YEP Letters: April 2

Chloe given the greatest gift

Lisa Brown, by email

On Monday we took our youngest daughter Chloe to her first Leeds Rhinos game.

It was quite apt that they were promoting organ donation as Chloe had a heart transplant at 10 months old after a virus attacked her heart.

We will be forever grateful to Chloe’s donor family for giving her the greatest gift...life.

Here is a photo of her and her sister Kaitlin getting excited about the game!

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Time to stand up for British people

Dr Glyn Powell, Kellington

The crisis in the steel industries and the threat to thousands of jobs at Port Talbot, Rotherham, Sheffield and Stocksbridge has been met with lame indifference by the government.

This is primarily because the government has been bending over backwards to attract Chinese investment for future nuclear power station construction. Also, government and European Union (EU) “green” energy policies have forced up electricity prices, rendering British and European steel production uneconomic on world markets.

If our steel industry is allowed to collapse, prices for Chinese and Indian manufactured steel will increase in price. Steel, therefore, is a strategic industry and should be supported to avoid Chinese and Indian monopolies. After 2008, the then Labour government foolishly spent £850Billion bailing out the banks. Foolishly, because the banks had been criminally mismanaged. This almost bankrupted the nation and paved the way for subsequent disastrous austerity policies.

The British steel industry could be rescued with only a fraction of the aforementioned public expenditure by renationalising the industry. This, however, is unlikely to occur for several reasons. First, the Tory government is ideologically opposed to nationalisation. Second, the well being of ordinary workers and their communities has never been a high priority with this government. Finally, state aid or support for industry is contrary to EU rules.

However, with such a critical industry for the manufacturing sector, steel needs to be renationalised and run by worker’s co-operatives whether this is against EU rules or not.

In conclusion, this is a striking example of EU rules adversely affecting British lives and overriding our government. I therefore hope this is not lost on the electorate when deciding how to vote in June’s EU in/out referendum. It’s time the present government stood up for ordinary British people!

Sad day for workforce

B Leonard, by email

looks like another sad day for the workforce of the UK.

The steel industry seems to be going the same way as the fishing industry, ship building, mines and the rest, all of which put the great in Britain, now all down the pan.

They tell us we’re better off in the EU but most of this mess is down to their rules and regulations. As for Tata’s Indian owners, how much money in foreign aid has the UK given to India for them to sell us down the river.

It’s about time foreign aid was stopped and the money was used to pull this country out of the mess it is in and run the UK by our rules and not the mess that is the EU. It makes one wonder what we did before the EU. The quicker we leave the EU it looks like the better off we will be.

All the best Martin Kelner

Tony Woolmer, Meanwood

What’s the deal with Radio Leeds, or should I say the programme controller Sanjiv Buttoo? How could he sack the excellent presenter Martin Kelner, whose lunchtime programme was the best on local radio in my opinion.

Martin’s humour, self deprecating at times, the music, the sport, the top of the day’s news, there was always an expert on hand to give their opinion, there was always plenty of banter.

The music was very good, 60s, Tamla Motown, all the modern chart stuff and of course his favourite band, The Beatles.

I fear now for the also excellent Liz Greene and Richard Stead, it seems just as our favourite presenters get a foothold they are shown the door.

We the listeners never get told why they have gone or where they go to. I know how Martin must feel, I was a bricklayer for many years across Yorkshire and beyond. One day the boss would come and say sorry lad, pick your tools up and go, no more work, end of contract. Anybody in the building trade will know where I am coming from.

So Martin, you will probably end up