Letters to the Editor - 26th June 2008

Jun 26 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

We need Mersey TV channel

THE late Tony Wilson, of Granada TV, may well have been a good friend to Jim Hancock, but he was never a friend of this city, whatever Jim claims (Daily Post, June 23).

This is in line with Manchester-based Granada TV’s behaviour for over a generation at the close of the last millennium.

Peter Sissons was absolutely right in his recent accusation that that TV station did not and does not meet fair-minded regional obligations where Merseyside and the city of Liverpool is concerned.

There isn’t a local or a north-westerner who doesn’t know it.

The idea that Granada opened their Albert Dock office to be “fair” is laughable.

The only reason it was established was to forestall competition from this city when the north-west commercial TV franchise was subject to so-called “open” bids.

The truth is this city never had a chance of succeeding with a bid, not even when one later submission by Phil Redmond was much superior to anything Granada TV had to offer.

Nobody should think north-west media coverage will get better, not with the BBC about to increase its presence in Manchester.

This means a public and private media monopoly will be delivered from that centre of urban bigotry.

This might fool Jim Hancock, but it doesn’t fool us on Merseyside. In these circumstances, his whining about London-based media is nothing less than comical.

The reality is that Merseyside should have its own long overdue regional TV station.

But this would mean we could brush aside the monopolist Manchester nonsense at every level.

And, quite simply, that will never be allowed to happen. They have too much to lose.

Michael Durkin, L3

Declining service

AS A former Granada staffer, it saddens me to agree with Jim Hancock (Daily Post, June 23) that we are witnessing, on the part of ITV, a retreat from Merseyside and a decline in regional and public service programming.

But I challenge the suggestion that Granada’s 1980s investment in Liverpool was a cynical sop to win a franchise renewal.

In creating, at the Albert Dock, what was in its time the most advanced TV centre in the world, Granada gave Liverpool a national broadcasting facility for which it had long yearned and led the way in the regeneration of a decaying part of this city that others wanted to turn into a car park.

I still have hope for the future of local programming – but not in the hands of Granada.

The demise of ITV in the regions presents an opportunity for those with talent and imagination to seize the new media in all its forms, and to let Liverpool once again speak to Liverpool and to the nation.

David Highet, via email

Bible stories

WITH regards to the response to CP Kelly's letter (June 20), I'd like to add my thoughts.

There are many stories in the Bible that aren't intended to be taken literally, such as the story of Noah and the Flood.

In fact, there was a programme on TV about it a few years ago discussing the feasibility of various parts of it – and, to cut a long story short, it came to the conclusion that it wouldn't have been possible.

However, it then suggested that it was probably never meant to be – it's merely intended to be symbolic of God punishing people for their sins. Furthermore, it also suggested that it may have originated from a story about a localised flood with Noah being a businessman carrying animals, beer and other commodities and becoming trapped in the flood – and some of the story became lost in translation because of the languages of the day using similar words for “land”, “country” and “Earth”.

Similarly, the references to Jesus “walking on water” are thought to have been mistranslated and that the Bible originally described Him walking “in” water, but it was kept as “on” water in order to symbolise His authority.

Philip Ion, Greasby

Belief in God

IN HIS book, The God Delusion, which bases preference for atheism over deism on the basis of probability, Richard Dawkins illustrates a spectrum of probabilities concerning the existence of "God ".

The spectrum has seven milestones from one to seven.

Milestone one represents 100% probability that God exists. At the other end of the spectrum, milestone seven represents 100% probability that God does not exist.

Very few atheists would put themselves in seven, preferring milestone six which represents the view that there is a very low probability that God exists, albeit short of zero.

I remind readers of this having read the several Christian correspondents on the Letters page on June 24. Since they all would appear to put themselves in milestone one of Dawkins's spectrum, which is well populated by those who simply hold beliefs without adequate reason so to do.

PR Jones, Wirral

Wonderful Book

RE: FAITH No More (Daily Post Letters, June 20). It is good to read that CP Kelly, of Gateacre, has been studying the Bible.

It is a very precious book to the millions of Christians who have a simple faith in God and who believe the entire Bible to be true.

If one cares to read Jonah, Chapter One and verse 17, it records: “The Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah”. Man assumed it was a whale, just as Man assumed Adam gave an apple to Eve; Genesis Chapter three records: “Fruit”. Assumptions can be dangerous.

I hope CP Kelly will seek help from committed Christians to understand the Bible, and discover what a wonderful Book it truly is.

EM Owens, Liverpool

Internet scam

MY DAUGHTER and I purchased tickets for the Sir Paul McCartney concert at Anfield on June 1, 2008.

We purchased the tickets via the internet and requested they be shipped to our friends in Wallasey.

When we arrived in Liverpool, however, the tickets had not been delivered.

We took our confirmation paperwork and correspondence to Liverpool 08 to collect our tickets.

Linda and Zena at Liverpool 08 examined our papers and realised we had been the victims of an internet scam. Not only that, but we had been overcharged by $1,300 (about £650).

We began the process of filing fraud charges upon returning to the United States.

I just want to say how wonderful Linda and Zena were to us.

They followed through, returned our many phone calls and met with us in person.

They were warm and friendly to two upset American who had come so far.

Linda and Zena went above and beyond to help us sort out the mix up. We appreciate the kindness they bestowed upon us and are very grateful.

This was our second visit to Liverpool in 12 months!

With great people like Linda and Zena, it’s no wonder we love your city!

Jan Stephens, Raleigh, USA

Dangerous dogs

I LOVE animals. I like dogs especially. However, I have no reticence in physically defending myself against a dog I believe is about to harm me.

Unfortunately, such a situation arose on Monday when I was jogging down my road and a golden retriever chased me aggressively.

I might not be an animal behaviourist, but I’ve had enough experience with animals to know that this dog was not playing.

I carried on jogging, and as it became apparent that the dog would not stop, or return to its owner (who hurried off rather cowardly), I turned on the dog and it eventually backed off. Had I been of a more nervous disposition with dogs, the outcome may have been very different.

I have no objections to dogs running off the lead, as long as they do not present any danger to the public.

It might interest the owner to know that the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 empowers magistrates not only to fine, imprison (up to six months), and disqualify the owner from dog ownership, but also to have the dog destroyed.

Hoylake and Meols Promenade is a very popular area for jogging, and this could have happened to anyone, and next time there might be serious injury caused.

I don’t want to see dogs unable to exercise, but the solution is very simple; if you can’t trust your dog to behave in public, put it on a lead.

Richard Quayle, Meols

Light-hearted clip

I WAS shocked to read yesterday that Heinz have pulled an advertisement for their Deli Mayo because of concerns over two men kissing.

Apparently, Heinz did so after more than 200 people complained to the advertising standards authority over this “gay kiss”.

For heaven’s sake, anyone with half a brain could tell this advert had nothing to do with being gay (not, incidentally, that that should matter).

The fact that so many people could be “offended” by this light-hearted clip shows that, even in the 21st century, homophobia is alive and well and how awful is that?

HM, Allerton

Leader’s role

CONSENSUS omnium imperii, nisi imperasset – originally written about Servus Suplicius Galba, the man who succeeded Nero as Emperor of Rome – could equally apply to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The Latin means: “Everyone thought he could do the job until he got it.” Servus had waited years to get the job (shades of Gordon?).

Unfortunately, he did not last long (about 12 months) because he reneged on a pay rise for the Praetorian guard (shades of Gordon and the police?) and he was said to have let down the poor (Gordon and his 10p tax debacle?).

Poor old Servus was assassinated – they didn’t mess around in those days.

Matt, Bootle