THE letter headed ‘Re-energise policy’ by Mr Godfrey Bloom MEP (Mailbag, December 29) is wrong in almost every statement.

First, it is important to note that two cold winters should not be used as evidence against the long term trend of global warming.

Climate is similar to personal finance. You may have good or bad months in terms of spending (eg spending less in January after a big Christmas) but if your wage is decreasing, your bank account is in trouble in the long run.

Secondly, Mr Bloom states that the world was warmer in the Minoan, Roman and medieval times. This isn’t true. In fact no global temperature reconstructions exist for any of these periods.

Thirdly, we are told that CO2 is at a significant historic low when, in fact, atmospheric CO2 concentrations are greater than they were at any point in the 650,000 years before the industrial revolution.

Mr Bloom goes on to say that the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) ‘has admitted’ there has been no warming since 1995. Again this is wrong. The IPCC states that there has been an increase of 0.12ºC per decade during this time.

An important note here is that achieving statistical significance in scientific terms is much more likely for longer periods and much less likely for shorter periods.

Finally, when recently ejected from the European Union parliamentary chamber Mr Bloom said that only his constituents had the right to remove him.

I would just like to assure him that I will be doing my bit to do just that at the next EU elections.

Simon Mair

Holmfirth

Decision for courts

I AM surprised that the police are allowing everyone and his uncle to see, online, the raid for illicit alcohol (reported in the Examiner, December 24).

I am also extremely surprised to read the quote from licensing officer Pc Richard Woodhead stating that the penalties will be grave for involvement in such offences.

I must be missing something, but is it not for the courts to decide what the penalties for offences will be.

The only person who must be congratulated is the Examiner reader who passed on the information, without which, nothing would have been done. Well done.

PF

Huddersfield

The use of guns

I’M sure the police shooting Alistair Bell will ignite the debate about the use of guns.

But I would just like to offer my support to the police. The officers do a wonderful job within their limitations which is what the boss says and what government allows them to do.

In this case it seems a policeman was shot in the back. He does not deserve to be shot at when responding to a report of a crime much like every other officer.

The debate will always go on. Perhaps CS gas could have been used or a Taser gun, but the police had to act and, in my opinion, they did right.

We do not want guns in our communities, but if we must have them at least let the person using it be a police officer using it to protect the wider public.

David Hughes

Kirkheaton

Cruelty to horses

WITH more anti-government protests a strong likelihood in 2011, the recent violent clashes between mounted police officers and students raises questions about the welfare of the horses used in these situations.

The horses, which had no noticeable protection to their bodies, were subjected to frighteningly high levels of violence.

From one side missiles rained down on them and from the other police officers brutally kicked spurs into their reluctant mounts and used truncheons to drive the horses forward into terrifying and chaotic scenes.

Police horses undergo training for such mentally and physically demanding situations. However, in the testing circumstances of serious unrest, a horse’s impulse would be to flee. They are forcibly restrained from doing so.

Submissive control comes from the use of multi-pressure, double-reined Pelham bits which subject the horse to considerable pain in the mouth and on the head should the horse try to resist.

And spurs, forcibly applied, intimidate the horse into capitulation.

Such brutal methods have been used for centuries on war horses.

Today, horses remain as tools for crowd control by the police. It is time for this animal abuse to stop and for horses no longer to be used in what is essentially a dispute between two groups of people.

Dene Stansall

Horse Consultant, Animal Aid

Community police

WITH regard to the Chief Constable’s letter of December 23, the main priority of the police must be community crime and community indiscretions.

For as police numbers dwindle and future jobs are not available for employment to put money into the pockets of predominantly the young in our society due to the grim economic front, crime in the community will escalate. You don’t have to be an Einstein to understand this.

Therefore, as long as the Chief Constable’s words are not mere words we can hope that crime will be contained as much as possible. Unfortunately, based upon my and others’ experience over the last nine months when dealing with anti-social behaviour in Golcar, community policing is not what it should be.

If Sir Norman’s officers do not know the law, as a number clearly did not in this case, the Chief Constable’s promise cannot be fulfilled and community indiscretions and crime will just be allowed to continue as it did for four months longer than it should have done in our particular case.

We all know that we need the police as without them there would be anarchy.

But having said that, good policing and knowledge of the law to stop crime in its tracks can only be a good thing as only one police officer is called upon and not up to six, one after each other.

Here the financial saving in police costs also comes into the equation and where the cost of a single vehicle trip, as against four, does save money as everyone going through the present economic crisis knows well.

But the worst thing is the inconvenience to the community and the community friction that non-action by our police creates by not nipping it in the bud.

Overall, therefore, good policing means a good command of the law and that which is specifically applicable to the community. For that is where unfortunately the majority of crime resides.

Dr David Hill

Prospective Independent Candidate for Golcar

Good-hearted folk

I WANT to say a special thank you to all Lloyds Banking Group staff and customers who have helped thousands of heart patients by raising more than £3m for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The partnership between the BHF and Lloyds Banking Group raised vital funds to place 15 heart nurses and 12 heart health professionals into communities across the UK, covering a range of specialities including heart failure, paediatrics, arrhythmia and palliative care.

Heart disease is the UK’s biggest killer with 2.7 million people living with heart disease in the UK.

Thanks to the Lloyds Banking Group around 14,000 heart patients will be given vital care and support.

Lloyds Banking Group (brands including Lloyds TSB, Bank of Scotland and Halifax) employees and customers have been raising money for the BHF by taking part in a variety of fundraising activities and events across the UK including group-wide quizzes, fitness challenges, sponsored events, in-branch collections and supporting the BHF’s national shop campaign the BIG Donation.

To raise more than £3m in two and half years is a fantastic achievement. Staff and customers in the community should be extremely proud as heart patients throughout the UK will benefit from specialist treatment.

Nicki Cooper

British Heart Foundation

Down in the dumps

ANOTHER independent trader – Occasions at the bottom of Market Avenue and Victoria Lane – bites the dust.

It’s a sad, sad day for the owner and their long-standing employees, but what can we expect with high rents and business rates along with high parking charges?

The independent traders do not stand a chance.

They also have had the threats of two more large superstores on the ring road. There were more than 100 retail outlet properties empty last Christmas. This year there are a lot more.

The trouble is that the councillors and their highly paid directors and managers don’t get it. They carry on insisting that Huddersfield is a wealthy town.

To me it looks like a dump, unclean with many out-of-work people hanging around who look threatening to the elderly who have to shop inside the ring road.

The powers-that-be are putting up rents in the indoor market whereas a 20% reduction would fill all the stalls and create jobs. A cut in business tax of 20% would do wonders for the independent traders. It doesn’t have to apply to the large chain stores.

If boosting trade is the objective, why are Huddersfield car drivers paying large parking charges when Batley, Heckmondwike, Birstall, Mirfield and many other areas under the mantle of Kirklees are free, with token charges in Dewsbury?

I suppose we get the council we deserve. Don’t blame me – last time I voted for myself.

ANTE MONA

Springwood