Letters to the Editor - October 03rd

Oct 3 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

Philistine developments

I WOULD to add my voice to that of David Swift, of Litherland, (Daily Post, Oct 2) who despairs over the crass way in which Liverpool city centre is being redeveloped.

We’re not against redevelopment or the city moving on. Far from it. What concerns David Swift and people like myself is the mindless way that any developer is allowed to do more or less what they like.

For example, while in the ownership of Iliad, a central section of the former council education offices, in Stanley Street, was vandalised and has now been demolished.

This was not just another old building being flattened, it formed part of the only remaining complete street of Victorian office facades in the city. The vandalism took place prior to an English Heritage inspector arriving to make a reassessment of the building’s value.

Why is this sort of behaviour by companies claiming to be improving the city allowed to run amok?

Liverpool needs to wake up to the fact that all these tourists it alleges will descend onto the city during Capital of Culture and via the Cruise Liner Terminal do not want to see third-rate, dreary buildings they can see back home.

They want to see a historic city with all the variety and character that brings, in other words the Liverpool of old that they’ve read so much about.

There is a continuing undercurrent here that resents our hard-won World Heritage Site status, regarding it as an impediment to laissez faire development. That’s the reality of how Philistine a city Liverpool has become.

E Watson, via email

More priests

I WAS interested to read the article by Emma Pinch about the slight increase in the number of young Britons entering the priesthood.

Their number is still far too small to sustain the priesthood in this country. However, the Roman Catholics have been able to find a new supply of priests from the developing countries.

Celibacy is, of course, the big barrier preventing people becoming priests.

Strangely enough, there is nothing in the preaching of Christ to suggest that he felt that his most devoted followers, or representatives on earth, should be celibate.

The idea, which was not immediately apparent in the Christian movement, was that the soul could be contaminated by the sensual desires of the body.

This has led to holy men in other faiths also adopting celibacy, seeing the urge for sex to be a distraction from their spiritual devotions.

It was not until the fourth century that Christian monks and nuns became celibate – not always with complete success, as history teaches us.

But the time will come when the Catholic Church will have to consider allowing nuns and priests to marry.

After all, Jesus believed in the family and carried out one of his most celebrated miracles at a wedding.

R Flanaghan, Birkenhead

Playing fields plans

FIRSTLY, may we thank the residents who joined us for the first public meeting to campaign against Building on Bankfield Playing Fields and the closure Lister Drive and Larkhill Libraries last Sunday afternoon.

Everyone thought it was deplorable that the council consultation meeting held at the Quarry Road Wing gave a clear pledge to provide replacement playing fields on the current Quarry Wing of West Derby School.

However, the planning application, not approved on September 18, showed no intentions on the Quarry wing site and that replacement fields would be at Newsham Park.

Since the meeting, we have challenged Sports England’s belief that the football pitches on Newsham Park have been used for football is immaterial. Their view is that, as long as new laid-out pitches are made on Newsham Park, this is adequate.

The fight to save playing fields at Bankfield will be the first of many campaigns, as the Building for Schools programme is being run in conjunction with the reduction in playing fields.

The only disappointing thing about the meeting was that not one single representative of the Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens or Conservatives parties attended despite us writing to at least three representatives of each.

Cllrs Steve Radford and Hazel Williams, Liberal Party councillors for Tuebrook and Stoneycroft

A lovely visit

MY SISTER and I have just returned from a visit to Liverpool, which took in Gateacre where we grew up.

The Gateacre Society “friends” gave us a lovely welcome, walked through the village with us exchanging memories of the ’20s and ’30s, and afterwards we had tea and a chat with more “friends”.

It was a marvellous afternoon. We also saw St George’s Hall, the Walker Art Gallery, the Albert Dock, and the Palm House in Sefton Park. On leaving for North Wales through the “second” tunnel, I was reminded of the opening of the first . . . the public were allowed to walk it the day before, and my two elder brothers did this, and bought a souvenir tablet of the innovative black wall-covering. Standing with a school party from Blackburne House, I saw King George and Queen Mary drive past the Art Gallery the next day.

I also remember the destruction of the old Philharmonic Hall, walking past the following morning on my way to school, and stepping over the firemen’s hoses.

Mrs E Kurrein, via email

Knee-jerk response

ASDA fining people who park in places reserved for the disabled or mothers with babies, is a knee-jerk and ill-thought out response.

As a regular visitor to the Aintree Asda, I’ve yet to go when there hasn’t been at least one disabled spot free, especially out of hours, and it’s something that drivers generally respect. The real problem is high street parking, when disabled drivers need to visit banks and 9-5 shops.

Shoppers can be a little more disingenuous when it comes to parking in mother and child bays, justifying it because their school-age kids have come along, and reasoning they won’t be in long. But how are parking inspectors to judge what child’s age is too old, and which drivers are the guilty ones, without a sticker or a badge?

If private companies are to be employed, the only way to ensure it doesn’t go down the happy-clampers route is to give the profits to charity.

F Hind, Maghull

Use the Lyceum

IT IS about time that the Lyceum building is used for something, but what a shame that it has to be yet another clothing store.

This fabulous building is a monument to our city fathers’ integrity, and it was there that they built a gentlemen’s club, including a fine library.

That is what Liverpool used to be about – learning and education and being the best city in the British Empire – not WAGs and shopping and alcohol, as it seems to be today.

How many of our fine institutions have been turned into trendy bars and apartments and now we hear that the Neptune Theatre may also be turned into a bar. Eleanor Rathbone and William Wilberforce will be turning in their graves.

J Cooper, Sefton Park

PM’s beliefs

PRIME Minister Brown referred to the Bible in his conference speech; a refreshing change from the “we don’t do God” attitude of the previous administration.

I welcome any return from political correctness to the Bible as the source of wisdom for our political leaders. But how seriously can we take Brown on Christian morality? His voting record on moral issues in the last 10 years indicates he’s a friend to the gay and abortion lobbies, for example. I believe his party has made things more difficult for Christians also. I’d like to see the politicians in this country fear the Christian vote, as in America.

We really need to know the beliefs of our representatives since they vote on important moral issues. If there is an election soon, I hope that people will consider moral issues also.

Sharon Roberts, L3

Low-key speech

GORDON BROWN’S big speech was a bit low-key but I assume he is that sort of bloke. It made a change from dazzling Blair or even the abrasive Lady Thatcher.

The Prime Minister said he wants to give all children and all families an equal chance.

That is lovely idealism, but a bit short of the way things work in practice. Bullying was also mentioned and that is another difficult nut to crack.

Good luck with it, Gordon; it is nice to have someone who takes the job seriously and doesn’t think it a branch of showbiz. Election soon? Maybe not.

M Nottingham, Lincoln

Party policies

NEW Labour have nicked all their middle-ground territory, so I see the Tory party, in a desperate search for somewhere to position themselves, have reverted to type. Cut taxes and help the rich appears to be the order of the day once more.

How disappointing. Just when we were on tenterhooks about what policies David Cameron would come out with and were hoping for something innovative, they go back to the same old, same old.

That said it worked for Thatcher for long enough. It is amazing what people are prepared to put up with if they think it means keeping the taxman’s grubby hands off their money.

K West, Ormskirk

Seeking Ada

I AM trying to record the history of the American Liberty Ship SS Black Hawk in World War II. One of the sailors recalls an Ada London, in Liverpool, whose family owned a local steel mill. Her parents were killed in an air raid and she lived with her uncle George. Can anyone name the family or Steel works?

Peter Hackling, phackling@hotmail.com