Letters to the Editor

Having worked as a communicator in the NHS, I have encountered immense frustrations with newspapers that prey on their readers' fear and ignorance by portraying MRSA as a deathly spectre that lurks in every hospital ward and corridor, waiting to maliciously infect anybody who comes within spitting distance.

The fact is many of us carry it around day to day, completely unaware, but as long as our immune system works, it doesn't cause us any harm.

I agree too that NHS trusts and doctors can sometimes be their own worst enemies when it comes to sharing information in a way that most people can understand.

So well done T&A, for educating your readers instead of trying to scare them.

Oliver Tipper, The Close, Alwoodley, Leeds

SIR - I'm writing to congratulate Raminder Singh MBE on his article "Clear lead needed from Muslim communities" (T&A, August 18).

Not only does he outline the historical and political process that has led to the failures of multiculturalism in the UK today, pointing an accusing finger at the politically correct brigade for obstructing any rational discussion on these issues, but he is clear that Muslim leaders must now take a lead in changing attitudes within their own communities, do more to encourage the speaking of English so as to enable genuine integration with the English-speaking majority, and engage in meaningful dialogue aimed at bringing about "good inter-community relations".

Like your excellent columnist Mike Priestley, I think political correctness has "controlled this country for far too long and been a key factor in landing us in the mess we are currently in" (T&A, August 13).

It's such a pity political leaders at national and local levels refused to listen to the likes of Keighley MP Ann Cryer, Campaign for Racial Equality chairman Trevor Phillips and Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK Dr Maleeha Lodhi, all of whom have been arguing for some years that people of Pakistani origin living in this country should do more to aid their integration.

We can't change the past but we can work towards creating a better future. But what we need is action.

Alan O'Day Scott, Chancery Court, Gaythorne Road, West Bowling.

SIR - I have written before about the disgusting state of the grass at the bus stop on Manchester Road near Rooley Lane. All we asked for before was a few flowers and two or three benches. But have we received any of these improvements? No.

There is an old people's complex opposite this grass and good use of the land would be made. The adjoining wall has been knocked down for several months now and as well as being an eyesore this is a danger as children use it for cutting through from the Sunnybank estate.

So come on Bradford Council, if money can be spent to improve the appearance of land further down Manchester Road, why can't we have a little bit of improvement up here at the top?

It would only take half a day to cut the grass and make a couple of flower beds or plant small bushes.

Mrs Barbara W Warmersley, Hall Bank Close, Bankfoot.

SIR - Despite it operating for less than four months, the owners of the new Doncaster airport are predicting it will overtake Leeds-Bradford within the next two years. Frankly, I don't doubt them. When the same people took control at Liverpool it was half the size of Leeds-Bradford. It's now twice as big.

The gap between Leeds-Bradford and its peers in the UK has widened because Leeds-Bradford is local-authority controlled. This 1960s approach didn't work then and doesn't work now.

Today, private-sector specialists operate regional airports, using their finances and expertise to build modern facilities and attract new airlines and destinations. Their desire to gain a return on their investment simultaneously benefits the surrounding regions through increased employment and business and investment opportunities.

The evidence of these successes across the UK is overwhelming with airports like Bristol and Newcastle even securing daily flights to New York with major US airlines.

The gulf though hasn't registered or is of no interest to West Yorkshire's political community. If they genuinely wanted a

first-class, competitive airport, somewhere to raise the region's profile internationally and be a catalyst for economic development, they would have long since sought a private partner to run Leeds-Bradford.

A. Gill, Scott Hall Road, Leeds 7

SIR - With reference to Ken Morton's letter regarding the West Bowling Golf Club site (T&A, August 13) it could be that the residents of Bradford would prefer more recreational facilities than the doubtful promise of 4,000 new jobs. For example, this would mean, rather optimistically, 100 units employing 40 people each.

The local MP said that the site would never provide the number of jobs claimed by the developer. Hundreds of jobs are advertised in the T&A every week, so you would think that anybody who wishes to work should be able to find suitable employment.

Today's front-page headline in the T&A (August 19) indicated that the public are more concerned about yob culture. A major cure for this problem is to create new, and preserve existing, recreational facilities. Nevertheless, Bradford Council's Development Plan has zoned the golf club land for redevelopment.

Mr Morton's main concern is to make the maximum profit for his Leeds-based company by buying the land at a price as low as possible.

Tom Gurney, Thackley Road, Thackley.

SIR - It would appear that Mr Bird remains sceptical regarding the phenomena of global warming (T&A, August 19).

There is evidence that human activity is contributing to rises in average temperature through the burning of fossil fuels, but the causal link between human activity and its outcome is never categorical. This is because it is more difficult to establish a causal link between many accumulated activities and their outcome than when considering one event, such as a kicked ball (cause) breaking a pane of glass (outcome).

The situation is further complicated by the fact that the planet has over vast aeons of time experienced natural rises and falls in temperatures, but at a much slower rate than at present. This provides indirect evidence of global warming being exacerbated by human activity.

Rather than exercising undue scepticism, it is prudent to take remedial measures so that our dependency on fossil fuels is lessened. This would have the benefits of reducing pollution and conserving resources.

Alec Suchi, Allerton Road, Allerton

SIR - Mr Bird (T&A, August 19) is rather presumptuous about my knowledge but he can't avoid the fact that nuclear energy is vastly expensive and without subsidy from taxpayers' pockets it can't compete with other methods. And that's without the billions spent on hiding the waste.

A combination of an increase in renewables, much more energy efficiency, and the development of carbon neutral biomass schemes is preferable and in both the short and long term will reduce climate gas emissions.

Mr Bird should not be proud that the UK "only" produces just over two per cent of the global CO2 emissions as we have less than one per cent of the population. Global equity would suggest that we need to reduce our emissions by at least half.

Keith Thomson, Heights Lane, Bradford 9

SIR - On Monday, August 8, I accompanied my husband to the ENT department at the Bradford Royal Infirmary for his usual three-monthly examination.

On leaving I went to the toilets on reception. They were disgusting to say the least: dirty toilet, paper everywhere, feet marks on the toilet seat, sink blocked. Also the smell was terrible. I walked straight out, disgusted.

Also why are nurses allowed out of hospital in their uniforms, in shops, on buses, even in cafes? Surely with this infection about this practice should cease.

Mrs Shirley Hedges, Weston Avenue, Queensbury.