THE Friends of Stanley Park are led to believe that Stanley Park is back to its former glory, but when did it last look like this? 1900? Stanley Park had lost many features and facilities. Three bowling greens and a Victorian Grade Two Listed Bowls Pavilion have been lost forever.
Agreed they were in a poor state, but so was the Palm House. Four hard tennis courts and an area for four grass tennis courts have also been lost forever.
Is this how a city treats gifts from benefactors, by removing a garden and flooding it? Even the American Gardens, an area behind the Audley Gardens facing Priory Road, have had the entire azaleas shrub bed removed, to be replaced with grass.
If LFC builds its stadium, “The Dahlia border” will be lost forever along with almost 40 acres of parkland. The large Victorian villas facing onto the park in this area, along Anfield Road, have already been replaced with a private car park.
“The Rose Terrace” has been reduced in length by 100ft or more. This promenade did run and meet Mill Lane, but it is now cut short without anyone noticing. The rose terrace now ends where the shrubbery began on the wall side, but the rose beds continued all the way to Mill Lane on the grass side of the path.
All the above will soon be forgotten by a new generation, but sadly missed by others, along with the newly-designed terrace bedding scheme. This new design of flower beds does not surpass the original design, which was in situ for well over 100 years.
The new design looks good but does not have the “wow factor”. This area once had the largest unbroken bedding area in the North West of England.
Miss P Graves, Secretary
It’s devolution
A LETTER on January 29 asked why there were no tolls payable across some Scottish rivers. The answer is simple – devolution. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have their own Parliament/ assembly to look after the well- being and needs of their citizens, and PFI is not used to build bridges there, hence no tolls are charged.
The British government have repeatedly denied the people of England its own Parliament, even though polls show that the majority of English people want this. In fact, England is the only nation in Europe without its own national Parliament! The British government has attempted to abolish England and replace it with EU regions governed by Regional Assemblies, but this thankfully was stopped in its tracks.
They asked the people of North- East England via a referendum if they would accept a Regional Assembly: it resulted in 78% saying no. Remember, the North- East was chosen first because it was considered the area most likely to give a “yes” answer.
The “No” vote should have been the end of Regional Assemblies for England, but sadly no, we still got them.
Since then, England has had to put up with a mish-mash of hare-brained ideas, none of which have ever been asked for by the people of England – Local Leaders Boards, Regional Grand Committees, City Regions, Regional Government Ministers, the British government will do anything, in fact, rather than give England its own Parliament.
David Brennan, Aintree
Uninspiring leaders
I DON'T know about other readers but, the closer we get to the next General Election, the more frustrated and depressed I'm beginning to feel.
The problem is, listening to the representatives of the two main parties – let's be honest, the Liberal Democrats are not going to win – there is so little to choose between them . . . because neither appear to be offering the electorate any real hope.
There is no inspiration and no charisma on show – more importantly, there appear to be no positive ideas which could really grab the attention of the voters.
The trouble, of course, is that there is now very little difference in mindset and outlook between New Labour and the Conservatives.
In a democracy, we need a better choice – but what we have are two parties which are very similar, one which never has a chance of being elected and a lot of extreme parties which only cause problems and division.
Surely we can't really carry on like this for the next 10, 20, or 30 years?
B Davies, Liverpool 25
Motorway nonsense
YET again, we hear of the efforts made by the NWDA to secure public sector jobs in Manchester with the announcement of another 1,300 in 2011 to process Census forms, this on top of plans for a further 5,000 in the next couple of years.
The reason as usual, they are close to a motorway.
What utter nonsense. We are surrounded by motorways.
This is a biased little quango and the political party that plans to get rid of them will certainly get my vote.
G McIver, address supplied
Electoral reform
I DON’T seem to recall Tony Blair's government showing the slightest interest in reforming the electoral system, while enjoying large Parliamentary majorities.
Now the Labour Party are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, they will clutch at any passing electoral ruse.
The first past the post system is the only effective method of ridding the United Kingdom of incompetent governments.
Cllr Martyn Barber (Con), Crosby, Thornton & Hightown
Blair shame
MAY Tony Blair live a long life, and ever be remembered for what he is, always to be reviled and for generations to come as one who condemned millions to death without regret.
To my eternal shame I voted for him the first time round, but never again.
Name and address supplied
