Letters to the Editor - September 12th

Sep 12 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

Save Lime Street facade

THE illuminating article on the fate of the new entrance to Lime Street station Daily Post, September 7) once again raises questions as to the mindset of our planning and regeneration departments.

As the present tower has been an utter eyesore ever since it was built, why did the council give permission for a replacement to be built? Are we in need of up-to-date eyesores around Liverpool? It is the wrong place for such a building, and the fact that it is now to be cancelled should please everyone.

The more serious question is can the developer Iliad be the same developer who not a few months ago damaged the carved facade of 6 Sir Thomas Street which prevented the frontage being listed?

This caused horror not only in Liverpool but nationwide, and we all expected that the council would act firmly to show its refusal to allow people to ride rough-shod over the planning regulations.

But now we know the truth: the council hasn’t the courage. It would prefer to smile meekly at the school yard bully and hope things get better.

Let us hope that the facade of Lime Street Station can be saved from the actions of these vandals.

Ian Poole, Mossley Hill

War on culture

“HOW appropriate”, I thought as I read the Daily Post story about the compulsory purchase order of the Henry Bohn Booksellers on Lime Street (September 7).

Over the last decade or so, Liverpool City Council seems to have declared war on culture and learning, closing down three booksellers, Atticus (Hardman Street), Out of Print (Renshaw Street) and North West Books (Seel Street) in the name of “regeneration”.

To see the Henry Bohn Shop being persecuted again when only a few years ago it was hounded from its previous premises in Berry Street is insensitive to public opinion, particularly so soon after the Mathew Street Festival fiasco, even for this butter-fingered City Council.

Liverpool is a three-university city, with 60,000 students and a literate native population, but its decent booksellers have been closed down or driven elsewhere by decisions from a council that wants to fill the city centre with yet more boozers and overpriced, unsold flats.

Capital of Culture? No wonder people are sneering.

G Johnson, via email

Pots of care

LOCAL primary schools have only three weeks left to sign up for Mini Pots of Care, a fun planting and painting activity that raises money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Marie Curie Cancer Care is looking for primary schools and youth groups (aged 3-11) to take part in their annual campaign, sponsored by Yellow Pages.

So far, over 160,000 children from 1,400 schools and groups have signed up. Everyone taking part receives a free planting kit and activity guide. Daffodils are planted in the mini-pots in October and when the bulb has bloomed the children then take part in the national “paint your pot” competition held on February 29.

The Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool provides specialist medical and nursing care, with the expert help of multi-disciplined healthcare professionals, to local cancer patients.

Marie Curie Cancer Care focuses on providing the best possible quality of life for people with cancer and all services are provided free of charge to patients and their families.

Teachers are urged to sign up their schools before the closing date of October 1, 2007. Registrations can be made by phone on 08700 340 040 or online at www.mariecurie.org.uk/minipots ofcare

Colette Byrne, Community Fundraiser Merseyside

Not all yobs

WITH the shooting of Rhys Jones and the killing of Garry Newlove, much has been said and written about the youth of today and what a bunch of degenerates they all are. While these deaths are undoubtedly tragic, I am offended at the suggestion that all youngsters these days are somehow running about like feral animals.

I recently spent a few days in a nursing home recuperating after an operation. In there, they had two girls who must have been about 14, who came in every afternoon for an hour as volunteers.

They changed flowers and read to some of the residents, and were two of the most pleasant young people I have ever had the good fortune to meet.

I later learned they were there as part of a school project.

I am sure there are many more youngsters who do similar things and this should be remembered. Not all youngsters are gun-toting yobs. Far from it.

K Anderson, Whiston

Gun crime

I WAS nauseated by Labour’s sanctimonious hand-wringing over the tragic death of 11-year-old Rhys Jones. For years, Labour have failed to ensure that this and other communities’ demands that the problems of gang violence, etc, be resolved.

Labour have argued that gun crime has been falling, but even official statistics indicate that injuries from guns have more than quadrupled since they got into government.

Labour also point out that they have got tough on gun crime with a five-year mandatory sentence for the illegal possession of firearms. Not only is five years not tough, it is only handed out in 40% of cases, and even in these cases with Labour’s early prisoner release programmes they would be “unlucky” to serve even half of this.

Mark Bill, UK Independence Party, Liverpool

No excuse

I REFER to the recent decision by Chester magistrates to grant an absolute discharge to a student who disobeyed the byelaw banning feet on seats. I would also like to answer the ridiculous comment of the students’ counsel, in which he said “surely the gentleman should have said please put your feet down”.

I think it is high time that the magistrate, counsel and indeed your editorial get into the real world. There are many notices on the trains and indeed vocally, and a byelaw should be obeyed.

It appears to me that the message sent out by the magistrates, counsel and I am sorry to say your editorial, is that if you are a tearful student, then you can ignore any byelaws.

Finally, may I point out that all the other offenders appearing before Merseyside magistrates have been fined. I must say I am disgusted with my paper’s attitude. If an offence is clearly advertised, there is no excuse.

J Robinson, Fazakerley

Wartime photos

REGARDING the recent letter about the ferry incident (Daily Post Letters, September 7). It took place in 1967 when Daffodil II grounded in fog.

Passengers were taken off by the ferry's lifeboat and New Brighton Lifeboat and landed safely on the Wallasey shore. This picture will feature in an exhibition, Ships of the Mersey, based on my late father's press pictures, at Earlston Library, Wallasey, from October 22. An exhibition of Bob's wartime pictures will be staged at Fort Perch as part of the 60th anniversary marking the date he was demobbed after the war and started up as a photographer in a kiosk at New Brighton in 1947.

Robin Bird, New Brighton

Yob bonfires

PLEASE beware of the latest bonfires being caused by a small minority of brainless morons on the Noctorum estate over the past two weeks, nearly every night.

The worst is when thoughtless louts start fighting each other using empty glass bottles of alcohol they got from the wheelie bins before burning the bins on the bonfires.

They then smash the bottles all over the pathways and grassed common play area, God help any child who falls on this glass.

Come on, parents, control your little angels, or don’t you mind if they get hurt as well as any innocents?

Irate resident, Noctorum

Service appeal

I AM appealing for help in tracing former soldiers, both regulars and national servicemen, who served in the Free Territory of Trieste between the years of 1945 and 1954.

The BETFOR Association was formed in December, 2002, with the aim of giving members the opportunity of contacting old comrades through the quarterly journal and meeting again after more than fifty years.

Get in touch by phone on 01283 790147 by Email crrussellqs@aol.com or write to Colin Russell, 5 Walkfield Road, Alrewas, Burton on Trent, Staffs. DE13 7EN.

Colin Russell, Staffs

Strand work

THIS morning, like most mornings, I had the pleasure of sitting in traffic on The Strand, in Liverpool. As I sat there, I told myself “never mind not long to go, soon we will have roads that we can zip through in no time when all this work is finished”.

Then I actually took a closer look at the work that was being done. Can someone please tell me why on earth they are constructing a huge paved central reservation down a section of the road when what this road really needs is another lane?

I know people have complained about the Big Dig and when you see ridiculous planning like this, I can see why.

T Williams, Aigburth

Living in the past

I COMPLETELY agree with P Abbott, of Wigan, (Daily Post Letters, September 10) about the people of Kirkby looking a gift horse in the mouth. But the Kirkby community is not alone. Repeatedly in Liverpool we see people battling change when change is absolutely necessary for communities to survive and thrive.

While I am not for change for change’s sake, we have to wake up to the fact that as a city we cannot keep on living in the past.

L Major, Liverpool city centre