Friday's Letters: Cut in drink driving limit will not catch real road killers

Undeniably, the road safety lobby occupies the moral ground on this issue; it has almost become axiomatic, in their belief, that the

control of a motor vehicle is impaired by even the least amount of alcohol. To many of these people "it's worth doing if only one life is saved" is a strong conviction. But if this contention prevailed, it would unleash a rampant health and safety brigade that would make life so inhibited that mass hibernation would be a welcome alternative.

The implementation of our present law fails to protect us from the real road alcohol killers – those serial drinkers who go far beyond the current limits; a reduction to 50ml would have minimal effect on these offenders. I believe we would be criminalising a multitude of decent, normally law-abiding citizens. Neither would such a radical step diminish in any way the unedifying, adolescent mayhem that shames, at weekends, our city streets.

However, a serious consequence would be its malign effect on rural life as the village pub, already an endangered species, would, in many areas, finally topple into the grave.

The village post office and local shop have already suffered a traumatic decline especially after Labour's rural erosion. Surely a Conservative-dominated Government would hardly revel in a reputation for applying the coup de grace to village life as we know it?

The controversy is further inflamed by the control freaks that dominate the EU since they are pressing the UK Government to comply with Brussels's 50ml limit ruling, notwithstanding the fact that our road casualty rate is one of the lowest in the world, which is quite remarkable considering the degree of traffic congestion. Britain, in fact, attained an all-time low in road deaths in 2009, a 12 per cent fall from 2008.

Rather than introducing more stringent rules in order to achieve the necessary aim of bringing down the road casualty rate even further, the authorities should pursue, with more vigour, those irresponsible drivers who violate existing laws.

Over a million pay no road tax and have no insurance, or hold bogus MoT certificates or carry forged licences. Also, a further improvement in our road stats could be achieved by relentlessly pursuing the real drunkards who disfigure our roads.

Why impose new laws, adversely affecting the lives of normally respectable citizens, when the laws we've got our flouted with contempt?

From: Gordon Lawrence, Stumperlowe View, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

Save hospital unit by cutting managers

From: Mrs JM Andrews, Back Lane, Easingwold, York.

WITH reference to the article the closure of the minor injuries units in Thirsk, Richmond and possibly Easingwold, (Yorkshire Post, October 29) I, together with about 200 Easingwold residents, attended a meeting on October 26 with PCT managers to listen to these proposals.

It was a very rainy day, but this did not deter us. Very many of the people attending are volunteers at St Monica's and a high percentage of the town's population also support it with cash donations. Our MIU is greatly appreciated and important.

The meeting opened with an announcement from the chairman that they would not be '"browbeaten" into taking a decision against any closures. The second announcement was that they would not be discussing St Monica's until a later date. At that point, most people left feeling misled.

I was struck by the thought that the salary of just one of these managers (there were about a dozen of them) could pay for one or two of the extra nursing staff it would need to keep the MIUs open and be a great deal more useful.

It seems these management teams don't mind how they use up resources, they are so desperate to keep their jobs.

Making best use of daylight

From: Angela Bainbridge, Birkdale Road, Dewsbury.

THE reason the clocks are put back in autumn is to make the best use of the eight hours of daylight experienced in winter. As the system is now, workers and children will travel and arrive at work and school in the daylight, with children at the end of the school day, travelling home in the daylight.

If the clocks were not put back, it would not get light until 9am and all would be travelling and arriving to work in the dark. Not putting the clocks back does not magic an extra hour's daylight; we are stuck with eight hours daylight whatever we do with the clocks.

Many years ago, the clocks were not put back but the country as a whole became depressed and of low morale owing to the lateness of daybreak and of having to travel in the dark, and, as a result, the old system was re-established.

Not very attractive

From: Ian Smith, Colston Close, Bradford.

ON the same day that the Government announces further fee burdens for university students, you report (Yorkshire Post, November 3) that Dr Ed Morrison at the University of Portsmouth has a grant with which he will examine – would you believe it? – the keys to personal attractiveness. He has even predicted the result of his study, which will of course prove correct, so what's the point in giving him 94,000?

As the grant provider, the Economic and Social Research Council should be ashamed to distribute such monies for insignificant contributions to society, while the young people who they and Dr Morrison presumably would support, ponder that university education is probably now unattractive due to incredibly high fees.

The sole reason for those high fees is because public funding is no longer available to meet the academics' remuneration largesse. Higher education should itself ponder upon reducing excessive emoluments, and its funders should grant only valuable research, both contributing to making university education more viable and rewarding for young people.

City area has lost its soul

From: Owen and Sheila Booker, Newton on the Hill, Harmer Hill, Shrewsbury.

WE have regularly visited Leeds since our son was at university there 10 years ago. We always went first to the Corn Exchange and then the market. To our massive disappointment, we recently found the Corn Exchange and the area around has lost its soul.

