Thursday's letters:If politicians deceive voters, we have the right to demonstrate

I think I saw the roots of this in the 1980s when bobbies on the beat became scarce as a result of Government public service cuts. The familiar sight of a bobby attending a violation became a distant recollection until certain economic issues dear to the government came to the fore. Then there seemed to be more coppers than miners at Orgreave and at other picketed coal dispute sites in order to impose National Coal Board decisions.

Then a lull. Thanks to Mrs Thatcher, however, the trade unions have been subjected to severe legislation that clips their wings and limits wider public expression on issues dear to the populace. Worse still, the presence of the bobby on call for citizens has again become a thing of the past, that is, until the recent student demonstrations over fees and loans.

The recent expressions of angst by the students are fully understood and raise some very basic issues for our democracy, or for those who care about it.

Firstly, the election pledge by Lib Dem candidates over student fees is being reneged on by some who signed it. What price our democracy? Why vote? Let's demonstrate instead.

Secondly, the coalition intends to ignore any single defeat in a division in the Commons. They have decided to require a 55 per cent majority against them in a division specifically earmarked as a "confidence" issue before Cameron needs to resign and call on the Queen to prorogue Parliament. Who decides what is a confidence issue?

What right have they to redesign our parliamentary procedures?

Cameron said recently, after the coppers failed to stop the smashing of the Millbank offices, that these issues, such as student fees, should be decided in Parliament and not on the streets. If he and his cohorts continue to pervert Parliamentary procedures, demonstrations on the street are the inevitable outcome.

They don't take notice of General Election manifestos. They change the rules to stay the full term in office - or will they yet decide they can delay the next election? I hope they can sort this out quickly so we can get back on terms again with our bobbies.

Light at the end of a long long tunnel

From: Nigel Bywater, Airedale Terrace, Morley, Leeds.

FOR those people suffering from the UK's cold weather and rising energy prices, your suffering should not continue for too long.

Before the last General Election, David Cameron promised a "green deal" costing the taxpayer 20bn – a Conservative manifesto pledge giving every household the right to have energy efficiency improvements of up to 6,500 (the Liberal Democrats were hoping for up to 10,000). So high energy bills should be a thing of the past, once the scheme is up and running in 2012. But until then, I recommend that you should wear a warm vest, unless of course you are one of the new generation that expects central heating and to be able to walk around your house with not much on.

From: Simon Icke, Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire.

As the cold winter starts to bite, think of all the poor and elderly shivering in their homes; too frightened to put on their heating as they fear massive gas and electricity bills. Meanwhile the utility bosses rub their hands with glee, expecting a massive year-on-year mincrease in their profit margins. What an uncaring and unfair place the UK has become.

Meanwhile we hear that regulator Ofgem has at last decided to investigate the big six utility companies' domestic pricing policy and their profit margins (Yorkshire Post, November 26) Ofgem hopes to finalise their review by next March but that will be too late for many who suffer freezing temperatures in their own homes. Britain has become a cold and callous place to live, how very sad. What does it say about our selfish and greedy society?

From: DM Loxley, Hartoft, Pickering, North Yorkshire.

WHAT a wonderful opportunity for some to be able to say: "This weather proves that global warming is a myth."

What a shame that such people do not understand the process. Just because "warming" is used in the description does not mean that only temperature is considered. Global warming expresses a measure of the total energy content of the earth's atmosphere, so perhaps "ecosphere" would be a better concept. This total energy reveals itself in two ways; as heat which we measure by temperature and as kinetic energy which we measure as wind speed. This is only the air, the water, soil and rocks play a part in the storage and movement of energy. There is a continuous exchange of energy between all the components of the ecosphere. Since there is no such "balance-of-nature" (conditions crash from one extreme to the opposite) what we currently experience is nothing more than an "occurrence".

Most people have no concept of the timescales over which these natural extremes take place. For example, the last four global warming cycles lasted for 86,000, 92,000, 111,000 and 124,000 years (not in that order). There was a regularity but definitely no precision.

Weather is a consequence of climate and climate change a consequence of global conditions.

The changes we see in climate are certainly not regular but have extremes which are created by a large number of interacting cyclic events, or components, having periods of from 20 to 200 years.

Calculations for weather predictions can be made but uncertainties of measurement of as small as one per cent can render a five day prediction quite useless. This kind of weather is not unknown – remember the 1946-47 winter?

Implement cuts at the top

From: Bob Crowther, High Street, Crigglestone, Wakefield.

The statement by Wakefield council leader Peter Box that he wishes to invite suggestions on how Wakefield council can make cutbacks (Yorkshire Post, November 25) beggars belief.

Frontline jobs should be bottom of the list when cutbacks take place, with the concentration being on positions at the top of the pyramid.

The list could be endless, especially the people who have non-jobs with exotic titles.

It is interesting to note that Coun Box did not come forward with such a suggestion in connection with the building of a multi-million pound art gallery and market hall, along with the watersplash in the Bull Ring.

Taking a cynical approach, when the cuts are implemented, he can always turn around and insist that this is what the residents voted for.

I understand that the council structure contains many well-paid cabinets and committees who are in place to make such decisions or, once again, is it a ploy in order to spread responsibility?

Pomp and pageantry

From: Maureen Hunt, Woolley, near Wakefield.

EVERY time there is a Royal celebration the anti-monarchists become more vociferous and do their best to spoil the party. They must have been delighted to have the support of Bishop Pete Broadbent (Yorkshire Post, November 22) whose unjustified insults about the Royal family were quite astounding, especially as the Queen is the head of the Anglican Church.

His disrespectful comments will do nothing to encourage people to become churchgoers. The generosity of the Royal family and the Middletons in paying the wedding expenses should be gratefully appreciated. Instead of that, someone even complained about the cost of security.

What about the price of policing all the demonstrations which are allowed to take place, some of which lead to clashes and violence in which members of the constabulary are injured? At least a Royal wedding will be a happy event, which even the police may be able to enjoy.

One of the highlights of my life was the Queen's coronation in 1953 when, having spent the night on the pavement in The Mall, I had a grandstand view of the procession. I hope the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be just as uplifting and that all those who watch it will be filled with the same pride in being British as I was all those years ago.

No country in the world can stage manage such amazing pageantry, pomp and ceremony. It's something we can still do supremely well. So let's enjoy it and forget for one day the troubles which beset us. Thank God we have the monarchy to provide us with such a wonderful occasion – and so say the vast majority of us!

Why we back campaign to save village school

From: Colin Speakman, chairman, The Yorkshire Dales Society, The Town Hall, Cheapside, Settle, North Yorkshire.

THE Yorkshire Dales Society would like to add its wholehearted support to the people of Kettlewell in their campaign to save their village school (Yorkshire Post, November 8). A school is the heart of a community and the loss of Kettlewell School would have serious social and economic consequences for the whole of Upper Wharfedale.

Bussing young children long distances on winter mornings is not an acceptable way of saving costs, especially as the considerable additional transport costs would have to be met by parents, and also from North Yorkshire's already overstretched school transport budget, at a time of proposed draconian cuts elsewhere in rural transport provision in the county.

Top-down decisions of this nature totally contradict the coalition's commitment to local decision making. If there are financial challenges facing the retention of Kettlewell School, then this is a problem the entrepreneurial spirit and commitment of Upper Wharfedale communities should be encouraged to solve in partnership with the education authority.

If the words Big Society mean anything, they are about local authorities working with the communities they serve to find solutions, not imposing cost-cutting decisions that in the long term can only undermine the viability of those communities.