IS IT me or does anyone else think we are being brainwashed into an increasingly unfeeling and uncaring society by those who are responsible for the programmes on our television?
It seems to be that in the producers’ minds, reality TV must incorporate the ridiculing and exploiting of human frailties to be popular. Two programmes spring to mind. Firstly, You’ve Been Framed. When it was first shown it was amusing in a harmless and enjoyable way.
Recently, anyone can see the manipulation some people go to to win £250. For example, leaving a two-year-old child on a spinning roundabout and laughing when it fell over, disorientated at the end.
The only ones that are genuinely amusing and cannot be exploited are the ones with animals and birds.
But the programme that has really disgusted me is The Biggest Loser on ITV. This is a game show featuring people being browbeaten and shouted at by those who are either naturally slim or have the wherewithal to have personal trainers to keep themselves fit and trim.
At the end of the week a couple are voted off the programme because after all this agony they have not lost enough weight. Can there be anything more demoralising than that? These people deserve better than being used to boost TV ratings.
Since we are into reality TV, is it just a matter of time before they go the whole hog and show people how to break the law and get away with it?
Mrs N Clarke
Almondbury
Car crash caution
MY husband’s car was recently hit by another driver who drove through a red light.
Luckily for my husband, this was witnessed by another driver. I would like to thank the lady in question for stopping and telling my husband what the driver did. The lady was behind the driver in question who ran the red light.
When I got in touch with my insurers, the driver who caused the accident denied liability, blaming my husband. He also told his insurers he had sustained injuries, though he showed no signs of this when he pushed his car out of the road and onto the kerb.
The car then rolled back onto a traffic sign, forcing the door back on itself so it was touching the driver’s side wing. Bear in mind, no-one was steering his car at the time. He is also saying this is my husband’s fault.
When the accident occurred my husband felt sorry for this person. He even lent him his phone to ring his relatives.
So the message here is don’t take people on face value. Always carry a pen and pad in your car and if you have an accident get as many details as you can – take photos, get witness statements and contact details.
Once again I would like to say thank you to the lady who stopped. Without you we would be in dire straits. To the driver who jumped a red light, caused an accident and denied everything to make money, shame on you. Your parents must be really proud.
Mrs Tina Bagga
Slaithwaite
European dangers
IN 2002 a book was published with the title England Our England. The author was Vernon Coleman.
This book was reprinted twice in 2003 and six times in 2004.
The book is about the danger of being in the European Union and joining the Euro. Every prediction in the book has come true. There is a real possibility we could lose our country.
Brenda Holroyd
Holmfirth
Getting your hands dirty
AFTER reading various reports over the last few weeks in the Examiner regarding the Labour-led council’s plans to cut jobs, I think it would be a good idea if some of our leading lights in the council had a better idea of how important and how hard working the staff are on the frontline.
Perhaps if chief executive Adrian Lythgo was to work on the bins for a week – a bit like the TV programme Undercover Boss – then a few days with a tarmac gang filling in the holes in our roads, then perhaps a week with the carers helping the elderly. Just think what that would do for his CV! All that practical experience – you can’t beat it.
Another good idea could be for him to take Clr Mehboob Khan with him and let him get his hands dirty too. He could perhaps use the experience as a feature on his election leaflets. It’s a win-win situation!
The only thing is that after a few weeks away from the Town Hall, the council may realise they could do without the pair of them. Now that would be a saving!
Ron Thomas
Bradley
Parking pirates
I AGREE with the person who was caught by the parking arrangements at the Great Northern Retail Park off Leeds Road.
There is a similar operation in Wakefield for Sainsbury’s and Homebase and most of the off street car parks are privately run as well.
I have already told them that if they ever clamp my car I will leave it and send the details to Watchdog and all the national papers.
I am not averse to proper parking and discipline, but the car is a Motability car and I will call them and let their greater clout and influence sort out any rogues.
Incidentally, I cannot think there is any place that you would block a disabled space unless you parked in front or behind or in a non-space where there is no room to open the door – but your writer did not say that that was what had happened.
Martin Fletcher
Emley
Ticket travesty
I WRITE in response to Elaine Moore’s letter regarding parking problems. I too have received a parking ticket from a company called Parking Eye because I parked in the Aldi car park in Milnsbridge.
The fine I have received has come about because one Wednesday morning after dropping my son at nursery I thought I would save myself some time and pick up a few things from the Aldi store. I drove into the car park at about 8.25am, saw the store was closed and drove straight back out. Later on the same day, just after 1pm, I went back to Aldi to do my shop and I was in the store for about 30 minutes.
A couple of weeks later I was shocked to receive a parking fine from Parking Eye for £40 if paid immediately – if not it would go up to £70. The fine stated that I entered the car park at 8.28am and left at 1.42pm which meant I had supposedly been there for five hours. I appealed straight away and noted that if their cameras had picked me up entering and leaving at the times stated, then please could they look at them again and they would see I left the car park straight after I had entered in the morning and re-entered later that day.
I got an apparently standard reply to say my appeal had failed. I don’t even think they took the time to even look at it properly.
I am refusing to pay this fine on the principle that I know I have done nothing wrong and should never have been sent the fine in the first place. I am also ignoring any letters which are sent to me from them. I’ll just wait and see what happens.
VG
Crosland Moor
Driving force
AS a devout motorist I would like to know why the money which I and millions of motorists such as myself pay out annually is not being spent on our local roads.
Whose bright idea was it to create at a cost of millions of pounds bus lanes which serve little to no purpose? We have a bus lane which is going to be out of bounds to the motorist 24 hours a day even though buses will have ceased operating. Where is the logic in that?
The schemes which Kirklees Highways dream up look as though they are contrived to move the motorist onto public transport. It is not working – yet.
The trouble is that no initiatives are put in place apart from stress creation.Who comes up with these madcap ideas?
Driving in and around our town is becoming more and more difficult. Yes, we all know there are too many vehicles on our roads and highways as they are laid out at the moment. What is the alternative when more and more people work way out of their local areas and most goods are transported by road?
Like cattle each morning, people board trains that are expensive and overcrowded to commute to work. What value for money do these people get? Why not couple more carriages for peak times? Is this too difficult a solution?
The motorists’ taxes would be better served in creating a safer, smoother, less cluttered road system. It would also help if there was more work in our local area as this would hopefully encourage people to use public transport.
The transport companies have got to get their act together before you can encourage the motorist to leave their cars at home.
David Brown, after 150 years of gear manufacture in our area, is looking to move its production to one of the busiest areas of the Huddersfield district. Where is the sense in that? They obviously are not thinking of road congestion. It will be a sad day if the company re-locates to Mirfield.
What will become of the old site, or need we ask? More commuters no doubt to top up the other 26,000 proposed homes with no thought of our infrastructure and amenities.
R J Bray
Shelley
