THE argument that public sector workers must be prepared for pay ‘restraint’ because otherwise it would not be fair to the private sector is absolute rubbish and is an attempt to set one group of workers against another.

Why should we accept the view at all that we, public sector or private sector workers, should pay for a crisis that is not of our making?

Those at the top who have been in a position to make money hand over fist until the latest bubble burst are the last ones to think they can impose an ‘equity of misery’ on the rest of us.

Do governments think we are stupid? Do they think we have not seen the way our hard-earned money has been squandered on illegal wars, on PFI schemes that cost the taxpayer many times more than publicly funded ones, not to mention the £37bn to prop up the banks to save a system that will continue to reward the rich and bleed the poor dry.

Alistair Darling speaks in sombre tones about ‘the need to learn lessons from the financial crisis in which banks acted in a kamikaze fashion and the regulatory system failed.’ But still we hear of banks continuing to offer the same big bonuses at the first opportunity and of how accountants can help them make millions by avoiding a 50p income tax on bonuses.

We have seen little evidence of the government trying to save jobs in the way they propped up the banks.

We should defend jobs and conditions in both public and private sectors.

June Jones

Marsden

Kirklees policymakers

AFTER talking to various politicians of all creeds I have come to the conclusion that our local authority is too much officer-led. There is, of course, a good reason to follow the line taken by civil servants. They are the experts, they are the ones who will carry out the policies of the elected leadership and if one leadership falls then someone has to be there to make sure any transition is as smooth as possible.

The tendency now seems to be that local authorities have to be pulled in to national control and local government officials make sure that the ruling power in Westminster gets its way.

Kirklees officers have presented a three year budget plan that will see cuts in expenditure and small rises in council tax.

The ruling group accepts with little dissent. The Conservative plan was little different so I am not making a party political point.

The school plan for North Kirklees was officer-led. Why claim that Castle Hall does not add value to children’s education then end up expanding schools that, even on this spurious measure, perform worse such as Spen Valley, Westborough and Whitcliffe Mount.

The simple argument that deprived areas deserve better schools is undeniable. Don’t drag good schools down with it.

The last example regarding this officer-led culture is building plans for 37,000 homes.

The government wants plans for these homes. The officers come up with them with little input from local political groups save the Greens as Clr Andrew Cooper rightly pointed out.

My main concern here is democracy.

Councillors have not got the time or the expertise to come up with plans of their own.

I am not anti civil servants. From my reading of the audit reports, they have done a brilliant job of the finances. They are not elected. Councillors too often cite as an excuse we were only following the officers’ report. Is this what the electorate of Kirklees wants?

Bernard McGuin

Marsh

Books so vital

IT IS to be welcomed that the Scrutiny Committee of the council has referred the decision to close New Mill Library back to Cabinet, but I can’t help thinking there is more to do with politics here than with our communities and libraries.

In the submission to Scrutiny, the Conservative councillors pointed out that Kirkheaton library also has falling numbers of visitors and yet this is not up for closure. The reason is suggested that this would be unpopular among voters in the Lib/Lab area of Dalton/Kirkheaton. I would suggest that if the Tories were still in power in Kirklees, given the budget restrictions they would close this library with the same disregard for the public good that the Lib/Lab alliance are currently showing to New Mill.

The point is that no libraries should be closing. Libraries and education were hard fought for by our forebears because of the need to assist in the education of working people.

Now with an increase in literacy problems and a cultural malaise, it is as vital as ever to preserve libraries and expand their services and functions for the good of the community.

As we saw with the movement to save Almondbury Library and also the taxi licensing protests, the people of New Mill may have to take to the streets and make their voice heard to save their library.

Ian Brooke

Radical Action Network

Stop the callers

I REFER to a letter in Thursday’s Examiner about telephone harassment.

I have had a few persistent callers asking for details about things, but they do not ring me now.

This because I do not argue with the caller.

I say I have no interest and ‘no thank you.’

In other words, the best way of dealing with constant harassment is not let them get the upper hand.

Do not give them an inch to take a yard. I nip it in the bud there and then.

Do not show any interest whatsoever and do not be polite to them. Put the phone straight down. Do not carry on talking to them. You are not obliged to talk to the them anyway. Show them who is the boss.

Blow a whistle down the phone or play some music.

Colin Liversidge

Dalton

Support for BNP

I HAVE to agree with Bill Armer on his comment about immigration, being a topic for legitimate concern and debate.

But then he follows by calling the BNP irresponsible for publicising the problems of immigration, thus a contradiction.

The British people have been subjected to continuous political brainwashing by the Labour government as regards multiculturalism, immigration and political correctness from the moment it came to power.

At the same time the various anti-free speech laws that have been enacted by previous governments have created a climate of fear in our society as regards any debate on immigration and issues related to immigration.

The BNP now has representatives on all levels of government, apart from Westminster and yet the government is still not listening by not bringing this serious topic to the front of the arena for severe debate.

Do they need that final representative in the House of Commons before action is taken?

Mr Armer also points out that the BNP doesn’t go out its way to demonstrate they are not racist. This is a valid point.

Firstly I would assume the majority of people are aware that racism is a crime and the BNP is a fully legal and legitimate party.

Secondly, it’s similar to the saying ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ Why on earth should any organisation or person go out their way to prove they are not racist?

This again is another reason they pick up votes. So many employment positions are filled by using Affirmative Action, Positive Discrimination and Racial Quotas, hence not giving the job to the best candidate – all this just to prove to people like Mr Armer they are not racist.

I’m afraid the days of tainting the BNP with all the negative buzz words with no substance or evidence are over.

It’s going to get a lot harder for people like Mr Armer to rubbish the BNP and its members like myself because they’re going to have to tackle us on policy from now on.

The old tactics of lies and misinformation have run thin and the proof of this is in the pudding.

Skye Turner

Huddersfield

Disturbing BNP

TO the reader who found no evidence of fascist policies from the BNP.

They have openly stated several times on TV that their central policy is one of ‘ethnic homogeneity.’ I don’t know how anyone who understands modern history such as the rise of the Nazi party or the ethnic cleansing of nationalists in Serbia can hear those words without being very disturbed.

I’m sure those writing in to criticise the BNP just don’t want to be part of a generation that is despised by history.

It is true in a country of limited resources that immigration controls need to be tightened, but let’s not confuse that issue with a disturbing policy of ethnic and cultural purity. It can only go in one direction.

J Stephenson

Huddersfield

Square Tesco

I AM most surprised that our councillors did not direct Tesco to build in St George’s Square.

No doubt Tesco would have built on a wing for the tourist information centre.

Jack Lockwood

Honley