Tuesday's Letters: Britain must allow firms to stay competitive

The only way to improve our current financial standing is through international trade and to be competitive in this market we have to keep the prime cost of manufacturing to a minimum. Therefore, the Government revenues must be taken from earnings and profits.

By lowering the cost base and exporting more, companies can expand and take on more staff and generate essential foreign income.

We have got ourselves into this current financial chaos due to greedy bankers, incompetent politicians and a large part of the population living beyond their means to the extent that we now have to accept a lower standard of living.

I would respond to Lord Mandelson by saying that whichever way the

Government taxes us, our standard of living will reduce and jobs will be lost.

From: D Downs, Mountbatten Avenue, Sandal, Wakefield.

From: D Birch, Smithy Lane, Cookridge, Leeds.

CAN anyone join in this period in our lives and "strike" just because we don't like what this Government wants to do?

Big business employers deciding they don't want to pay extra taxes before they take their very large profits.

Are they trying to emulate the bankers, who caused all the problems in the first place and bring the country to its knees again?

I can understand they don't want to pay the increase on National Insurance, but to say it's going to affect jobs, it beggars belief.

The bulk of these businesses, now, plus their associations who have joined in, are large employers in our vaunted service industries who between them have hundreds of thousands of employees, who are not overpaid by any stretch of imagination, as well as a large number of part-time workers in some of the companies.

If they were manufacturing goods/food, etc and helping the country that way, I, and a whole lot of the population, could understand why they don't want to pay. But, if I am not mistaken, a large number of them are responsible for the vast imports into the country of goods at very low costs and are not helping to balance our economy one little bit.

From: Ruthven Urquhart, High Hunsley, Cottingham, East Yorkshire.

JUST a little advice to those who intend to vote on May 6.

When all is said and done, more is said than (will be) done – and I believe this applies to any of the political parties.

From: TN Balmer, Sicklinghall, near Wetherby.

CULPABILITY Brown – the one to blame for transforming Britain, our Garden of Eden, into a desert wilderness within 12 years.

We simply can't afford to fund EU

From: Mrs Jane Birkby, Catherine Grove, Broughton, Brigg, North Lincolnshire.

SHOULD we be cutting cash to the EU? Our public services have suffered from shortage of cash ever since our government ministers signed us up to the European experiment in 1972.

Taxpayers were not asked if they wanted their hard-earned cash paid to this unaccountable juggernaut, nor were they given the democratic opportunity to pull out. "Open Europe Bulletin" quotes that the UK budget figure for the UK contribution to the EU has increased from last year's estimates. The 2009 budget estimated 5.6bn for the year – the actual amount was 6.4bn, and this will rise to an estimated 7.6bn per annum or more in 2010/11. The 6.4bn for 2009/10 was more than twice the 3.1bn for the year before, due to Tony Blair agreeing to give away Britain annual rebate reduction in 2005.

Why have none of the three main party leaders and their chancellors mentioned this, when they are telling taxpayers there will have to be cuts?

I say let's cut the EU contribution altogether, and withdraw from the EU, because it is quite clear that we cannot afford it, or the huge sums given in foreign aid (another item we were never asked about).

Charity begins at home, and by God this country, and it's hard pressed people need it!

From: Jan Whiteley, Halifax.

I TOTALLY agree with the content of the article by Jim McConalogue of the European Foundation (Yorkshire Post, April 1). We have been taken over by Brussels and will soon not be able to make any decisions for ourselves.

We should have been allowed a referendum over the Lisbon Treaty and we must also have a government which has the interests of the United Kingdom at heart when dealing with Europe. This seems to be sadly lacking with this present government.

A sporting aristocrat

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

I WAS delighted to see the Earl of Mexborough depicted playing in the English Amateur Billiards Championships at Halifax in 1971 ("From the Archive", Yorkshire Post, April 7).

He was also a keen tennis player. I first met him when I was a gauche working-class youth playing in the Yorkshire Championships at

Scarborough in the 1950s.

I was intrigued by his title, as I came from the then vibrant but scruffy mining town of Mexborough which was as far a cry from idyllic Helmsley where he lived as were my Royal Navy Surplus "shorts" from his beautiful white flannels. I didn't know how to address him, though I noticed that his friends called him John. Anyway, he was absolutely charming.

