Letters to the Editor

I have heard people say that they won't go out alone or into certain areas of town as they are scared of the violence, abuse and muggings from Asians, or that Asians are drug-dealing, or that Asian men are grooming, using, abusing and raping young white girls, or about Asians doing this, that and the other.

Is it beyond belief that it is just Asians doing the above? Is it just Asian men capable of doing it? White men are capable of it too!

I have heard people say that it's high time they went back to their own country, as this is White Man's Land, just for the English, so should we say bye-bye to the French, Germans, Polish, Italians etc or are they OK to stay?

I have a half-caste daughter, to an Asian. Am I ashamed? No! I have no regrets whatsoever. At this moment in time I am more ashamed to be white.

And I think that it's about time that people accept that they are here to stay! At the end of the day, there is good and bad in everyone.

Not just Asians, in whites too.

SARAH MURDOCK

(Address supplied)

SIR - So RP Beale wanted 'to look forward to a true picture of the BNP at work'.

Well thanks to the BBC we have all seen how they work.

Trevor Lindley

Far Slack Farm

Stanbury

Sir - So, R P Beale, at the time of writing his letter published last week, looked forward to 'a true picture of the BNP at work'.

Well, following the screening of the BBC undercover documentary, we certainly have that now, don't we, RP?

Although the racial hatred expressed by the members of the BNP was sickening, I, along with most viewers no doubt, was not at all surprised by the programme.

Some of the comments, such as asylum seekers being likened to cockroaches, really were eerily reminiscent of Nazi propaganda.

It is difficult to comprehend that so many voters in Keighley could have been taken in by the BNP's thin veneer of respectability, but I can only hope that the great majority of their voters were being naive and now deeply regret their action.

If not, the conclusion that they were well aware of the truth and voted BNP anyway is too depressing for words.

Julia Silson

Skipton Road, Keighley

SIR - In the words of Francis Jeffrey: 'Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest of violence' and those of Edmund Burke, stating 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'.

Peter Anness

Oshawa, Ontario

Editor's note:- A number of comments have been edited from the above letters and a number of other letters on the BNP have been withheld for legal reasons, due to developments in the story.

SIR - Parking on Haworth Main Street has now become a serious problem. Very often the street is gridlock by lorries, vans and cars.

Double yellow lines are ignored and are rarely policed.

Some residents on Main Street have a total disregard for their neighbours and do not seem to care how much traffic chaos they cause. Visitors see double yellow lines being ignored and do the same.

The affect this is having on the quality of life for residents and the business community is acute and getting worse.

Enforcement is also a problem and I call on the local police to better enforce the parking on Main Street I do believe a serious security situation could arise. Something must be done.

David Sisley

Main Street, Haworth.

SIR - A response from the 'prolific writer'. I note Labour MP Ann Cryer's letter in the Keighley News, July 16. Incidentally, I do not now, nor have I ever, lived in Chester, as she stated.

Mrs Cryer ought to respond to some of the issues I have raised, instead of criticising me.

She may rest assured that I intend to continue writing frequently to the local press between now and the General Election. It is the duty of the Opposition to point out the broken promises and policy failures of new Labour and to show how much better off the people of this Constituency would be under a Conservative Government.

She, like Tony Blair, should check her facts. It was his failure to be factually accurate in what he said to the House of Commons, prior to the war in Iraq, that has left him without a shred of credibility and distrusted almost as much by his own Party as by the population of Great Britain.

Robert Collinson

Conservative Parliamentary

Candidate for Keighley

SIR - I refer to two letters published in recent weeks from the Conservative parliamentary candidate. In the first, Robert Collinson appeared to be against enforcing speed limits.

However, his more recent letter quoted Department of Transport figures showing that speed cameras give a reduction in fatalities of about 40 per cent, or a hundred deaths a year, where they are present.

One might have thought at this point that Mr Collinson would have known he was in a hole, and stopped digging. Instead, he infers from the figures that some cameras cause accidents, and suggests, without giving evidence, that those on the Halifax Road fall into this category.

The accident data enumerate individual yearly tolls of deaths and serious injuries within the vicinity of each of around 1,800 speed cameras.

These numbers are typically small, and subject to significant random variation. If there were three events in the year before installation, but four the following year, one cannot simply blame the camera.

Mr Collinson commits a gross howler when he concludes: 'the alarming increase in deaths and serious injuries at many sites is a matter of serious public concern'. He should have sought clarification from someone who knew what he was talking about before making this irresponsible claim. The most he can plausibly say is that alarming the public about increased deaths and serious injuries at camera sites matters seriously to his own concerns. Someone please tell him Keighley folk expect better than this from their prospective MP.

Statisticians have a special word -- stochastic -- to describe events determined by a set of random factors subject to a quantifiable influence. The effect of speed cameras on road accidents is one among an infinite number of good examples. Tools for handling stochastic data, developed by some of the brightest minds of the twentieth century, are used at the Department of Transport, among many other places.

