Sunday, March 23 2008

Mar 23 2008 by Matt Withers, Wales On Sunday

I KNOW that Wales winning the Grand Slam was a gift to the Welsh nation as well as the Welsh media, but your graphics department really did the event proud.

Fabulous tribute page of the fans – their attention to detail in support goes largely unsung.

The action shots were immense. Congratulations.

JUDITH TOMSAberdare

MY brother bought me a ticket for the Italy game – at a cost of £50.

My happiness was very short lived.

I was in the Upper Stand, entry 612, row 12, seat 29. From this seat I saw very little of the game.

There was a metal tubular barrier obscuring my view and all game people were coming and going from me, constantly obstructing my view almost totally. I saw very little of what was going on on the pitch.

Everyone seemed very happy with the result as they were leaving – except for me.

I would have been much better off staying at home.

I therefore demand a refund of my ticket cost by return and the stadium remove this, and other similar seats without delay, to avoid others wasting their money.

STEVE WESTLlandaff, Cardiff

WHY do we pay good money to read the drivel that Angharad Mair turfs out every week?

M TAYLORvia e-mail

IN your Six of the Best feature last Sunday, there are Lego egg cups.

I have just tried to buy some from Lego’s online website, but they do not recognise them and couldn’t find them.

So why are you featuring items that are not available? And have you actually got any Lego egg cups?

R SMITHPenarth, Vale of Glamorgan

Ed’s comment: type egg cup into the search facility on lego.com to find the egg cups

LAST week’s article on youths binge-drinking, coupled with recent TV articles on obesity projections, the falling popularity of gyms and the flourishing state of the drugs industry, should make us all think.

A few years ago it was suggested that unhealthy children might die before their parents. Earlier this year, a poll showed that the middle-aged took more care of their health than the young.

The regiment of working pensioners is swelling into an army and it is clear that the age of retirement will rise.

In the circumstances, I am less worried about the prospect of an impoverished and inactive old age than that of an eight-hour working day until 75 to support middle-aged unemployables, requiring extensive treatment for avoidable diseases caused by decades of self-indulgence.

We might be subsidising the mass construction of drying-out clinics, drug rehabilitation centres, purpose-built stomach-stapling hospitals etc.

Can nothing be done to prevent the young developing into burdens on their seniors?

MARGARET BROWNSt Davids Pembrokeshire

WE have had high road fuel taxes for years, but traffic continues to increase.

Now Alistair Darling’s timid tinkering with taxes on cars and air travel confirms that green taxes do not work. Politicians will never have the political courage to raise green taxes as high as they need to be. A much better alternative is a system of personal carbon allowances (PCAs), which are controlled by an independent body in much the same way that interest rates are controlled by the Bank of England. This frees politicians from the temptation to meddle.

Another advantage of PCAs is that, if the right number of allowances is issued, there will be at least as many winners as losers.

With green taxes, we are all losers.

DR GERRY WOLFFMenai Bridge,Anglesey

THE House of Commons has been ordered to provide a detailed breakdown of MPs’ second home expense claims after a lengthy Freedom of Information battle.

On top of their £61,000 wage, plus other expenses, each MP can claim about £23,000 a year and can submit claims of up to £250 without a receipt.

Labour MPs in Wales such as Wayne David voted against this type of information being available to the public. Is it any wonder why Labour MPs in Wales are so opposed to the Welsh Assembly having more powers?

It would mean the end of their lavish lifestyles in London.

ANDREW THOMAS NUTTBargoed, Caerphilly

VOTING is seizing the only opportunity to make a difference, after the election, the elected have all the say.

Low turnouts favour the minority; full turnouts represent the majority.

A full turnout is better than a referendum and it is available at every election.

When the majority vote they get what they voted for; when they don’t, they get what the minority voted for.

GWILYM LEVELLTonna, Neath

WITH the issue of binge-drinking still high on the news agenda, it would be refreshing to see some discussion of why young people drink and what can be done about it.

Our young people say they started drinking because their friends drank, they wanted to experiment and they were following the example of family and friends.

They also say their parents condoned or didn’t care about their drinking.

We believe it’s time to find solutions to teenage binge-drinking by challenging the problem at the earliest opportunity and giving young people reasons to be responsible.

This approach works and will help toreduce teenage drinking.

CLARE CHECKSFIELD, chief executive, Crime Concern