Letters to the Editor

SIR - Gordon Bradley's antiquated prejudice, expressed in his letter last week, implies that Fylingdales and Menwith Hills (equally antiquated) high-tech macho spy tech is incomprehensible to the girlies in the WoMenwith Hill Women's Peace Campaign.

Our electronics engineers considered several feasible ways to 'take out' these US spy bases, but no interference with either transmitters or receivers will disable them permanently (Remember 'Jam ECHELON Day'?).

Even an atomic weapons attack would not prevent reconstruction at another site. The only way to shut down Fylingdales and Menwith Hill permanently, and prevent them being relocated elsewhere, is to render their operations ineffective. This will be achieved when we uncover the lies on which they depend to conduct their spying.

The bases' vulnerability lies in the need for secrecy and deception. Part of the cover is the fiction that the bases function in the interests of the British public. WoMenwith Hill women, and others, campaign to reveal the truth. Sometimes we have to take the law into our own hands to expose the bases' illegal and immoral activities. Some of the campaigners objectives have been realised.

One example is the declassification of the fact that Menwith Hill is actually a US National Security Agency (NSA) station, engaged in interception of communications - although the UK Government continues to collude with propagating the lie that it is Royal Air Force Menwith Hill.

Another example is the European Parliament's recommendation for scrutiny and control of the USA's unlawful, clandestine spying activities. The US military possessed no high tech electronic counter measures to the Greenham Common Women, which is why the peace women succeeded in rendering the nuclear armed, mobile Cruise Missiles inoperable.

The women's hilarious non-violent actions lifted the lid on the secrecy and made it impossible to deploy the weapon launchers so that the enemy would be caught unawares. In practice it took hundreds of police to get them past the women in a blaze of publicity. Menwith Hills days may be numbered.

The use of strong encryption, fibre optic cables and the sheer overload of the monitoring systems is making life very difficult for the NSA. Fylingdales and Menwith Hill's new US Star Wars role, depends on the missile defence system working. It doesn't.

The threat of an attack on these bases by enemies of the US is a reality and people living in this locality should be concerned about the consequences of such an attack. We shall be safer when we get rid of the bases and Gordon can get back to his knitting.

Anne Lee

WoMenwith Hill Women's

Peace Camp(aign),

PO Box 105,

Harrogate, HG3 2FE.

Dangerous tool

SIR, - Gordon Bradley's condescending comment about the Menwith Hill Women's Peace Camp is completely disgraceful.

If this man has the knowledge to interfere with the genocidal plans that are carried out through Fylingdales and Menwith Hill, and the worldwide chain they represent, he should recognise that he, and other electronic engineers like him are culpable. They are passive accomplices of all that is wrong with this US system to dominate the planet at the expense of innocent people's lives. His knowledge is a dangerous tool in the hands of the US and nothing to be proud of.

Helen John

26 The Oval,

Otley

Price to pay

SIR, - You have to marvel at the wonderful pearls of wisdom that seem to flow from the pen of Councillor Ray Dunn and his Labour colleagues.

Only a few weeks ago we had the letter about Otley's wonderful Christmas lights, then fairer charging. We have Coun Gerald McGowan leaping to the rescue of every homeless and anti-social family in Leeds by demanding mega social housing estates to be built east of Otley. Yes, there is a need for affordable housing for the people of Otley, but why should we have outcasts from other areas, along with a few (possibly 100!) asylum seekers?

Do the people of Otley want this to pay for an elevated quarter of an inner relief road? One interesting point made by Brian Shaw, of the Leeds Highways department, was that 80 per cent of all heavy goods vehicles coming into Otley have to come into Otley in any case to serve the existing shops, factories, etc.

Finally, up pops Coun Dunn with another 'pearl' to save Otley Civic Centre. At a cost of over a million pounds - and even then many parts of the building will be inaccessible to the disabled.

Let's briefly look at Coun Dunn's points for not having a new hall. There is a central site at Westgate which was formerly owned by Otley Urban District Council and this is available. Space has been found for a new library in Walkergate so why not a new Civic Centre in Westgate?

Costing would have to be worked out but with Market Towns Initiative (MTI), lottery funding, money saved from the town council budget and saving from the civic centre, it would not be impossible to look at the building of the new hall within four or five years.

As Coun Dunn points out, there is no lease on the civic centre, yet he fails to mention his party's commitment to borrowing money over 25 years on this building. May I remind Coun Dunn of the Quarry Hill fiasco in Leeds where the council was paying long after the houses had gone!

