I’M writing in reply to the letter by Clr Christine Smith in the Examiner.

The political point she was trying to make about academies comes from a misunderstanding.

The last Labour government did indeed introduce academies but they were a very different concept from that of the present Tory government. The Labour government sought to close failing and struggling schools and re-open them as academies with extra government resources and control to get them back on track. Only these schools.

Today we are witnessing an attempt to take away the over-arching support of local government from all state schools countrywide ( this is the ‘control’ taxpayers and parents are frightened with although for many years schools have enjoyed a great deal of autonomy).

In return, these new academies are enticed by promises of more money direct from government, not siphoned off by so-called “profligate” local authorities.

Do these new academies really think that these extra funds will come along every year from now on – I think not.

Added to which have they not considered the degree of control Westminster will have over them in the future?

Every whim of every new Secretary of State will be have to be carried out.

In the future will they like this situation with or without the extra cash? Added to which, when the next catastrophe hits, God forbid, will the academies have sufficient insurance to cover dealing with it without the expertise and support which would swing in immediately from the Local Authorities?

And I haven’t yet started talking about the total break up of our education system. That must be for another letter.

Christine Hughes

Shelley

Maternity services

BARRY Gibson can be relied upon to be controversial and provocative, which is something a healthy democracy needs.

His recent polemic (Barry’s column, Examiner, October 25) against the Colne Valley and Golcar Ward Labour Parties’ newsletter does, however, deserve a response.

He takes particular exception to Colne Valley’s Tabatha Ellam calling for maternity services to be restored to Huddersfield, implying that we are being hypocritical.

Barry may not be aware of the strong opposition to the move by Kirklees Labour councillors.

Clr Mehboob Khan, at the time a non-executive director of the Primary Care Trust which was responsible for the change, strongly opposed the loss of Huddersfield maternity services and voted against the changes.

Labour’s Clr Molly Walton chaired a Council Scrutiny Panel which opposed the plans.

Ironically, a Liberal Democrat councillor and a member of the Primary Care Trust Board, David Payne, actually voted for the removal of maternity services from Huddersfield to Halifax.

We are where we are. Tabatha Ellam, as a Colne Valley resident, is absolutely right to stand up for local people and protest about the situation, which is particularly difficult for people dependent on public transport.

Even with a car, the journey to Calderdale Hospital is not easy, especially at busier times. Huddersfield needs to get its maternity services back and our local campaigners make no apology for supporting local people on this issue.

We invite NHS staff, local people and trades unions, to join us in a united campaign which puts the interests of our communities first.

Dr Paul Salveson MBE, Labour candidate,

Golcar Ward

Parliamentary ‘treason’

ALL talk of reclaiming powers usurped by the European Union in a few years’ time is a complete and utter fabrication.

Prime Minister David Cameron and his fellow conspirators know that Gordon Brown has already committed Parliament to handing over all of what’s left of any meaningful legislative power to Brussels and the EU on November 1, 2014.

There is no way back from that, and there’s a real possibility we will lose at least part of our system of elections.

Following Monday’s parliamentary EU referendum vote I take my hat off to patriotic Jason McCartney, one of the 81 ‘rebels’.

The real rebels – against democracy – are the kow-towers like Barry Sheerman, who have let down those people who were asking for their democratic right to a vote for in/out.

Perhaps the time is ripe to revert to our enshrined lawfully legitimate and binding Magna Carta common law and bill of rights, which has been hijacked.

Mr Corcoran

Lockwood

Our voice silenced

WE appear to have a government which is in favour of democracy for foreign people in faraway lands, and is willing to support, by force of arms or billions of British pounds, the right for the voice of those people to be heard.

In Parliament on Monday this same Government refused that same right to the people of Britain.

John Langford

Lepton

Street toilet sweeping

DOES Kirklees Council not realise that while they don’t have to maintain public toilets, they do still have to clean up people’s public toilet trips when they’re forced to do it on the streets.

L Sanderson

Golcar

Pledges revoked

I AM furious at the deceit of our main political parties.

At the last general election they all pledged to allow us a referendum on the EU constitution.

They then allowed the constitution to be tagged on with even more powers delegated to the EU, called it a treaty and then voted to deny us the vote they promised.

On Monday William Hague said the coalition parties did not promise a referendum in their manifesto over EU membership.

Nick Clegg led his MPs out of Parliament rather than vote to support his pledge.

Strictly speaking they did not promise a member ship referendum. They did, however, pledge one on the constitution.

So stop ducking and weaving, Mr Hague: where is our vote? It is our country as much as yours.

It’s about time all the main parties stopped insulting us and put the case for membership to us to vote, yes or no.

Clr Steve Radford

President, Liberal Party

Expensive justice

READING the Examiner on the topic of urinating in the street brought to my attention the ridiculous situation the country finds itself in regarding its legal system.

Many years ago we seemingly had the best and most honest system in the world. Nowadays it is based on how much a person’s bank balance is.

It was stated in the article that a bye-law to set this anomaly straight would cost £50k to implement.

I hear of court cases costing millions. Why should justice and law cost so much? Why doesn’t the Government look into the ludicrous costs of the legal industry with lawyers and barristers costs sky high?

This is one industry that is never cost regulated, maybe because most politicians are embedded in the system.

We’re happy to consider supermarkets’ monopolies and football shirt costs but never legal costs. Why don’t we bring on a common sense system and anyone found urinating cleans the streets on a Saturday and Sunday morning after their mayhem the previous night?

This letter, if it was written by a lawyer, would probably cost me £200.

Keith Hanvey

South Crosland

Compassionate eating

I AM just one of the hundreds of thousands of people throughout the UK who has chosen to follow a vegan diet and will be celebrating that compassionate choice this November, which is designated National Vegan Month – an annual initiative that promotes the benefits of an animal-free diet.

By going vegan, each of us can help to end animal suffering, reduce our carbon footprint and boost our health. What other diet has such overwhelmingly positive benefits?

Animal products are not essential for a healthy diet. In fact, a large number of studies show that a balanced and varied 100% plant-based diet is ideal for optimum health and lowers the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and other diet-related illnesses. I am healthier and happier knowing that my food choices have not caused animals to suffer.

Kelly Slade

Animal Aid