I recall an event reported on another occasion in the Yorkshire Post by your tennis correspondent Reginald Brace. Lord Mexborough was again

playing in the Yorkshire Championships at Scarborough when an

unfortunate seagull was intercepted in full flight by one of his

forehand drives. His Lordship calmly placed the lifeless creature at the side of the court and went on as if nothing had happened.

Language of affluence

From: Phyllis Capstick, Hellifield, Skipton, North Yorkshire.

AS reported (Yorkshire Post, April 3) it is Government strategy to create hundreds of extra gipsy sites in Yorkshire (no doubt far enough from Westminster).

I know of a young man who teaches in Yorkshire and his pupils consist entirely of gipsies from Romania.

Tony Blair's policy on immigration of "letting them all come" has

caused a huge influx of "travellers" of all kinds.

I am sure his many homes and grounds would accommodate a good proportion of these sites.

The sense we are born with is common sense. The trouble is that most politicians (if not all) have this sense educated out of them and consequently do not speak the same language as the honest, hard-working men and women of this country, whose work keeps this country on its

feet.

Most of them speak the language of affluence, which is quite different. Tony Blair's speeches (actor performances) are always choreographed to the nth degree, but all he says is for his own benefit.

Let's be on target in supporting our armed forces

From: Michael Booth, The Birches, Bramhope, Leeds.

WITH reference to your leader and comment (Yorkshire Post, April 9) regarding the retreat by the MoD and Army chiefs on the use of naive structures allegedly resembling mosques on Bellerby Ranges near Catterick, I am appalled at their lack of support for our Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

If anyone needs support they do – ask any resident in Wootton Bassett. If those structures are of any help to our forces, for goodness sake leave them alone. Remember it was our last Prime Minister who sent us to war, but then he didn't have to go himself.

So Mohammed Saleem Khan, of the Bradford Council for Mosques, is angry and offended at the shape and colour of these structures – well, hard luck. I'm just as angry and offended at his rantings.

I wonder if he would have similar feelings if our enemies in Afghanistan were having shooting training using models of York Minster –I doubt it.

I fail to see why we, in this country, have to always change our long-established ways; nowhere else does.

I just hope that the next government has the courage to stand on its

own feet and ban a lot of the current human rights legislation.

A nation fit for a saint

From: David W Wright, Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

WITH the imminent celebration of St George's Day on April 23 and the reinforcement of the ideal of England's Green and Pleasant Land, it is now questionable whether we should be bemoaning – not celebrating – England's abused environmentally over-friendly green, over-populated and over-regulated land.

We appear to be more concerned about desecrating our land and shores with hideous, costly and inefficient wind turbines and allowing Brussels/EU to rule us as a mere province of their Federal State.

We should now be campaigning for an English Parliament now that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own parliaments and send all their MPs back to their own countries to leave Westminster with fewer MPs and a wholly elected second chamber .

St George would then be greatly pleased.

Rail vandals

From: Rachel Taylor, Steep Lane, Sowerby, West Yorkshire.

I SMILED at Neil West's letter (Yorkshire Post, April 2) and his

cynical view regarding "signalling problems".

For his benefit, the Leeds area is controlled by a computer in York signal box which automatically sets the route for trains and the signaller only intervenes when required. Also, there is extra cover if he forgets to set his alarm clock.

The "signalling problem" he referred to was actually the signalling cables having been stolen at Micklefield junction – and, indeed, all

over the railway system. This is a regular occurrence on the railway.

The announcer should say "vandalism of the railway signalling". This would make it much easier for him and others to understand why his journey is so badly delayed.

Unfair fares

From: Eleanor Adshead, Leeds.

AS a student, I use the bus service quite frequently. Not only are they late 80 per cent of the time, but also charge a fairly extortionate price.

Of course, the answer would be to purchase a student bus pass, but I very rarely have that amount of money at any one time. I feel that bus fares should incorporate a daily student fare, a discount of the normal fare, although only available with a valid student card. Most may think that it's not that much of expense, but when you're using the bus a

good few times a week, costs soon add up.