Letters to the Editor

SIR - Having been born at the bottom of Bolton Road in the parish of St Peter's (before it was a cathedral), I consider myself a true Bradford man.

And being a Bradford man I welcome the investment coming into Bradford (in the words of the investors) to make it a better place to live in the future.

However I have a few suggestions for all these companies and organisations that have all these millions of pounds to invest. Why not:

1. Invest in the hospitals that are having to close wards and cut staff because of "a shortage of funds".

2. Invest in the schools that have to organise raffles and other money-making schemes to keep going because of "a shortage of funds".

3. Invest in care homes for the elderly and disabled that are having to cut staff and even close down because of "a shortage of funds". (You could even give them back a bit of dignity).

Why not? I will tell you why not. Because the word 'investment' has to go hand in hand with the word 'profit'. And there is no profit in investing in people's health and welfare is there?

Unless of course these big investors would like to prove me wrong.

Keith Poxon, Thornfield Avenue, Odsal.

Destructive dogs

Sir - I feel I must express my disgust at the total lack of respect shown by some of the users of Undercliffe cemetery.

I am talking about the people who allow their dogs to run riot over graves and destroy flowers left by grieving relatives. Some dog owners let them out of cars to '"charge" about totally oblivious to the damage they cause. Granted, there is no sign displaying "no dog walking" but have people no respect?

Maybe dogs should be banned altogether from these places. Is it not enough that they foul our streets and playgrounds?

Robert Kellett, High Street, Idle.

Leave us be!

SIR - Who decided we needed boundary changes? Was it the Government or the Council?

Why were we, the people of Bradford North, not told that we were being abolished and replaced by Bradford East? Why were we not involved or asked to vote?

I personally think it is just another Labour ploy to get more votes. No wonder Terry Rooney MP didn't complain and was happy to go along with it. He well knows that Bradford North usually votes Lib-Dem, so by bringing in Little Horton, who are mainly Labour voters, it will be better for Labour.

We wish to stay Bradford North as we always have been and we don't want Little Horton.

It is just another use of spin by the Labour party. God send the day when we can get rid of these hypocrites.

N Brown, Peterborough Place, Undercliffe.

No Pagan festival

Sir - While sharing the anger of Marcus Bull, vicar of Trinity Church, Rawdon, about the misuse of Christian crosses to promote the commercialisation of Halloween, (T&A September 21), he is mistaken when he dismisses it as a Pagan festival.

Like many dates in the Christian calendar, such as December 25 (originally the Mithraic celebration of the victory of the unconquered sun) and Easter (which takes its very name from a pagan goddess), Halloween has appropriated the date of a Pagan festival, Samhain, but that doesn't make it Pagan.

Halloween, full name All Hallows' Even, originally gave a community an opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who had died in the previous year, committing them to God.

It would be good, when the secular world has become increasingly unable to come to terms with the fact that all life ends in death, if the church were to reclaim October 31, providing closure for those grieving for a loved one.

It would also be good if Sunday schools provided a viable alternative for children, freeing them from the domination of their play by the ugly sound of the cash register. Witches, ghouls and ghosties have no place in Halloween.

Karl Dallas, Church Green, Bradford.

Cheaper heating

SIR - In answer to Mr Meer (T&A, September 15) I did not state Staywarm had anything to do with cavity wall insulation, damp proofing, etc. I stated it did save on your bills.

If Mr Meer can help people, why has he not informed our group who are paying a fee to give us information and keep us up to date?

My own heating bills have been cut by approximately £9 a week. If he can get this cheaper I would gladly try other companies.

J R Smith, Retired Persons' Action Group, Flawith Drive, Bradford.

Biased remarks

SIR - I am not a supporter of, nor do I or will I vote for, the BNP but I fear democracy is being threatened by MP Terry Rooney aided and abetted by your newspaper.

It was rich to read Mr Rooney's comments about magistrates needing to be without bias and non-discriminatory. Aren't his remarks just that? Logically, according to his argument, no-one with allegiance to any political party should be allowed to be a magistrate.

Can you, for example, imagine Dennis Skinner being unbiased if he were a magistrate listening to a case of a foxhunting miscreant? I think not.

It is becoming dangerously absurd that a member of the BNP cannot be a member of the police, a magistrate or a trade union official. There must be thousands of trade union members who, though not members of the BNP, agree with their views on certain matters.

The BNP is not an illegal party and to be a member of it is not illegal either.

Just as Sein Fein, the backers of the IRA, has not been proscribed, neither has the BNP. You are heading down a very precarious road and I am surprised at your newspaper even if not by the MP.

P E Bird, Nab Wood Terrace, Shipley.

l EDITOR'S NOTE: Like Mr Rooney, we believe the BNP's views on ethnic and religious minorities are far from democratic. Their leader, Nick Griffin, was filmed by the BBC openly stating that his comments "could get me seven years".

A Tory stunt

SIR - I am astonished that your columnist Jim Greenhalf has been totally hoodwinked by the new chairman of the so-called Campaign Against Political Correctness in Yorkshire (T&A, September 17).

This whole article fell for what is merely a Conservative Party press stunt masquerading as a new movement.

At no point in the full-page piece did it report that Philip Davies has been adopted as Tory candidate for Shipley having failed to be elected in 2001 down in Colne Valley.

At no point does Mr Davies reveal his true motivation behind his confected campaign.

What a pity the T&A can be suckered in this way, and what a shame you don't dedicate a full page to the real campaigners of the district.

Councillor Vanda Greenwood (Labour, Windhill Wrose ward).

l EDITOR'S NOTE: The T&A, in fact, approached Mr Davies to learn more about the growing national concern over the issue of political correctness, as he was the local campaign organiser. We don't believe our readers see it as a party-political issue.

Revenge voters

Sir - There is much being said of how Iraq will play an important part in the choice of government at the next election.

I think the next election will be decided by the pensioners. They will crawl out of their sick beds if necessary to vote to get rid of Tony Blair and his cronies.

The pensioners will have their revenge on this government, who do not care a jot about them and have so disgracefully discounted their sacrifices and contributions for this country.

Gary Lorriman, North Walk, Harden.