

Sir - I am writing to congratulate the T&A on its reporting of the BNP, both before the local elections and in its coverage of the excellent Secret Agent programme on BBC1.

While I am saddened and disgusted by the fact that Bradford has four BNP councillors, I feel sure most of the people who elected them are decent, law-abiding citizens who were misled by the lies and propaganda promulgated by the BNP.

Many of those people will now realise that the BNP are not a legitimate political party, concerned about the issues affecting local people but a group whose prime agenda is to promote racial tension in our city.

If the BBC had broadcast the Secret Agent programme before the elections, it is likely we would not have had any BNP councillors elected in Bradford.

I hope the T&A will continue to expose the BNP's lies and that the people of Bradford will ensure that the BNP are never again elected on to Bradford Council.

S Lock, Halstead Place, Bradford.

End this alien fear

Sir - It may be reassuring to convince ourselves that a vast majority of people only voted for the BNP in the recent elections because they had been misled by the party's suppression of its true nature.

This assessment is probably too simplistic because only the most naive person could claim to having been ignorant of the party's immigration policies, or the type of grassroots support it would attract.

Your enlightened correspondents from the ethnic communities like Mr Zafar, Mr Ali and Mr Khan had all previously acknowledged that until immigration from the sub-continent is either halted or vigorously controlled, the indigenous communities were more likely to vote for extreme parties like the BNP.

The main parties have failed to heed the enlightened views from the ethnic communities and have kow-towed to political correctness, and as a result support has grown for the BNP.

Should controlled immigration be affected, the largely Muslim community would in time become anglicised and better integrated, while still retaining its cultural identity, as has the Italian community in America.

It is only when the fear of a perceived alien culture taking control has ended will support for extreme factions be ended.

Alec Suchi, Allerton Road, Bradford.

BBC blunder

SIR - Why did the BBC devote prime time and voice captions too (to make sure hard of hearing saw, if they could not not hear, the strong language) to those taking part in The Secret Agent, the recent documentary about the BNP?

The BBC in my eyes have done a disservice to the local community in showing the programme. It could - though I hope it does not - re-ignite the flame of hatred that tarnished our city in the past.

The good work done by the people of all races and creeds locally to heal the wounds and further foster the peace and harmony that has been brought about could be damaged by the actions of the BBC.

I hope not. Let us continue to give out and never give in.

Stephen Walsh, Church Street, Bingley.

A boost for Leeds

SIR - Having seen all the views on cross rail, most of them in favour, a motive for the Council's inaction becomes clear.

Leeds favours rail schemes, has just had a massive modernisation, and plans a tramway. Bradford capitulated to the road lobby long ago and tore out the city's heart to accommodate them.

As long as Bradford people have to travel via Leeds, they are counted as Leeds customers, hence boosting that city's claim for more investment. Bradford's poor links mean we are discounted for investment.

This suits Metro down to the ground. They are all well aware that a through Bradford line would be so popular and well used for both local and long-distance connections that Leeds would lose a large proportion of its captive users and the existing routes would dwindle, reducing much of its clout with the begging bowl for its future plans.

Bradford's smug politicos vaguely dream that Leeds might "...extend its future supertram eight miles into Bradford..." and embrace the status quo as long as we let them get away with it.

George Healy, Evans Towers, Bradford.

30-year rubbish!

SIR - After reading the story regarding the Odeon (T&A, July 14) it's obvious that the people concerned want to pull it down.

To say after renovating it, it would only last 30 years is rubbish. Get some good builders and it would last a lot longer than the glass and concrete they want to put up.

I started in the building trade in 1936. Many of the old buildings around Forster Square I have worked on only to see them pulled down and replaced by the ones they are now pulling down.

I worked a lot with Mr Helliwell, then the city architect on council property. I don't know what he would think now.

J Robinson, Moss Carr Road, Long Lee, Keighley.

UKIP petulance

SIR - Answering my previous letter, Gary Lorriman writes (T&A, July 20) "the UKIP has had, and will have, far more influence".

Do I detect more than a whiff of self-deluding wishful thinking here? At the risk of repeating myself ad nauseam, ad infinitum, the only influence which matters will be the number of Westminster seats UKIP can command.

By happy coincidence, I have just been listening to reports on the performance of UKIP MEPs on their first day in Strasbourg.

Initially, they tore up their voting papers for the election of commission president (why am I reminded of petulant children?).

Then Godfrey Bloom MEP came up with two gems of political sagacity. "No businessman with half a brain would employ a woman of child-bearing age," and "women do not clean behind the fridge enough."

And there was I thinking that Neanderthals were extinct!

Peter Wilson, Thornhill Grove, Calverley.