Arrogance as power goes to their heads

THE arrogance of some of our commercial companies is 
truly breathtaking. You couldn’t make it up (Yorkshire Post, October 18).

British Gas has repeatedly raised the cost of the gas and electricity it supplies and then has the barefaced gall to declare huge profits.

Did they learn anything from the criticism and outrage directed at them?

Not a chance. Their self-promotion continues unabated in endless television advertising in which there is not the 
slightest nod toward public opinion of their profiteering – and then on Thursday they announced even more outrageous price hikes!

And then we have so-called “payday loan” companies that have come in for considerable condemnation and, in fact, some had their trading licences revoked as a result of the extortionate interest rates they had been charging.

Have they learned a lesson? Not a chance.

One in particular has rapidly reworked their television advertising to make themselves sound not only benevolent 
but almost altruistic, and 
even more companies are appearing on our screens 
all the time – obviously because there is money to be made, and lots of it.

There were three such advertisements in just two consecutive commercial 
breaks on daytime television today, two of them following one straight after the other.

Why are these companies 
being permitted to encourage people to get themselves 
even further into debt when personal debt is already at an 
all-time high?

A cause for
depression

From: Allan Davies, Heathfield Court, Grimsby.

I READ Don Burslam’s letter over breakfast (Yorkshire Post, October 16) and then after my afternoon nap I turned to Paul Krugman’s book End This Depression Now.

Even in the preface I came across the following sentence: “And while there is some dispute about the relative importance of austerity versus other factors in depressing the British economy, one thing is for sure – Britain’s economy has performed remarkably badly with GDP since the onset of the crisis, trailing not just America but also the euro area and even Japan.”

Perhaps Mr Burslam would think again about his letter.

Mad return
to dark ages

From: Peter A Ellis, Fartown, Huddersfield.

IT seems that in their relentless pursuit of the less fortunate members of our broken society, the tyrannical regime who currently preside over us will stop at nothing in their quest to destroy the lives of people who cannot help themselves.

The latest madcap scheme to force the jobless to pick up litter from the streets is surely akin to slave labour.

This country really is returning to the Dark Ages, and this bizarre plan serves to highlight the utter contempt that our politicians have for the electorate of this country, and will surely force 
a vote of no confidence not 
only in this present government, but also in the way the whole system of decision-making is operated.

The irony is that owing to the loss of our manufacturing industry, finding employment is virtually impossible, with hundreds of people applying for one position.

Of course, if our MPs lived in the real world, they would appreciate this fact. And of course the fact is that many people, owing to mental or physical ill health, are unable to work.

Listen to the
rank and file

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

JACK Blanchard hits the nail on the head when he says we Northerners do not trust David Cameron (Yorkshire Post, October 18). He comes across as a upper class, smooth talking car salesman trying to sell us a used Rolls-Royce. He does not appear to be in touch with the grass roots Tories.

He gives the impression that he know what is good for us and we know nowt.

Unless he starts listening to the rank and file Tory voters, he stands a very good chance of coming second in the next election and that would really be a tragedy after all the work done to put the economy back on track.

Ban mobile
menace

From: Barbara Harrison, Parkside Avenue, Queensbury, Bradford.

THE reference by Fr Neil McNicholas (Yorkshire Post, October 17) concerning mobile phones and their despatch also applies to persons using earphones to listen to their overloud music.

The earphones do not totally stop the terrible bass notes and other noise (music?) from being clearly heard by others.

Travelling on a bus to Hull from York with my husband we had the misfortune to be sitting directly in front of a female who answered her mobile phone with the words: “It’s okay, I’m on the bus.”

It was not okay for us listening to the (again) over-loud one-sided conversation for 20 minutes. On the return journey we were forced to listen to the noise escaping from a teenager’s earphones for about 45 minutes.

One suggestion would be to have notices similar to “no smoking” on public transport –prohibiting such ignorant people from annoying their fellow passengers with their anti-social behaviour.

Glaring at the offenders makes no difference!

Look North as well as East

From: Nat Wendel, Hull.

I SEE Boris Johnson was in China with George Osborne promoting London last week. It would have been nice to have somebody doing the same for Yorkshire.