A purpose-built hall would be able to be divided or used as a main hall, would seat around 300 people (could be bigger) and would be complete with the latest disability legislation. I for one find the possibility of herding disabled people in to a fire area and asking people to stand there with them as the building burns, to be totally unacceptable. Would Coun Dunn volunteer for such a task?

I do not believe there is an abundance of prestige office space in Otley and feel Leeds would be able to dispose of the building quite easily. Car parking could be on the land adjacent to the civic centre in Cross Green where the public toilets now stand, as the toilets could be closed on completion of the new toilets/library on Walkergate.

As I have said before, there is no alliance between the Liberal Democrats and me as an Independent Otley town councillor. I just care for Otley and its future and I have shown in the past I can work with anyone - including Labour.

Coun Nigel Francis

6 Pearson's Buildings

Otley

Use your vote

SIR, -.In a few months' time we shall be having the voting literature for the forthcoming elections for various candidates of our township.

Once a year only perhaps do we hear from some of our candidates; indeed some have a shocking attendance level at both council meetings and committee meetings. Planning and project levels continue to develop at expensive levels and the precept gets higher and higher levels - and interest on borrowing continues to soar.

You may take your choice who you vote for, but please vote. You cannot complain about anything the council does if you don't vote. Of course, this applies to your metropolitan authority too and indeed in two years' time with your national vote for elections to Parliament. Not only have you a right to vote, but a responsibility too.

Name and address supplied

Otley.

Hospital tribute

SIR, - As the life of beloved High Royds Hospital comes to an end, we thank all the past staff, doctors and nurses, many of whom looked upon their work as a Christian Ministry in the caring of our fellow friends who had special difficulties.

They also cared for the sick and injured of the armed forces in both world wars. As reported over the past 20 years in your paper, that many of the Wharfedale population considered that Wharfedale Hospital should have been rebuilt on the extensive grounds of High Royds and with the quality stone of the hospital.

It could have been dedicated to the services of the past workers and its patients over the past century. I can only say SHAME, on those in authority and with the power who have stopped the new hospital being built on the High Royds site.

I have over the past 20 years spoken with many persons in the whole area and with staff at the Wharfedale Hospital. The vast opinion was that it should have been built at Menston.

The large still unplanned acreage of the High Royds Hospital could still be used to build a new very large modern Hospital to replace, both St James and or the Leeds General Infirmary which are and will be both in a very congested area and in the most polluted city in England.

We have the railway, the airport and as in the past a special bus/train service out of Leeds to the door of the hospital. The new hospital being built on the extreme edge of Otley on the North side of the market town, is never going to be able to cope with the very large population of Wharfedale after the extensive number of dwelling houses being and due to be built.

N Copsey (Mr)

29 Whackhouse Lane,

Yeadon.

Gridlock ahead

SIR, - Local people within a five-mile radius of High Royds will suffer a drop in living standards if the development recently announced goes ahead. More crowded shops, offices, surgeries and hospital waiting lists extended.

But the worst hazard will be GRIDLOCK - TOTAL ROAD CONGESTION. It is very near that now at certain times of the day, and the High Royds development will complete the process.

It is about time that MPs, local councillors and local people put their foot down on this type of development - it does not benefit anybody but the developers in their greed for money. Many people would say that greenfields are the ideal development but there is no money profit in that.

To avoid gridlock, I believe that the present plans need cutting by 50 per cent to avoid this hazard alone in the next three years and 75 per cent in the case of Housing Units.

Many recent developments in the Guiseley area have been far too concentrated and they will become slums in the next five to ten years, not because of any building defect but because people will get fed up of living on top of one another.

G.R.

Burley-in-Wharfedale.

(Name and address supplied).

Adoption plea

SIR, - Adoption Yorkshire, the adoption service of Catholic Care, which accepts applications from people of any or no religion, is seeking in the Wharfedale and Aireborough areas to find adoptive parents for family groups of two to three children, three to six years old, children of five plus and babies who have Down's Syndrome.

A comprehensive adoption information pack is available by telephoning (0808) 144 2650 or by visiting www.adoption-yorkshire.org.uk

Vera Ogden

Adoption team leader,

11 North Grange Road,

Headingley.

Nigel Gill: An apology

A letter published in last week's issue, purporting to come from Nigel Gill, of Ramsey Terrace, Otley, was not, in fact, written by him. We apologise for any embarrassment caused.