Letters to the Editor - 10th July 2008

Jul 10 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

Tangible legacy of the year

FURTHER to comments on the letter by Bill Henderson about the legacy of the Capital of Culture, I have to agree that, once the hot air has evaporated (and even the excessive amount that Liverpool can produce doesn’t last forever), there won’t be much to savour.

A new shopping centre? Well, that’s precisely what it is. And I don’t want to be a post-party pooper, but shops are not culture.

Luckily, as pointed out in the Brocklebank column, through all its troubles, Liverpool has the benefited from the positive activities of three fine universities upholding its reputation.

For me, the greatest legacy of Capital of Culture year will be the refurbishment of Victoria Building, now the Victorian Gallery & Museum, on Brownlow Hill.

This restoration project is a tremendous achievement by the University of Liverpool in reviving a landmark building that was basically redundant.

It is also part of a welcome thrust to bring “town and gown” together, by making the university’s major collections accessible to the public and incorporating a cafeteria and meeting places into this historic building.

It should not be forgotten, either, that this was designed by one of Liverpool’s greatest architects, Alfred Waterhouse.

Not many universities have shown such an imaginative and real financial commitment in trying to strengthen their ties with the ordinary residents and visitors to their host town or city. Liverpool University must be applauded for this – and for giving us a tangible legacy of Capital of Culture.

E Bradshaw, Allerton

Real evidence

IN RESPONSE to the letter from PR Jones (Daily Post, July 8) that states the existence of God is “unprovable”, I would refer him to the evidence already presented.

There is a huge amount of valid history regarding Jesus and His followers that cannot be ignored. Archaeological finds continue to support New Testament references such that we can have great confidence in the historical accuracy of the authors.

Even the account of His Crucifixion seems to satisfy medical expectations – a body under such stress would accumulate fluid around the heart and lungs, and when Jesus was speared, out came water and blood.

Unfortunately, faith atheists such as PRJ resist all the evidence for the Resurrection “without good cause”, and when we accept the history, the martyrdom of His followers, the dramatic changes to James and Paul, etc, etc, there is only one conclusion acceptable.

However, I must correct PRJ’s understanding of Christian theology. He states that Jesus became “a third of the Holy Trinity”, and of course, Jesus is, was and will be eternally part of the trinity.

Finally, with regard to creation, PRJ “prefers” his theory that the universe has always existed, contrary to current scientific orthodoxy – even atheist scientists acknowledge that the universe had a beginning.

Theology states that God created the heavens and the Earth. The accepted scientific paradigm is the “big bang”. It seems that science and theology are moving closer together, and perhaps we could combine the two as God created the heavens and the Earth with a “big bang”.

Brian Jowett, via email

God’s existence

UNFORTUNATELY, PR Jones (Letters, July 8) trots out a familiar but specious argument in his efforts to disprove both the existence of God and, by implication, the deity of Christ.

To ask who created the Creator is as absurd as asking what is north of the North Pole.

God is eternal, so He does not have a beginning. He is outside time, space and matter in the same way that the artist is outside his painting, although He is not limited by these, and can choose to intervene when He chooses – supremely by coming to earth in the person of His Son.

Our universe is not eternal: this is easily demonstrable from the second law of thermodynamics, and so it does have a point of creation known popularly as the "Big Bang".

The Bible never seeks to "prove" God's existence – it asks us to exercise reasonable faith in Him.

Likewise, atheists exert faith in the non-existence and the agnostic in the non-certainty of God.

All are – ultimately – faith positions, and we choose which to believe. Since we are persons, then God cannot be less – an impersonal "force" – so we should seek to know Him rather than "prove" Him! The Bible is clear that this is possible through Jesus Christ.

"Who made God?" is a question I often hear from my Year 8 pupils at school: it is not worthy of serious consideration. "Can I know Him?" is not only more instructive; it has eternal consequences.

Nick Cowan, Aigburth

Depth of feeling

I HAVE been following the ongoing dialogue on this Letters page regarding God and faith for some weeks now, and, while myself remaining agnostic on the whole issue, I have to say that I have been mightily impressed by the depth of feeling on both sides.

It just goes to show that there is nothing like faith and God to get people going even in these increasingly secular times. Keep it up, guys. Who knows – one side may just convince me.

JW, Leasowe

Increased allowance

AS SOMEONE who has been receiving the carers’ allowance for over 10 years, I think it is time that carers organisations lobbied to increase the amount of it.

Britain’s treatment of carers is disgraceful.

You are socially and economically isolated, and you are saving the British economy billions.

A family carer sometimes has to pay five times the life insurance of a waged family, and if a carer wants to take a holiday they sometimes end up paying whoever covers for them well above the minimum wage.

Carers’ allowance, meanwhile, is well below the minimum wage.

Round-the-clock carers also often find it difficult to take other jobs because if caring responsibilities at home.

A lot of other causes are supported by lawyers and politicians, but not this one – but I live with these issues to do with caring.

J Carmichael, Southport

Strict moral code

FULL marks to David Cameron for putting morals top of the political agenda.

For too long, we have been namby-pambying around, following too liberal an agenda, worrying too much about the criminals, not the victims, and look where it has got us.

We have kids running amok on the streets with knives, teachers who are afraid to speak out to unruly children, in case they are accused of abuse, and parents terrorised by their own offspring.

A strict moral code and a firm hand is what this country needs. No more holidays for hoodies, no more light sentences, no more getting out of jail early.

Mr Cameron has pledged to put families first and to toughen up, and it is these two things, not green taxes or improving our recycling rates, that will see him moving his family into Number 10 before very long.

Alan Swift, Warrington

Cynical ploy

SO DAVID CAMERON thinks that people are fat because they eat too much, and that the poor are too easily dependent on drugs and alcohol as a way of easing their woes.

It seems that he now thinks it is time for us to bolster the moral fabric of society and to get tough on crime. Can I just point out that, not too long ago, this was the man telling us all that we should “hug a hoodie”?

This latest turn is a cynical ploy to win over public opinion and nothing more.

Mr Cameron is seizing the opportunity to look like the white knight while Gordon Brown struggles to prop up the failing economy.

We are not falling for it, though. He and the Conservative party still have no coherent policies to offer just empty promises.

A Ashton, Winstanley

Talking sense

FINALLY, someone is talking sense, David Cameron has said that people are obese because they eat too much and take too little exercise.

He also says that the time for political correctness is over.

Excellent. Maybe now other politicians can take note and we can all start acting and behaving like normal adults instead of being too scared to speak for fear that we should offend someone.

H Allison, Formby

Cost of war

YOUR correspondent J Swale (quite rightly) rails against Gordon Brown’s abdication of responsibility for the current economic crisis.

However, s/he misses the point in saying “we are not at war.”

We have been fighting New Labour’s wars in Afghanistan for seven years and Iraq for five years.

The costs of these campaigns are best measured in terms of the huge numbers of civilian and military lives destroyed, on all sides.

However, it is also true that the wars have placed a massive strain on the UK economy.

As Chancellor, Gordon Brown promised to continue paying for these wars, whatever the cost.

As Prime Minister, he is now seeing the inevitable result of that pledge.

Mal Ferguson, Tuebrook

Lost landmark

WALLASEY has lost yet another landmark with the demolition of Liscard Hall.

What a shame that this historic building was allowed to become derelict in the first place.

Sir John Tobin, who lived there, was a successful Liverpool shipowner and Lord Mayor of Liverpool. His son was the first vicar of nearby St John’s Church.

Now this legacy is lost.

I took a photograph of Liscard Hall after the fire as a historic record, but could not stand to watch it being demolished.

Robin Bird, New Brighton