Letters to the Editor - September 04th

Sep 4 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

Good news is on the way

I AM pleased to respond to Lew Baxter’s article, Shanghai surprise (Daily Post, August 24).

Shanghai and Liverpool’s sister relationship has gone a long way, with many organisations and businesses in the city playing their parts in a relationship that has benefited both the economy and lives of the two cities. So many visits have happened over the last eight years that it is not strange a high-level visit might not have got the attention of the press.

Civic and trade missions will continue to play their crucial role, but any success of these missions can only be measured by the actions and projects resulting from them. I think the Daily Post has done an excellent job in the coverage, with a focus on the outcome of the visit rather than the visit itself.

I can further assure Lew and the readers of the Daily Post that the representatives in his creme de la creme list have been busily engaging in planning follow-ups since we returned. Many of whom met the Chinese Ambassador Mme Fu Ying on Tuesday when she was the guest of honour to the city’s 800th birthday celebration, in a meeting to discuss future plans to work with Shanghai and China. As reported by the Daily Post, two Liverpool missions have already been planned for September and October to China with financial support for Merseyside-based companies who want to take advantage of Chinese markets. However, I wouldn’t think the city’s follow-ups are “to court China’s biggest metropolis” because the relationship is mutually beneficial and we are already working with most of the metropolises in China.

We also need to recognise that Shanghai has good relationships with many UK cities, and it is up to all of us in Liverpool to make the most of the unique twining relationship.

There is more good news to come soon on Chinese investment in Liverpool – watch this space.

Dr Kegang Wu, director of ChinaLink and the International Trade Centre for Liverpool City Region, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Education choice

I AM rather puzzled by E Gaskell’s letter of August 30, regarding the location of grammar schools in Wirral. There is a girls and boys school situated on the east and west of the Wirral peninsula, Calday Grammar for Boys and West Kirby for Girls being on the western side and Wirral Grammar School for Girls and Boys on the eastern side.

Any Wirral Council taxpayer is entitled to apply for both schools, and to put their son and daughter in for the selective tests required to enter these schools. Generally, if the test is passed, then the child will enter the school of their choice. There are normally enough places unless the school is over-subscribed that year. The distance from the school is taken into account, but this normally only affects applications from outside the WEA area.

Travelling distance to the school of choice is a different matter. My understanding is that most children will have travelling costs to secondary school met unless their local school is literally on their doorstep. Most children living in Leasowe are served by a subsidised school bus operated by the schools themselves. Merseytravel also produces a subsidised term-time ticket, especially for young people, which vastly reduces fares.

I would add that sending your child to a grammar school is a big commitment. As in any school, there are added extras to pay for but also a lot of time and effort is required by the parents to support their children with what can be a demanding academic regime. I am hoping to send my child to one of the grammars in Wirral and this will involve a round trip of 12 miles a day, plus I have another child in a different school and work full-time. It strikes me E Gaskell seems to have made assumptions without fully investigating the facts.

We’re lucky in Wirral, anyway, Liverpool hasn’t got any.

D Jones, via email

Immigration fiasco

WE HAD two absurd positions on immigration taken by the Lib- Dems and the Tories last week. First the Tories made a big fuss about how they would control immigration but had to concede they could do nothing about the main source of immigration – the EU – because they wish to keep us under its control.

Then the Lib-Dems talked about an amnesty for illegal immigrants who aren’t criminals (sic). By definition they are criminals by being here illegally.

Further, in order to make a living, they work illegally, or engage in criminal activity to make a living.

In addition, in order to work and live here illegally, including obtaining services, eg, NHS services, they support organised criminals by obtaining false documentation from them.

Of course, not only does such an amnesty permit these people to live here, it entitles their extended families – and those who claim to be such – to come here and encourages others to come here illegally.

Labour, of course, have proven themselves to be inept in controlling immigration and their permitting of millions of EU citizens to come and live here makes a mockery of their attempt to try and control us by the introduction of expensive ID cards.

Mark Bill, UK Independence Party, Liverpool

Throw-away world

IT IS good to see at last that the recycling figures on Merseyside are slowly improving, but is it not about time we gave more thought to the need to buy much of the produce which ends up in the bin?

Supermarkets compete to buy at lowest prices in developing countries, especially China. We look upon the clothes and toys we buy as disposable, and quickly throw them away. What a waste of resources.

And, of course, we have made sure in the process that we do not have the factories to make the goods – they have all moved to China.

As China grows richer, what is our future? As the earth’s resources run out, who will supply our cheap goods when China dominates the world economy?

Should we not sort ourselves out now?

Jimmy Smith, Birkenhead

Parents to blame

I CANNOT believe the headlines we are seeing day after day about overweight children. When I was younger, there was always a chubby child in every class but these days you see children walking to school and some of them are so big they can barely draw breath.

A lot of blame is put on the food companies, junk food chains and the likes, but the real blame has to lie with the parents. Children do not just become fat, someone has to feed them too much of the wrong foods. Schools can only do so much in trying to keep them fit and healthy it is up to parents to feed their children a balanced diet.

It is not exactly rocket science, is it? Less fat, less sugar, lots of fruit and vegetables and plenty of exercise is all it takes.

P Owen, Heswall

‘Award winner’

THE Tower, on BBC TV, was a brilliant series about life in Deptford where a council tower block that had been sold to developers and was being turned into luxury apartments. It showed the stark contrast between the rich incomers and the original working-class community.

Four-foot “Wee-Wee” was an unforgettable character who charmed everyone. His funeral was very moving. The up-front leader on the microphone would give any radio station manager a heart attack.

The Tower should win awards. Superb.

Max Nottingham, Lincoln

Low standards

I’VE long been an admirer of the superb craftsmanship of the masons and bricklayers who built the white stone dock walls and buildings around the Albert Dock. They were like giant jigsaw puzzles, each stone fitting perfectly into place without large mortar joints.

What a disappointment to see an example of modern work at the new liner terminal. The round structure and close-by wall are not well finished. This standard of workmanship is not good enough for such an important project.

Brian Newall, Maghull

Stand up for Rhys

WHERE has the guts of my home town gone? My granddad and great-granddad would not have let the things happen that are happening today. We have poor little children not safe on the roads. It used to be the traffic that we were afraid of, but now it is each other.

Mums used to be able to shout: “Get back up your own end” if there was any trouble. I can remember a policeman on his bike stopping me and telling me off for chalking on a pavement. Don’t let poor Rhys have died in vain. Think of his poor mother.

LJ Livens (Mrs), Ellesmere Port

Good news

I AM delighted to learn that a plan has now been approved to save many of the jobs at the Burtons factory, at Moreton. This will provide a great relief to the work-force, their families and the Moreton community.

It would appear that my concerns about job losses revealed in the press more than 15 months ago helped galvanise local MP Angela Eagle into action and her current efforts in this respect are praiseworthy.

David Kirwan, Independent Wirral Borough councillor

Positive view

UNDOUBTEDLY, one of the most surprising TV moments was seeing Jamie Redknapp review Liverpool for the programme Britain’s Favourite View.

This is the only thing I have seen that has presented us in a positive light, telling all about our 800th birthday and our hosting as the Capital of Culture for next year.

Can we build on this platform, please?

George Gibbons, Bootle

No thank EU

WHEN it comes to funding, this government has a “pecking order”, ie, London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Leeds. For us, it’s “thank EU” – but no thank you.

GMc, L30