'Fines and prison for cyclists in Japan - but not in York'

THE Japanese are introducing fines/prison sentences for anyone using a phone while cycling.

Anyone caught calling/texting or looking at the screen while cycling faces a fine of 100,000 Yen (just over £500) or six months in prison.

If causing an accident, it rises to a fine of 300,000 yen and or a one-year prison sentence.

In York, if you ignore all traffic regulations, cycle on the footpaths, with no lights nothing happens.

What a strange world we live in.

D M Deamer,

Penleys Grove Street,

Monkgate,

York

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Remove status from struggling universities

CURRENTLY there are 141 universities in the UK, many obviously not of sufficient standard to attract enough students to cover overall expenses, hence the rise in tuition fees to meet teaching costs.

Time has shown those struggling are universities in name only, therefore, their status should be removed leaving those left to provide students with degrees worthy of their title and £9,500 cost.

Peter Rickaby,

West Park,

Selby

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Welcome to the start of communism via the back door

IT seems that Mr Martin thinks we should take a softly softly approach to this Government trying to achieve a communist state.

Keir Starmer has never stated that he is not a communist but his history gives a distinct impression of his leanings.

The Labour Party were over the moon with the results of the General Election but in actual fact is was a very poor result for any political party.

Taken into context, for the first 100 days they ran around like headless chickens as they had no idea of the workings of Government.

They blamed the Tories for every trouble they came across even though they said everything was costed.

They said they would solve the education crisis by employing 6,200 new teachers - but that won't cover retirements and resignations. They said they would scrap university fees, they put them up. They stopped winter fuel allowance but said in three years' time we will be better off - in the meantime thousands of pensioners die.

They take over the power industries and stop North Sea oil production -1,000s lose their jobs.

Farmers will go bankrupt to pay death duties.

In the meantime, by the back door, the Government takes over these industries and puts them in public ownership and slowly but surely the state takes over your wellbeing from birth to death.

Welcome to the start of communism via the back door.

T J Ryder,

Acomb,

York

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Lessons to learn from US election

THE great tragedy of Barack Obama was he was President too soon and the great tragedy of Joe Biden was he was President too late.

The Democrats believed an incumbent President Biden represented their best chance of defeating former President Trump.

More importantly, the Democrats were also in favour of Vice President Harris taking over the nomination, should that become necessary.

The failure of President Biden to stand aside early, in January 2024, allowing a real primary season in the Democratic Party, has been a disaster.

Democrats defining themselves as the party which was needed to defeat former President Trump was worse. There are lessons here for us to learn in the UK. Inflation has now flipped every government in Europe and the USA.

Nigel Boddy,

Secretary of the Darlington Lib Dems,

Witney Ct,

Greencroft Close,

Darlington

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