PROMPTED by Keith Chapman’s review of the documentary Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners (Letters, July 23), I took the trouble to watch both episodes.

David Olusoga walked about a great deal, opened various old volumes and flicked through their pages, all to the sound of appropriate solemn music. He did a great PR job for the research team. What he had to say was enlightening, so why did he allow the programme makers to introduce so many distractions? Why didn’t he just stand there and talk?

He showed how the evil of slavery had infiltrated every level of society, revealing the corrupting power of self-interest. He voiced his outrage at the injustice of the poor financing the slave owners’ vast compensation claims, but was forced to admit the settlement was inevitable.

So far, good history. Then he concluded by suggesting that the absurd denigration of the black slaves by the pro-slavery apologists was the origin of modern racism. There was nothing to support this “theory”. I hope other viewers were as perturbed as I was.

William Dixon Smith, Welland Rise, Acomb, York

 

THE spotlight in the recent budget fell heavily on the £12 billion of cuts in welfare.

We are encouraged to look there and marvel at how it is to be done. However, it would a pity not to marvel at the clear message which Mr Osborne has also sent to the banking world about where things are heading for them.

The budget announced the unpopular tax on profits made by UK banks and foreign banks operating in the UK is to be reduced.

HSBC were “considering” moving their HQ from London because they did not approve of the bank tax and hefty fines for “banking irregularities”.

Now their UK tax bill alone is reduced from £1 billion a year to around £300 million. That is a very handsome budget concession to just one bank.

The Financial Conduct Authority, set up by the Government to investigate mis-selling and market rigging by UK banks, imposed fines in 2014 of £1.4 billion.

However, the chief executive of the FCA was told last week by Mr Osborne that his contract was not being renewed next year. The chief executive resigned with immediate effect.

This is a clear message to banks: “No more heavy fines and carry on regardless”.

Paul Wordsworth, Burniston Grove, York

 

THE programme on BBC2 about British slave owners was very informative, but people forget about the thousands of white slaves in this country during the same period and longer.

Children from the age of five, working down the pits not seeing day light. They were the first to go down before sunrise and last to come out.

They were the trappers who opened and closed the trapdoor for ventilation.

Men were not paid if their coal tub was not quite full, but they got no extra money if it was over-full.

There were other injustices, all the dangers of mine working and the health problems they developed.

The mine owners, just like the slave owners, were living in luxury while the workers lived in poverty.

Maureen Robinson, Broadway, York

 

I AGREE in part with Ian Foster’s response to the latest arguments by Christian Vassie for the building of a tramway system in York (Letters, July 28).

With the possible exception of the Derwent Valley railway route from Murton to Layerthorpe, there are no other suitable reusable routes into the city core.

While the Edinburgh trams have become popular the cost was massively over budget and there was prolonged severe disruption in the city.

Elsewhere, larger cities have successful systems with further extensions in progress or planned but these are not comparable with York for the reasons stated by Mr Foster.

However, I do not share his simplistic analysis of the congestion problems in York.

Removing “gimmicks” such as bendy buses and re-opening unsuitable streets for through traffic will not do very much, if anything at all.

Unbiased transport policy will need to include full consideration of further control of inner city traffic including the introduction of congestion charging on the city side of the Park & Ride terminals especially at peak periods.

The proceeds would need to be invested in high frequency electric bus services.

David Randon, Blue Slates Close, Wheldrake, York

 

I HAVE read Kenneth Bowker’s letter (The Press, July 24) with disbelief that he wants a tramways lift to take the aged and infirm up Clifford’s Tower.

Sadly for these people it is not possible for them to go to certain places, would he want a lift on the outside of York Minster?

Escalators instead of stone steps, plus mini tramways, at almost every entrance to the Bar Walls etc?

Dave Matthewman, Green Lane, Acomb, York

 

MY eyebrows executed a loop when I saw the line accompanying one of the photos in your report “A vintage road trip” (The Press, July 29).

The antiquated aeroplane shown in flight is a legendary WWII (not WWI) hero, the Fairey Swordfish, aka “the Old String Bag”, operated by the Royal Navy Historic Flight, which just happened to chug over Elvington during the Golden Era Vintage Motorcycle Run, possibly heading to or from Sunderland Airshow.

So the aircraft does not belong to the Yorkshire Air Museum, though I’m sure they’d be open to offers. Its appearance was an unscheduled bonus for the museum and its visitors. As an ex-member of the Royal Observer Corps in its halcyon aircraft recognition, identification and plotting days, I dread to think what grade you will get for the GCSE aircraft spotting paper when the results come out in August!

Derek Reed, Middlethorpe Drive, York