THE Conservatives have broken a promise made with a key group of their supporters in the last election.
Hunt groups around the UK were promised that MPs would be allowed a free vote in parliament on lifting the ban on hunting with dogs. In marginal seats like Colne Valley, hunt groups were critical in helping Conservatives win votes.
The Conservative MP for Colne Valley, Jason McCartney, should lead the way in apologising to his own hunt group supporters for the fact that his government has let them down.
Although it is considered unlikely that the ban would be lifted, this army of Conservative supporters, like Lib Dem voters, must surely feel cheated. Whatever one’s personal views on fox hunting, this is wrong.
David Heathcote
Huddersfield
Politicians are to blame
SO Brendan Barber from the TUC and Labour leader Ed Miliband think that 2011 is going to be a horrible year.
What about 2007, 2008, 2009, to say nothing of 2010?
Those were the years when, thanks to Labour policies supported by both of them, millions of savers saw the returns on their investments shattered; when pensioners and the elderly saw their income from savings decimated, giving them a very bleak retirement either in fact, or in prospect.
Not to put too fine a point on it, it has seemed for some years now that those in the twilight of our lives were being made, quite deliberately, to pay for the depredations to our nation’s finances by Gordon Brown and his government, if for no other reason than we won’t be around too long to recall what they have done – again!
Of course, most of us wouldn’t vote for them anyway, but it is good to see others are now being asked to pay for something that isn’t the fault of any of us.
I learned long ago that if there was a national or international financial crisis somewhere, you wouldn’t have to look far to see that there was a politician as the cause of it. This time it was the Three Bs – Brown, Blair, and Bush!
Alan Carcas
Liversedge
Musicians’ good deed
ON December 18 after a splendid concert at Marsden Church by Marsden Band and the Colne Valley Male Voice Choir, a group of young musicians noticed that we had a flat tyre.
They took full control of the situation, told us not to worry, sit in the car and keep warm, changed the wheel and put everything back in the car and then we were mobile once more.
One young man waited at the end of the church drive to advise us that it would be safer to go through the village as the roads were clear of snow.
They were all so very kind and considerate and helped us out of a very difficult situation. We can never thank them enough.
We feel it’s good to be able to report that there are such very nice, kind young people around.
sylvia and don hampson
Linthwaite
No work, but we pay
I NOTE that Kirklees Council workers have elected to strike in January which will mean bins left unemptied and roads ungritted not to mention other health and safety issues that the council workers may attend to.
So where does this leave the public? More accidents, more rats due to left rubbish.
Should we not have a reduction in Council Tax for this lack of productivity which we expect for our money and are fully entitled to get? Heaven help us if the police went on strike.
Someone needs to get their act together quickly. Less for the fat cats at the top of the council tree would correct all this. I question why the public should suffer for their action – or in this instance, their lack of action.
COLIN VAUSE
Marsh
Tuition fees poll woe
THE governing coalition should take a serious look at the recent poll evidence regarding tuition fees.
The survey, conducted by parenting website Netmums, reveals that many parents believe higher fees will leave them unable to help their children with the cost of university.
Almost a third (32.2%) of the parents polled said they no longer expected to be able to afford to help pay their child's fees which means they will be unlikely to be able to go to university.
A further 18% said they were unlikely to be able to help fund the cost of the fees, but were happy that their child could apply for a Government loan to cover the cost.
This means without doubt substantial numbers of capable young people will be deterred from going to university.
More than one in 10 (11.3%) said they no longer wanted their child to go to university due to the fee rise and the debt they would leave with.
Some 13.4% said they would consider sending their child to university abroad rather than in the UK. We are already seeing universities on the Continent advertising courses in English.
This government is sowing the seeds for the country’s economic disadvantage, reducing the supply of skilled graduates and encouraging many to seek education abroad.
We would advocate that all young people could get a kick start in life by having their education or business grants funded by immediately abolishing all exemptions on death duties and applying an inheritance tax at 10% for inheritances at £100,000 and then rising progressively.
There is a natural justice of funding the skills of the next generation from the inherited wealth of the previous generation.
Clr Steve Radford
President of The Liberal Party
Great day care centre
I GO to the Day Care centre at Cowlersley.
It has been running for a few months now. What a good job they have done for us, a great Christmas party, a great meal. We had music and games. We had a great time.
Thank you to Linda and staff.
GRATEFUL
Cowlersley
Garden project boost
IN response to KW’s letter and comment, which I appreciate, I would advise that the £440 donation from the Walkers Arms public house (Examiner, December 20) was suggested and made by Vicky and Clair McMahon to our Community Garden Project.
In addition to this they raffled our Christmas hamper which raised a further £115.
Another £220 has also been donated by the Walkers Arms to Kirkwood Hospice.
On behalf of all the people associated with our project and also the school children, I would like to thank Vicky and Clair for their fantastic support which will make a significant difference to the funding of our Community Garden Project.
Brian Quarmby
Chairman, Golcar Community Garden Project
Let’s warm the globe
ONLY by creating global warming can we save the planet from an ice age so please buy large gas guzzling cars and burn as much electricity as possible.
Don’t listen to doubters. This isn’t a consequence of global warming, just Mother Nature that scientists and Al Gore got wrong.
The ice age is coming if we don’t act now. Pollution will save the planet – we have only one fragile earth and we must save it whatever the cost to us.
I’m off to kill a polar bear before it’s too late and we are overrun.
Mr Corcoran
Lockwood
Band carrying on
I WOULD like to thank The Examiner for printing the article explaining why The Gas Club had to remain closed on Boxing Day and cancel the event on New Year’s Eve.
However, there is just one small point that I would like to clarify.
The band Vital Signs who had been booked to appear at the Club on New Year’s Eve, are not disbanding as stated.
They will continue to entertain the people of Huddersfield and surrounding areas, just with a slightly different line-up!
We would like to wish them luck with their new format and look forward to working with them later in the year.
Babs Metcalf
For and on behalf of the Gas Club Committee
