Offer friendship to the lonely

It is a great pleasure to wish each and every one of you a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

My wife and I are Christians — this is a very special time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago. We believe that he was the Light of the World bringing Peace and Goodwill to all people.

The festive lights at Christmas are symbolic of God’s light shining into this world. Other faiths have similar festivals to celebrate the same thing; Diwali, Eid, Guru Nanak’s Birthday and Hanukka — God’s light shining into the world and ridding us of the darkness of evil.

We should celebrate, and are right to do so, but at the same time we must remember those who are unable to celebrate; those who are suffering with serious health problems, those with life threatening conditions and those with enduring conditions and those in serious pain and the carers who look after them; the doctors, nurses and carers in the statutory and voluntary services and family carers. We must also remember those who are bereaved at this time and those who have been bereaved in 2009 and are lonely this Christmas.

It is also a time to remember those in the world who are living in places where there is famine and those who are the victims of conflict. Those working in lonely, difficult and dangerous places and are separated from their families and our soldiers in Afghanistan and in other areas of the world.

Bradford people, whatever their culture or religion, are renowned for their friendliness and neighbourliness and so I ask that those who are able to offer friendship, do so to those who are lonely.

May God’s light shine on us all and give us Peace at this time and throughout 2010.

CLLR JOHN GODWARD,

Lord Mayor of Bradford

Why give non-runners undeserved attention?

Prospective Labour candidate Jane Thomas says that the BNP have no chance of gaining a seat in Keighley.

I should hope not but if it’s so certain that they are non-runners then why give them attention they don’t deserve? I would have hoped that a prospective candidate would be more positive about what she has to offer, rather than attempting to scare us with the alternatives, however far-fetched.

Ms Thomas will be representing a party which when in government made repeated attacks on our liberties, rule of law and sovereignty, once the pride of our nation. It is small wonder that many of the electorate have become discontented and feel disenfranchised by a government that appears increasingly totalitarian. Extremists will inevitably exploit such a situation.

Ms Thomas should tell us what she will do to put our broken society back together, to restore our freedoms and win back respect for a discredited legal system.

If she can do this, and convince us that she will keep her promises, there’ll be no opposition.

George Speller

Hill Top Road, Keighley

Not worried about BNP but New Labour

Jane Thomas, the lady from Sheffield who is to stand for Keighley as a prospective parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party stated she intends to “tackle head on” the BNP!

Is the lady admitting that for the past 12 years the Labour Party hasn’t done so? The Lady from Sheffield uses the word, complacent; this word from a Labour activist is in my mind an obscenity! Will she now admit it was the Labour Party’s ineptness which created a situation encouraging and nurturing the growth of the BNP?

I have to admit I twice voted for the present Labour incumbent and still have many friends within the now disillusioned labour group.

With spurious rhetoric being spewed out by the present labour regime, who I sincerely believe have come to the conclusion we thickies haven’t noticed the important parts of the past three manifestoes had been abandoned, I will not do so again. School fees, EU referendum, robbing pensions from the elderly, giving an unelected guango NICE a right of life of the sick and infirm — it is for ministers not supernumeraries of a failed administration to decree who should live who should die!

The list of lies, deceit, broken promises, if practiced by a company in the private sector would have had the Serious Crime Squad closing down such a situation within a year, well probably not! The Labour Party will not go unpunished for what it has done to this country. The creeping paralysis of this near police state, which perpetuated illegal wars, will have physical, economic and social repercussions for this country during the next 50 years, and many more of our citizens will die! It’s not the BNP I worry about, it’s New Labour!

David Samuels

Highcroft Gardens, Keighley

Christmas shopping day out cancelled

Re car clamping in Changegate car park, Haworth.

I thought this letter might be the easiest way to let the shopkeepers of Haworth know that unfortunately we won’t be coming back to do our Christmas shopping there as planned. The same message also goes to the café owners and pub landlords.

This is not their fault. Haworth has always been a wonderful place to visit. Or it was.

However, on Saturday our car was clamped because we returned just a few minutes late to it (the procession had arrived and the kids wanted to see some of it despite the rain).

We were made to cough up £75, which we can’t afford, in order to be released by a man with a most unpleasant manner.

It seems that some people have to work hard for their money while others are content to make lots of it from old rope and by upsetting others.

We can’t be the only ones who have had a nice day completely spoilt and who have left with unhappy memories of Haworth, not wishing to return there in the near future.

This is surely not good for local business or the public image of the village and I would urge local businesses to do all they can to try and change the current system.

It would be great to try and reduce the money they make from this unwholesome practice in any way possible and for more people to leave the village in a happy frame of mind.

Mike Middleton

Foster Clough, Heights Road, Hebden Bridge

Inconsiderate and dangerous parking

Today I drove the 2km from my home to Keighley town centre.

During that journey I counted no less than 14 parked vehicles with either two, or indeed all four wheels, on the public footpath.

I also noted nine vehicles illegally parked on various yellow lines. This is something I have noticed with increasing regularity over recent months.

Not only is this practise illegal, it is inconsiderate and dangerous to those with prams, pushchairs, wheelchairs or small children, and how blind or partially sited people manage is beyond me.

Why do the authorities and the police allow this to occur on such a scale? Where are all of those “extra” parking wardens and if they exist what are they doing? Why are people so selfish and inconsiderate? Perhaps the Keighley police or the council could comment on why this practise is allowed to continue and indeed proliferate. Can we all now park how and where we want without fear of retribution?

John Earley

Bunkers Hill Lane, Keighley