Only paid-for news can save a free Press

WHILE the launch of the Yorkshire Post for tablet computers and other formats is welcome, the continuing need for paid-for news within a community must be paramount.

In these rapidly changing times, the news will always take its fastest conduit to the public conscience and the internet may well be the way.

And yet the notion of sponsored news, however necessary in the eyes of some, may well be a step towards immense corporate influence. Unlike the United States, which has a written constitution safeguarding the freedom of the Press, in the absence of such in the UK, and at a time of immense scrutiny of Press ethics, it’s worth noting that the greatest strength of the Press lies in the community.

Every pound spent in supporting such – via print or online – is a boost for the voice of the individual, the freedom of the Press, and democracy, however tarnished the ideal might often seem in these troubled times.

Stub out this unjust ban

From: David F Chambers, Sladeburn Drive, Northallerton.

THE list of obstacles placed in the way of legitimate trading on the part of the tobacco industry is astonishing and too long to be listed here. The latest Government proposal is that cigarette packets, designed to be distinctive and attractive to the purchaser, are to be “dis-branded” and reduced to a uniform sameness.

I am no lawyer, nor a supporter of vast multi-nationals, but surely this degree of discrimination by any other authority would be regarded as illegal? It’s not as if any useful purpose would be served, beyond greatly assisting the tobacco smugglers.

The urge to smoke, for some curious reason, is a characteristic of the human race. Demand is not going to fade away and supply will never be eradicated. The Government is not going to ban the product so long as tobacco duty and VAT provide generous revenue. And much of the publicity needed to support the endless restrictions is provided free by the anti-smoking brigade, branding such pseudo-scientific terms as “smoking-related deaths” which the statisticians can expand to include nearly every ailment known to man.

I suggest this campaign is distasteful, unfair and pointless and I come down firmly on the side of David Hockney.

Blame firms for drought

From: Mike Gillson, Quarry Lane, Batley.

IT has been announced that half of England is suffering drought conditions.

It’s not as though we don’t have a plentiful rainfall over England’s green and pleasant land. How much extra storage capacity has been constructed since the water companies were privatised?

England is part of an island that is surrounded by sea. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to construct off-shore wind power generators to provide electricity to power desalination plants that would provide clean water. The wind is free. The sea water is free. Just do it.

From: Tim Mickleburgh, Boulevard Avenue, Grimsby.

DESPITE the recent rainy weather, many parts of the country remain in drought, and will do for a good while. What a pity therefore that companies like Anglian Water can’t spend more on both repairing links, and importing supplies from areas where there is no water shortage.

But there again, they have to pay millions to shareholders, money that would have been better used had not the industry been privatised.

Budget for super-rich

From: John GK Wildie, Briar Grove, Sandal, Wakefield.

THE recent budget by the Chancellor George Osborne is a budget for the mighty super-rich millionaires. It’s done nothing or very little for the ordinary working class people and also for the pensioners or the one-parent families, who are finding it hard to make ends meet.

The millionaires will save thousands after the 50p tax cut. It is outrageous to freeze the special tax allowances for pensioners – the granny tax.

The cost of living is up and still rising; petrol up, VAT up. What next?

This will not help people who are out of work and are still trying to get work, while unemployment is still going up.

From: Antony Clayton, Hobson Court, Beverley, East Yorkshire.

DOES it appear credible that the Chancellor can be “shocked” in regard to the established culture of millionaires fraudulently/creatively evading payment of income tax that lesser mortals are punished for not paying?

Is this not a further another example of the cynical insulting of the people’s intelligence on a world class scale?