Students in many fields interpret empirical data and therefore take courses in statistics. My own training was a prerequisite for PhD research involving linguistics at Bradford University. I recommend Mr Collinson spend time with a statistics primer. This might benefit not just him, but also give weary Keighley News readers a break from his tiresome letters soliciting cheap votes from motorists caught by speeding fines.

Finally: I am not a Labour Party supporter, but must declare an interest. I regularly work from an office on the Halifax Road, and cross it to get lunch.

NICK ANDREWS

Ballindrimley,

Castlerea, Co. Roscommon,

Republic of Ireland

SIR - For those of you who are worried about the latest defence spending cuts, don't panic, an alternative plan is in place.

Here it is: 1:- The Government is to allow all those with terrorist links to come and live in Britain. That way we will know exactly where the enemy is and we will save millions of pounds on travel expenses.

2:- To fund the new system, Tony Blair and 11 members of the cabinet are to collaborate with the Calendar Girls to produce a series of calendars that will go on sale through various charity shops.

3:- Up to 30,000 'Yellow Coat Numpties' will be recruited to reinforce the real armed forces. They will have six days basic training in self defence but will not be armed or allowed to fight. However, they will have the power to detain the enemy for up to 30 minutes until the real forces arrive (but this could be extended for up to two years see item note four)

4:- In times of trouble we will turn to our 'Special Friends' the Americans, for back up and support. However, the good people of Britain must realise that, historically, it can take up to two years to mobilise them.

5:- A League Table is to be set up to measure the performance of the new system and if it is found to be failing, then the Government will consider putting our fighting spirit out for tender. A number of security companies are already showing an interest!

Roy Spink

Goose Cote Lane, Oakworth

SIR - I note that councillors talk about there being only two supermarkets in the town.

This is a fallacy as there are the Co-op, Netto, Aldi, and M&S all within half a mile of the big two. Although smaller, they still serve the public well.

I wonder if Cllr Hudson knows that Asda is part of the Walmart Corporation which is at present involved in a million dollar law suit for its alleged mistreatment of its women employees. Perhaps he doesn't approve of equal opportunities for women.

The traffic created by another store where Asda wishes to put it would cause gridlock in Keighley and absolute chaos for the travelling public.

I do not see the need for another supermarket in the town, and if people are so desirous of shopping at Asda let them travel.

F EVANS

Skipton Road, Steeton

SIR - Bradford & District St. David's Society has just published its 2004-5 Programme of activities.

In addition to its monthly social meetings, the Society runs a discussion group (in Welsh) on the first Wednesday evening of every month between 7 and 9.30 pm at the Bradford Club, 1 Piece Hall Yard (just across Hustlergate from Waterstones). Having said that, the next meeting now will not be until Wednesday, September 1, as most of those in the group will be off to the National Eisteddfod in Newport during the first week in August.

The Society's Welsh class meet in each other's homes on alternate Thursday afternoons from 2 - 5pm, starting again in October following the summer break. Keighley College will be running two Welsh classes this year, following the surprising popularity of the course which started in September last year. The new courses will both be for beginners, and will be on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 7 - 9pm.

For a copy of the Society's new Programme, and any further details regarding the above, please contact the Secretary, Mrs E Walker, on 01535 665829, email: eileen@sgwarnog.com

Eileen Walker

Briggs Farm House, Laycock

SIR - On entering Keighley Disabled Peoples Council's Temple Row Centre on Friday afternoon on July 16, I was saddened to become suddenly aware of the almost deafening silence of a building devoid of the laughter and chatter of what used to be a thriving jewel in the crown of a building purpose built for all persons of every disability.

As a founder member of the KDPC it saddened me even more and caused me to reflect on the aspirations of other founder members, and to suddenly come to this realisation as to what has gone wrong.

How has this dream of ours failed to sustain its aims and objects, for all I saw were three people. One lady at reception who asked me to sign in.

One dear elderly gentleman sat alone with an expression of loneliness who just seemed to be waiting for someone or something to happen in his life.

The only other person was the advice officer/centre manager beavering away at his desk, doing what he has done well for the last 18 years, and that is to help advise and to continue to seek funding for this organisation that he has proudly represented over the years.

My personal view is that this sad situation should not in any way reflect on the centre manager as he can only do what his management committee allows him to do, for I feel that the organisation will only continue to sustain itself by the efforts of its management committee.

In saying this I do not wish nor have I any right to criticise, only to express my concerns for an organisation that I still believe in and trust to meet the need of the disabled people and carers.

Are you going to stay with a frown? Please find the spirit that set the spark that lit the fuse and brought the news of joy untold of young and old, lame and bold. We sung together, we cried together, let's do it again. Let's turn that sadness into laughter and success.

Come on, with the right will and vision you can turn it around, I know you can.

G E Buck,

Lancaster