The vibrant and slightly bohemian feeling has died along with the all the little stalls that were there. The exchange was empty; the floor now a huge expensive and, yes, empty restaurant (lunchtime). All that remained of the old boho quarter was Kada's Cafe where we spent a while – and heard that the cafe is also under threat from the city authorities. Leeds does "posh" very well elsewhere – it doesn't need it everywhere.

Tourists like us come to feel the vibe as well as spend.

Leeds be warned. Other cities – Bristol a classic example – have posh and boho. It's the mix that keeps a city alive. Later talking to market traders, we found them suffering growing pressure from the council on rents and poor maintenance – yet it has one of the best markets (and Victorian Hall) in Britain.

Sorry tale but Leeds is no longer high on our visit list.

BT pays up for inconvenience

From: Sylvia James, Oak Tree Road, Branton, Doncaster.

JL Brookes (Yorkshire Post, November 1) was lucky to spend such a short time on the phone.

BT cut off my phone line and my internet for two weeks recently. I rang them on my mobile, which had 30 on, to try to sort the problem out. Around six hours altogether was spent attempting to speak to a person.

The main voice I heard continued to regurgitate "We are very busy. Your call is important to us" over and over again. In the end I wrote to BT, and have a refund of 65 (for re-connection to my internet provider), and 50 for the inconvenience.From: Mrs JM Andrews, Back Lane, Easingwold, York.

WITH reference to the article the closure of the minor injuries units in Thirsk, Richmond and possibly Easingwold, (Yorkshire Post, October 29) I, together with about 200 Easingwold residents, attended a meeting on October 26 with PCT managers to listen to these proposals.

It was a very rainy day, but this did not deter us. Very many of the people attending are volunteers at St Monica's and a high percentage of the town's population also support it with cash donations. Our MIU is greatly appreciated and important.

The meeting opened with an announcement from the chairman that they would not be '"browbeaten" into taking a decision against any closures. The second announcement was that they would not be discussing St Monica's until a later date. At that point, most people left feeling misled.

I was struck by the thought that the salary of just one of these managers (there were about a dozen of them) could pay for one or two of the extra nursing staff it would need to keep the MIUs open and be a great deal more useful.

It seems these management teams don't mind how they use up resources, they are so desperate to keep their jobs.

Honesty needed over strength of our defence

From: R Hanson, Swallow Lane, Golcar, Huddersfield.

I REFER to your leader over Gordon Brown's appeal regarding aircraft carriers (Yorkshire Post, November 1).

Labour deliberately structured the building of the two carries in such a way that it would be more costly not to build one of them than to build both because it knew that if another party got into power, it would stupidly cancel one leaving Britain not adequately able to defend its overseas territories.

As the South American economies grow rapidly with the forming of the South American Trade Agreement, Argentina will soon be able to grow its armed forces to the extent that Britain would not be able to stop the Falklands and the oil-fields around it being taken over without substantial air power in the region.

This could only be adequately provided by carrier-born aircraft from two carriers both with a full complement of aircraft. However, with Brazil being party to TSATA along with Argentina, and with an economy set to overtake Britain's in the not too distant future, it may not be long before Britain could not defend the Falklands and oil-fields by itself because Brazil would no doubt help Argentina in taking them over.

Britain would then have to ask Europe for help without, if granted, having only one carrier against France's two – not much to offer to a task-force, and we would very much be playing second-fiddle.

As for Brown protecting his own interests, I cannot see how the interests of Britain are helped by maintaining the carriers in a French yard.

If we have not been told everything and Britain is too weak financially to maintain adequate forces, and is in actual decline with no hope of recovery against relative decline, we ought to be told so.

A weak Britain would be no be of no use to anyone.

Wake-up Britain before it is too late. With the pace of today's warfare, there would no time to bring the Armed Forces up to adequate strength.

Time for BBC to cut cost

From: Derek Hough, Richmond.

READING Tom Richmond's column (Yorkshire Post, October 30), he mentions the frozen TV licence and the BBC misery.

I think the BBC could spend the licence fee much better. The coverage of the Chilean mine rescue had at least four reporters/presenters. Was that number required? It would have been very expensive plus the same number of camera crews.

Do reporters have to stand outside No 10, Westminster or similar location? This must be more expensive than reporting from the studio with no benefit in quality of the report.

I do realise that the BBC is left leaning, but I still watch its news coverage. I just think they could give more Yorkshire.

Pull the plug on Chiles

From: Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

WHY do the men now at the helm of ITV persist now in taking up valuable viewing space to, from morning to night, plug and plug and plug the Daybreak programme?

There is one solution. Pull the plug now on Adrian Chiles.

Britain must stay in control

From: Mr FE Sharpe, Elburton Road, Plymstock, Plymouth, Devon.

THE United Kingdom Armed Forces should not share personnel or equipment with France as we should always be in control of our own future defence (Yorkshire Post, November 3).

Voters were not told the truth

From: Les Arnott, Athelstan Road, Sheffield.

ALLAN Davies (Yorkshire Post, November 3) thinks that voters were aware of the implications of supporting the Common Market back in 1975.

Perhaps he may care to explain why the government leaflets to every home stated the opposite to what he claims?