BERNARD McGuin (Blame for the Cuts, Mailbag, March 6) repeats the Tories’ big con-trick from the 2010 election.

The Tory campaign was one long hysterical scream, designed to do a hatchet-job on Gordon Brown. ‘It’s all Brown’s fault!’ they told us.

No. How could it be? We are in a world-wide economic crisis. It was caused by the crazy ‘free market’ ideas which took off under Reagan in the USA and Mrs Thatcher here.

‘Labour lost control of public spending!’ the Tories and their millionaire media mates (Murdoch included) yelled.

No. Treasury figures show just how wrong that is. Under the Tories, the annual average gap between what the government raised and spent was 3.2%.

Under Labour, it was 1.1% up to 2007.

Mr McGuin should remember that the Tories spent on mass unemployment and tax cuts for the richest. Under Labour, it went on rebuilding our schools, hospitals, etc, after the mess the Tories left them in.

Then the game changed.

The credit crunch in the USA sucked trillions of dollars of credit (the oil which keeps the world economy moving) down the plug-hole. Folk lost their jobs. They stopped paying taxes. Instead, they rightfully claimed their benefits. That was what led to the deficit, not Labour’s actions.

Now, here’s the crunch question for Mr McGuin.

If Labour lost control of spending, why did the Daily Mail tell us (February 15, 2008) ‘Shadow Chancellor would keep Labour’s spending pledges’ ... George Osborne today declared he would stick by Labour’s spending plans despite pressure from Tory MPs.’?

This undermines Mr McGuin’s argument that it was Labour’s ‘economic follies’ which have caused our problems. He can’t just ignore the question.

Mr R A Vant

Holmfirth

More wool-pulling

CLR Graham Turner’s letter of March 13, in which he argued that Tory policies would lead to expensive houses build on greenfield sites, beggars belief.

But such is the response that we have come to expect from a party that is once more endeavouring to pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate.

He really should have read the Examiner’s comprehensive and very accurate report of Tuesday, March 6, which detailed his own party’s Kirklees Cabinet LDF proposals for a number of potential green belt release areas, including nine within the Denby Dale area which, if allowed to proceed, would more than double the current size of Skelmanthorpe.

Clr Turner argues in his letter that ‘there are no plans to build a single house on green belt land in Skelmanthorpe, Scissett or anywhere else in the Denby Dale ward or indeed in the whole of South Kirklees’ is simply not borne out by the facts.

Their plan would devastate 15 hectares of green belt land within Clayton West if converted for industrial use, with this proposal completely ignoring the large empty unused stock of buildings within our area and that between here and Wakefield.

Clr Turner’s party, in November last year, in collusion and partnership with the Liberal Democrats, the Green and Independent parties, voted to allow for up to 64 green belt sites for housing throughout Kirklees to enable some 22,470 homes to be built by 2028.

Following the public outcry and the very public town centre protest on March 3, Clr Turner’s party still, supported by the Lib Dems, railroaded through their original proposals at a council meeting on March 6; their woolly reasoning being to house and support the 37,000 jobs they are projecting will be created by 2028.

I would have thought that even Clr Turner could have asked himself how on earth, if the Labour and Lib Dems supported administrations were unable to encourage industry to re-locate to Kirklees during the halcyon years of his party’s national and local administration, they proposed to achieve their target in the current climate.

A recent survey of industrialists appears to be saying the maximum jobs by 2028 that could be created is 10,000.

I’m not sure which spin doctor wrote Clr Turner’s letter, but he should have not have endeavoured to mislead the voters of the Denby Dale ward who already are more than aware of the current ‘real’ situation.

CLR JOHN COOK

Conservative Candidate for Denby Dale

Tax equation

FOR ‘22,000 homes to be built’ read ‘22,000 council tax receipts’, which at the lowest band, Band A, equates to an annual income of £22m, rising year on year.

Our council admits to being short of funding. When I say ‘our’ council I mean ‘their’ council. So, given the potential extra income all these extra houses will bring in, it’s not difficult to rationalise ‘their’ planning decisions, is it?

ALLEN JENKINSON

Milnsbridge

Defence of David

WE have recently witnessed several derogatory letters regarding the ‘green’ competence of Conservative candidate Dr David Hill, which after three years of fighting the ill-devised Local Development Framework (LDF), along with hundreds of other like minded people, totally beggars belief!

Indeed, David Hill is a founder member of the non-political organisation the Kirklees Community Action Network (KCAN) who now wants to enter the political arena to bring about change to Kirklees Council.

Like me, he is fed up to the teeth of witnessing the abuse of the council’s citizens by virtually ignoring those who raise public concern on matters like the LDF.

Knowing David Hill as a man of the people and a miner’s son, I know he considers the Kirklees gravy-train of thousands of pounds of committee expenses to be wrong.

He believes the Colne Valley has been neglected long enough, with certain parts of Slaithwaite village now resembling a bomb site. He sees our roads as a complete disgrace.

Our social and environmental infrastructure is nearing collapse, yet a large proportion of the 2,472 homes built (as depicted in Tier 4) will only make matters worse!

I have no doubt David Hill will work tirelessly to bring about fundamental change to an out-of-touch Kirklees Council that should now be consigned to the nearest dustbin!

And finally, for the benefit of my own critics, I am not a closet Tory (as I am forever being accused), I am a retired senior trade union official who over the past two weeks has witnessed an appalling state of democratic affairs that has brought about this planning Armageddon!

Thereby, if the people do not vote on May 3 this year on an ‘anti-LDF’ candidate basis and for the alternatives proposals put forward – under which our greenfield and green belt land will be saved – and show those who voted for the LDF the political door, then the 22,470 Kirklees homes proposed will quickly become a concrete reality!

Alan Knight BA (Hons)

Constituent, Colne Valley Ward

Delights of satnav

MAY I thank Mr Ronnie Gee of Golcar, who came to our rescue when the satnav sent our transport ambulance down a dirt track off Radcliffe Road where we got well and truly stuck.

Mr Gee came to undo the locked gate and, armed with a shovel, he helped dig and guide us out, saving us the long wait quoted to the driver.

Judith Szyszlo

Marsden

A ‘wizard’ show

IT was wonderful to go and see the fantastic production of The Wiz, a soul version of the Wizard of Oz, put on recently by the multi-talented students of King James’s School in Almondbury.

It was brilliant to see how the dedicated staff and a group of more than 100 enthusiastic students aged between 11 and 16 came together and worked as a team to ensure that the production was a success backstage and on stage! The talent shown was amazing.

Thank you to Mr Lamb, all the staff involved and of course well done to all the students behind the scenes and on stage for helping make The Wiz a success.

Mary Moss

Fenay Bridge

Links re-established

The Alcohol Support Kirklees (ASK) web site has recently been updated for 2012.

Unfortunately the contact link on the site didn’t work after the changes, but this has now been rectified.

To anyone who has been trying to get in touch, please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.

ASK continues to help all those suffering directly or indirectly due to alcohol abuse.

The site is again as busy as ever so please get in touch either through the site link or any of the contacts below.

Alan Walker

Alcohol Support Kirklees - 01484 559222, 07435 567401, arwalker@alcoholsupport.com, www.alcoholsupport.com.