I TOO saw the orange-coloured UFOs travelling roughly north to south over Huddersfield on New Year’s Eve, as did the pensioner at Springwood as reported in the Examiner.

I had occasion to step out of my front door at about 11.45pm on New Year’s Eve. In the fairly clear sky was what I assumed to be a helicopter coming toward me from the north.

What an odd colour, I thought, and watched as it passed overhead in total silence.

It was much warmer inside as I watched from my west-facing window more of the orange lights flying straight and level at the same speed in the same direction.

I called my wife to look and back up my sightings which she did, yawned and went to bed.

The last one I saw came on the same track as the first it was about 12.35.

Unfortunately I could not see their continued flight as my view was blocked by the roofs of the Plover Mills housing estate.

It would be interesting to know if any official authority could throw some light (orange or otherwise) in the subject.

A Dyson

Lindley

Shedding light on mystery

WE too witnessed the UFO cluster in the skies above Huddersfield at about 12.25am on New Year’s Day.

As an avid UFO enthusiast and great believer in their visits to our planet, I put down the celebratory glass of wine to enjoy the arrival of our friends from space. The scene was impressive.

Even more impressive was the deviation of one of them as it zoomed in over Marsh.

My dreams were about to be realised and I would at last make contact with our alien visitors.

As the light descended into the road and wife, children and neighbours had gathered in anticipation, the Chinese lantern fell at our feet.

Having made sure that all burning was extinguished and the offending space ship was confined to the bin we retired to the house, to bed and to sleep.

Richard Booth

Marsh

A long line of victims

SO David Heathcote (Foxhunting U-turn, Mailbag, January 4) is upset that this government has lied to him.

Welcome to the real world, David.ŠI would advise you not to hold your breath.

You are in a very long line of people whoŠdeserve an apology for being lied to by their politicians.Š

Vanessa Mallalieu

Quarmby

Flawed homes plan

IN response to David Griffiths’ letter on the Local Development Framework (Mailbag, January 3) I would enlighten him a little more as he requests.

I have thoroughly studied the LDF documents and had meetings with senior planning officers. Therefore, I believe I have a reasonable in-depth understanding of the LDF and its ramifications for the people of Kirklees.

I can tell Mr Griffiths that these figures – notably the 28,000 new homes – have indeed to a great extent been plucked out of the air.

I state this as all the supporting documents that I have read are based on assumptions gathered from research data that goes back predominantly to the pre-financial collapse years of 2007/2008. We all know what has happened to the economy since then.

Added to this, a senior planner told me recently that these numbers were ‘aspirational’ time and again in a meeting.

Therefore the figures are to a great extent based on hot air and no more. Indeed, if Kirklees Council can show me unequivocal evidence from primary research data collected that the LDF is totally based on post-2008 – this taking into account of the economy’s unprecedented decline since then – I would welcome sight of this important ‘new’ information.

Having now read the framework and supporting documents I have come to the conclusion that because we are now living during a very long period of austerity (a world economist stated that it will be 2032 before Britain has the same wealth again as it had in 2005 due to our enormous debt – greater per capita by far than the USA), the extension into green belt for developers is totally unfounded and utterly unnecessary.

The only reason I can see for the release of Kirklees green belt in these times of stagnant development that will last for decades (we have no money as the former chief secretary to the Treasury told us when he left office) is that it will overnight make many people multi-millionaires as green belt at £6,000 an acre will go up £500,000 an acre.

In this respect also, the land will sell and go into land banks for developers to open up at a later date and where they will most probably develop former green belt sites first.

The reason is that green belt is the best building land and will always come first for the developer and his profits.

Currently we have sufficient land to build on for the low uptake of new housing in the Kirklees area.

Indeed, the industrial strategy that these huge numbers of houses are directly linked to is in cloud cuckoo land.

The extended industrial land will basically just gather dust for many years to come, unfortunately.

Overall, the whole basis of the LDF is flawed. Kirklees documents which use this figure as their base for their projections are totally out of date. When base data of this kind is used they are not worth the paper they were written on.

Dr David Hill

Prospective Independent Candidate for Golcar

Lib-Dem history lesson

JOHN Major’s call for the Conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition to continue beyond the next election has fuelled full merger speculation.

This makes sense as it is a Liberal resettlement to Lloyd George principles following the SDP instigated flirtation with the left.

Some merger is the only way Liberal Democrat MPs such as Clegg will retain their parliamentary seats beyond 2015.

In 1916 Lloyd George replaced Asquith as Prime Minister and headed a Conservative dominated Liberal Conservative Coalition.

Asquith split the Liberal Party and went into opposition.

Lloyd George and Conservative Leader Andrew Bonar Law decided to continue the coalition beyond World War I.

The 1918 election was devastating for non-coalition Liberals and once Conservatives left the coalition the resulting 1922 general election was devastating for both parties, leading to the rise of Labour.

In 1931 the National Liberal Party split from the Liberals in protest at the main Liberals supporting the second Labour Government and instead began co-operating with the Conservatives.

In 1947 these National Liberals and the Conservatives merged at the constituency level. Full merger came in 1968.

People often forget even Michael Heseltine was a National Liberal.

A merger or pact is Liberal business as usual.

Clr James Alexander

Labour leader, City of York Council

Lane excuses

I AM appalled by the attitude of both ‘Regular Lockwood Junction User’ (Mailbag, December 31) and ‘Concerned Driver’ (December 29) who both strongly believe that no drivers should ever use the middle lane when turning right towards town centre at Lockwood traffic lights.This is in spite of this lane being clearly marked for doing this.

Between them they state that any driver using this lane is attempting to ‘illegally undertake’ or ‘queue jump’ and suggest that drivers in the outside (right-hand) lane should not allow anyone from the inside lane to merge into a single lane.

I cannot understand where they get their ideas from.

The problem here has been partly caused by Kirklees Highways.

Two lanes are clearly marked to turn right towards the town centre, but after turning right all road markings disappear and the lanes have to merge.

I suggested in a previous letter that Kirklees should put a road sign up requesting motorists to ‘merge in turn’ and rely on the courteousness, good nature and common sense of drivers to achieve this.

Unfortunately, we now know that all drivers would not accept this.

I still live in hope that one day we might all be able to travel through Lockwood in a sensible and courteous manner.

sick and tired driver

Netherton

Need for policy rethink

IT comes as no surprise to me that Labour nationally or locally are so bereft of ideas that their idea of a policy statement is to blurt out ‘It isn’t fair.’

Apparently there is to be a re-think of their policy but in the meantime they must refer to a Tory-led government instead of a Coalition government.

That will show them that ‘Red Ed’ means business.

Incidentally, the Greens locally seem to be mimicking the Labour line.

Is it that they feel the gravy train of government spending is coming to a halt and they will not be able to use council funds to finance their pet projects any more?

I am glad that others have written to the Examiner pointing out wastage in government spending and realise the need to cut back on state-funded activities.

I wondered, as I looked at the empty ice-rink in the town centre this Christmas, how grateful council tax payers will be that we can afford to employ people to sweep the snow off the ice?

Answers please to the leader of the council.

Bernard McGuin

Marsh