LETTERS ROUND-UP:

Russia begged us not to invade Iraq because they knew exactly how the Middle East works.

Tony Blair, along with President Bush, proved, by invading Iraq, that they didn’t understand how the Middle East actually does work.

Their reasoning that Saddam Hussein was a brutal murderer, killing his own people, looks rather naive in comparison to the parlous state that Iraq has become under the brutal IS regime.

Recently, there were reports of Russian missiles falling short and landing in Iraq rather than their intended targets in Syria. This is the sort of silly name-calling children indulge in.

The invasion of Iraq, by Britain and the US, and the consequent invasion of Libya, with the deposing of their leaders, was a total mistake and to vilify Russia for taking the lead in getting the shambolic Middle East sorted out is ludicrous.

To rid Syria of Bashar al-Assad would be as dangerous for the Middle East.

Forming an alliance with Russia would be the best way forward.

Philip Roe, Roman Avenue South, Stamford Bridge

I READ (The Press, October 8) that First York is to reinstate the service 6 bus through to Osbaldwick.

One of the key reasons given was that the residents of Tang Hall complained that they had lost their through service to York Hospital and many were old or infirm.

The residents of Copmanthorpe, Woodthorpe, Poppleton, Fulford, Heworth etc have not had this facility for many years, if ever.

Why do the residents of Tang Hall think that they are so deserving of this special treatment?

The service 6 had a diabolical punctuality record for a long time and the August 2 changes were designed to address that.

Because it has not fully worked should not mean that the old, poor service is reinstated.

The residents of Clifton and Rawcliffe are seeking a reliable service and if this means that Tang Hall residents have to change services then so be it.

Neil Raw, Oriel Grove, Clifton Without, York

HOWARD PERRY criticises the current council administration for failing to have a planned outline of dates when sites will be built (Letters, October 9).

But the previous Labour administration failed to produce a trajectory of housing completions year after year despite being prompted and challenged to do so.

The fact is that no council of any political persuasion can set a timetable of building because it is not up to them when sites will be developed.

That is a decision for the entrepreneurs who are expected to actually construct all these much needed dwellings.

Just look at York Central and British Sugar, which remain empty years after they were supposed to have been developed.

Even Germany Beck still hasn’t had a single brick laid on the first house.

All a council can do is identify sites for housing and set out a list of policies, regulations and obligations that must be complied with.

However, if private enterprise individuals or firms don’t like these sites or these conditions, nothing will be built.

That is why there is a housing crisis and why it is set to get worse rather than better, no matter what dates Mr Perry thinks should be incorporated into the revised Local Plan.

Matthew Laverack, Lord Mayors Walk, York

REGARDING the accusation of unfair reporting levelled at The Press by Peter Dwyer (Letters, October 6), can I make a few points?

Anyone who accepts official crime figures, especially those quoted by an official with a vested interest in their reduction, is a mug.

Just as with most official stats, they are manipulated by politicians applying pressure on public servants.

In the case of crime, many are simply not recorded.

A light touch is applied to much crime, such as petty theft, drug use, drunkenness etc and, dare I say, dangerous drivers.

Increasingly more crimes are not investigated or classified as not criminal due to the age of the culprit.

How convenient.

I urge The Press to keep publishing alternative views to the official ones, which are used to justify still further cuts to the police forces.

John Simpson, Church Road, York

I THANK Tracey Simpson-Laing for her response to my concerns on traffic movements removing contaminated material from York Central site. (Letters, October 10).

If, as she indicates in her letter, the master plans are clear about removing the material from site, I would recommend getting another engineer’s opinion as I currently have a site with all these contaminants that is being capped not removed.

As long as there is no infection of water courses (and there can’t be as it would have needed to be dealt with by now) it is possible to make the site safe for future human use.

The only exception would be if the levels need to be reduced for construction, and even then solutions can be found on site.

“Millions of tonnes” removed from site is simply not acceptable.

Malcolm Dove, The Paddock, York