October 2: Lost jobs are price of green political folly

IT was only in July of this year that Tata Steel slashed jobs in Yorkshire in the face of the UK’s “cripplingly” high electricity costs. Now you report that Redcar is to cease steel making (The Yorkshire Post, September 29) for the same reason.

It is about time you, and the Conservative, Labour and the LibDems joined the dots here. It is no use talking about providing “the necessary support to the 1,700 staff who find themselves out of work” when some of the UK’s main international competitors, like the USA, China and India, have electricity prices of about 60 per cent of ours – a cost gap which no amount of waffling about support, better insulation, higher efficiencies, etc will bridge.

And, of course, Jeremy Corbyn criticising the Tory government for this is typical deflection tactics from a Westminster bubble politician. Mr Corbyn voted for the 2008 Climate Change Act which locks in the loss of very many real jobs, and threatens even more, by deliberately and artificially raising energy prices.

Instead of wailing about lurid and imaginary claims of job losses when we leave the EU, our mainstream politicians could close the gap now by agreeing to cancel all renewables subsidies, telling the EU we will keep coal generators, tightly governing but allowing fracking for natural gas, and repealing the costly folly of the 2008 Climate Change Act. But don’t hold your breath because they are more keen to score political points than to save key industries and skills in the UK.

From: John Eoin Douglas, Spey Terrace, Edinburgh .

I AM unimpressed at the exhibition of new found environmental concern by car owners who feel aggrieved that their German cars’ computers have been skilfully programmed to always indicate that emissions standards are being met. Like most drivers, as long as my vehicle passes the MOT, I don’t care what emerges from the exhaust pipe. If I gave a fig about the environment, I’d have bought a bicycle!

Communist comrades

From: Dick Lindley, Altofts, Normanton.

AT last, while watching the Labour party conference, we can finally see the real face of socialism or should I call it communism, with which Jeremy Corbyn and the Comrades are hoping to subjugate the British People. No doubt if Jo Stalin, Karl Marx or Lenin were alive today they would be ecstatic as they heard the idiotic economic nonsense espoused by the party faithful at their conference, secure in the knowledge that Britain would soon be bankrupt if the Labour party were to win the next election.

It is amazingly naive of them to think that savage tax increases on individuals, who through hard work and prudence have managed to accumulate a few quid and on successful businesses, who create millions of jobs in the UK, will benefit the British economy. Of course their whole policy is designed to empower the state and its bureaucrats, while at the same time destroying enterprise and individualism amongst the British people.

When I watched our friend singing the Red Flag with such enthusiasm, I realised it is evident that the Labour Party has returned to its roots and back into the fold of international socialism. Hopefully the British people will realise that the Micky Mouse theories of Karl Marx will fail today as they have failed the world over time and time again and soundly reject the Labour Party come the next election (The Yorkshire Post, October 1).

From: Arthur Quarmby, Underhill, Holme.

EVER since his election, the media (press and TV) have treated and continue to treat Jeremy Corbyn as the new Messiah – rather than as the throwback to communism which he actually is. I had thought that communism had been tried extensively around the world over the past century and been found wanting?

Discourteous dog walker

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

SEVERAL letters have been published about cyclists and pedestrians. The following incident took place whilst walking on the canal towpath near Skipton.

Two cyclists sounded their bells to pass my husband and me, and then sounded their bells again several times to let a lady walking her dog know they were approaching.

The lady was totally unaware of this as she was walking along quite happily with earplugs attached and obviously could not hear anything other than the (presumably) music from her personal player.

After what seemed several minutes being obstructed by the dog walker (and her dog straddling the towpath on a lead), the cyclists, being only a matter of a few feet behind her and still ringing their bells, eventually managed to individually squeeze past her.

I can only imagine their thoughts about this scenario, but I felt they had been treated discourteously.

SNP victory not so great

From: Eric Daines, Burtree Avenue, Skelton, York.

ALTHOUGH the SNP gained 56 out of 59 seats (Iain Morris The Yorkshire Post, September 25), the Scots did not vote with one voice! It is only the ‘first past the post’ system that gives this impression.

In fact 1.454 million electors voted for the SNP candidates whereas 1.456 million voted for other parties.