Letters to the Editor - 18th March 2008

Mar 18 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

Merck acted responsibly

I AM writing in response to your article “Law firms fight for justice for arthritis drug victims” which appeared on March 4.

Your article refers to the resolution of legal claims in the US. Contrary to the claim from the lawyer quoted in the article, Merck has not gone “out of its way” to exclude non-US nationals from the Vioxx litigation resolution in the US.

Merck has agreed to resolve certain US claims; this was for practical reasons unique to the US environment, including the enormous volume of claims – comprising some 60,000 plaintiff groups – and the legal costs involved. Since 2004, Merck has had to reserve $1.9bn simply for the costs of defending cases.

Without the resolution, US claims could have stretched on for many years, even though Merck won nine of the last 11 product liability verdicts in the US and thousands more cases were dismissed. Juries in the US have on the whole responded to evidence that it was a patient’s individual health factors and not Vioxx that caused the alleged injuries.

Merck is not considering a resolution of Vioxx litigation outside the US and is continuing to defend the cases it faces. As in the US, Merck continues to believe that the responsible approach to claims is to examine each claim individually and with due medical and scientific scrutiny.

Merck carefully studied the medicine before and after its approval by regulatory authorities in the US and the UK, and consistently made the results of those studies available to regulatory authorities and the medical community worldwide. Indeed, Merck acted responsibly and transparently at all times.

Chris Round, Managing Director, Merck Sharp & Dohme

Edge Lane relief

I MUST thank you and your reporter Ben Schofield for the very fair coverage and editorial comment in today’s Daily Post (Friday 14th March) regarding the Cabe report on Edge Lane.

For a long time now, hundreds of local people have been trying to highlight the blight which has already been suffered by the area due to the “redevelopment” proposals and clearly unnecessary demolition. At last, the mediocrity of the totally banal and characterless replacement buildings which, it was alleged, were going to provide the “world-class gateway” to our city centre, has been roundly condemned by a nationally qualified and respected body.

The one unsavoury note was the way in which Cllr Mike Storey would have us believe he was unaware of the deficiencies in the development plans and how “disappointed” he was that Liverpool Land Development Company had not worked “in harmony with Cabe.” Surely Cllr Storey cannot try to pretend that these proposals were nothing to do with him. LLDC was set up as a joint initiative between the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), English Partnerships (EP) AND Liverpool City Council and began operations in April 2003. Cllr Storey was the leader of the city council at that time and as such he should have been fully aware of the operations and development proposals of this joint venture company in respect of their flagship project on Edge Lane.

He was only too willing to accept any plaudits which arose from LLDC’s continuation of the good work done by the Speke-Garston Development Company’s regeneration initiatives.

Roger Brown, Hale

Fluid boundaries

I HAVE been interested in your Liverpool map as it shows that you don’t have to be within the city’s council boundaries to be part of the city. I believe it makes a point that a redefinition of what constitutes “Liverpool” is needed.

If you say to someone from Litherland or Huyton (like Peter Reid) you are not from Liverpool, you are not part of Liverpool culture, you would be laughed at but it would also be an insult to them. You might call these places suburbs of Liverpool, however these suburbs form part of neighbouring councils and are towns in their own rights.

It is all about how people see it. In the Everton FC/Kirkby debate, I see Kirkby as every bit part of Liverpool as nearby Fazakerley, although it is part of Knowsley MBC.

I recently discovered the internet encyclopedia Wikipedia which enables anyone to edit and expand all articles. I chose to do this on a number of Liverpool places that might be classed as suburbs until someone from Manchester decided a place like Huyton was not a suburb of Liverpool and subsequently rejected my use of the word “suburb”. I was bombarded by Wikipedia rules and wasn’t experienced enough to answer.

All that I could suggest was these places may be in another council, but are linked to Liverpool so closely that they form part of the wider city.

I think you can be from, for example, Crosby, and still say you are from Liverpool. Has anyone dared to tell Anne Robinson she is not from Liverpool?

D McMullen, Belle Vale

Forget Party politics

THANK you for your article on the Government’s stance over Liverpool, it just shows the manner that this party treats the voters.

Does the attitude of this Government surprise anyone in Liverpool?

How puerile to say that if it had been a Labour-led council, they would have had monies promised and been looked on more favourably. We now know why the money was not given, as promised, for the tram system by this “New Labour” Government.

The position of the opposition Labour members, on the council, does not help at all by sniping at the leader and the policies of the ruling group. They will say that is their job but I would have thought that they should all be working together for the good of Liverpool, especially in this year.

Come on, forget party squabbling, and get on with the business of governing the city during this Capital of Culture year.

JA, Wirral

Don’t be fleeced

WITH regard to the Superlambanana being worth no more than £120,000 (Daily Post, Friday March 14). I think if the artist Taro Chiezo wants more than £1,000 for it, then let Manchester have it. I am no expert in art but the lambanana – surely it must be a sheep-banana after 10 years – does nothing for me. If it was a lot smaller, it would make a good doorstop.

As long as David Charters and Valerie Hill are not transported to the Manchester Evening News, they can do what they want with this yellow monstrosity.

D Abrahams, L11

School choice myth

IF A future Tory government were to create an additional 220,000 secondary school places to add to the surplus which already exists, this would not solve the problem of parental choice. Parents have in mind a pecking order and the popular schools will always be over-subscribed. If it were physically possible to expand these schools, the increased intake would change the character of the school and its popularity would be diminished.

Even in the days when Liverpool had the 11 plus, successful candidates were not guaranteed a place in their first choice grammar school. In those days, parents realised that schools had a maximum capacity and politicians didn’t seek cheap popularity by promising an unattainable choice.

John Ashcroft, West Kirby

Protect our trees

I AGREE with Frances Conway-Seymour (DP March 13) about tree loss in our parks. In the last four years, Birkenhead Park has lost many mature and young trees in the name of restoration, New Brighton has lost nine to developers and three more will go for the new flats near the Floral Pavilion.

At a time when Mersey Forest is increasing tree cover in our region, the Heritage Lottery Fund together with property developers seem determined to undermine their efforts. We need some joined-up planning here.

MF Dinsmore, Wallasey

Save Leighton Dene

ON Friday March 14, I had the privilege of visiting the Leighton Dene centre to see for myself the marvellous work going on there. I was very impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the staff and had the chance to listen to residents and relatives who were unanimous in asking me to do all I can to keep Leighton Dene open.

These centres serve some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I urge Warren Bradley to think again and reverse the council's decision to close Leighton Dene and Boaler Street. They are facilities of which Liverpool can be proud. Indeed, in the future we shall need more places like Leighton Dene.

Stephen Twigg, Labour PPC West Derby

Another defection

AS A resident of Cressington, I was disappointed, but not surprised that our local councillor saw it fit to join the Labour Party, after spending considerable time as a Lib-Dem.

There is a general view that the Liberal Democrats are a party who simply do not know what they are. Their flip-flopping over Europe and the seemingly endless stream of defections proves this further.

It is also apparent that the said councillor will now move to another area of the city to stand as a Labour candidate. Why? Is Cressington not good enough for her anymore?

Paul Athans, Cressington Conservative Spokesman

Wrong notes

WITH reference to “All washed up” from P Hope, of Tarvin (Letters, March 12). Both my parents went to sea, my mother with Cunard and my father with White Star and they would tell us tales of crew members falling out with over-officious senior dining room officers who one time pitched a grand piano overboard because the steward would have to account for it. Cutlery and dishes would also often end up in the big sink.

J McCool, address supplied