7 Febuary 2015 Susan Hamer-Bloom
Mary not too well misses tea and Mrs Hamer-Bloom does her toe nails.
Obituary:
6:22PM GMT 06 Feb 2015
Eddie Price, who has died aged 91, was a farmer-turned-archaeologist who devoted nearly half a century of his life to excavating a Roman villa and other ancient settlements which had lain hidden under fields at Frocester Court farm, near Stroud in Gloucestershire.
His curiosity had been aroused during the Second World War after the local Agricultural Executive Committee ordered the ploughing of an ancient grass ridge and field called Big Stanborough on the 250-acre farm of which his father was the tenant.
Price noticed that his plough was turning up pieces of pottery and building debris. “There was obviously a building there,” he recalled, “I was turning up stones that shouldn’t have been there. I recognised a site there.”
In 1960 he invited Captain H S Gracie – one of the country’s most eminent Romano-British archaeologists, who happened to be working on another site nearby – to dig an exploratory trench. “He dropped straight down on to a mosaic pavement,” Price recalled. “By the end of the next day I had excavated the remains of a burnt basket of wheat.”
Eddie Price with Professor Mick Aston of Time Team (SIMON PIZZEY/THE CITIZEN)
Price and Gracie then collaborated on further investigations of the site, and it soon became evident that the Roman building at Frocester was huge – 200ft long and several floors high. At the time it was generally assumed that Roman villas in Britain were little more than bungalows built around a couple of courtyards.
The Roman villa was not the only thing that they found. Human settlement at Frocester dates back to around 1500 BC, the middle of the Bronze Age, when a boundary ditch was first dug. A sunken trackway followed, until Iron Age man built the first farm on the site. This was well established by 200 BC, with roundhouses, granaries, fenced animal pens and a vegetable patch.
Occupation continued until the late third century AD, when work on the villa began. Price believed that the stone building had probably been a gentleman’s country residence rather than a working farm, as it moved away from the strict farm layout; also, artefacts discovered on the site suggested that the occupants had been well-off.
Over the decades, more than 1,100 Roman coins were unearthed, as well as 60 sets of human remains. Notable finds included a beautiful bronze figurine of a horse (now in Gloucester Museum) and a Romano-British brooch, discovered in near-mint condition at the bottom of a well.
Later, excavations of an Anglo‑Saxon feasting hall revealed an extraordinary collection of animal bones which appeared to have been simply tossed out of the window by the diners.
Price, however, was not particularly interested in unearthing “buried treasure”, explaining that his fascination with archaeology arose from a desire to find out about “the history of my place, what the people were like and how they lived and farmed there before me”.
The bronze horse figurine found at Frocester Court (PAUL NICHOLLS/GLOUCESTERSHIRE MEDIA)
Gracie led the excavations at Frocester Court until his death in 1979, after which Price and a team of amateur enthusiasts continued the dig, which took place every summer until 2009. By this time the Frocester Court excavations were said to be the longest-running archaeological project in the country.
Though he was self-taught as an archaeologist, Price’s meticulous approach won him the respect of professionals, some of whom were inspired in their careers as youngsters working at his dig. He carefully drew and documented every trench and every fragment of pottery and bone, writing up the results in reports which set a new standard for archaeological publications.
In 2000 he published a two-volume work in which he traced, in extraordinary detail, the story of the human occupation of the area from the Bronze Age to the modern day.
He was appointed MBE for his services to archaeology in 2008, and in the following year received an honorary degree from the Open University.
Edward Godwin Price was born near Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, on October 6 1923. In 1935 his family moved to Frocester Court farm as tenant farmers of 250 acres. Eddie took over the running of the farm in 1950, establishing a herd of dairy cows. In 1969 he bought the farm, and later purchased an additional 50 acres.
The tithe barn at Frocester Court
His archaeological interests were not confined to digging up the past, but also to restoring and preserving it. In 1287 a great tithe barn had been built at Frocester Court, and when Price bought the farm it was the largest medieval tithe barn still standing in Gloucestershire; but it needed re-roofing, and he was quoted a price for the work which was double what he had just paid for the farm.
So Price set about doing the work himself, using Cotswold stone tiles and lashing ladders together to reach the top of the 11-metre ridge. The job took him eight years to complete.
He went on to re-roof and conserve all the other buildings at Frocester Court, which has 13 listed buildings on site, including the main house, part of which dates back to the mid-1450s. In 1998 he was elected president of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society.
Price’s other great passion was coarse fishing. In 1959 he caught what was then the largest mirror carp ever landed, at 40½lb. In 2007 a fishing diary which he had kept in the 1950s was published in a limited edition, and sold out before printing had finished.
In 1951 Price married Ruth Chandler, who survives him with their six sons, three of whom now run the farm.
Eddie Price’s ashes are to be interred beneath the fields at Frocester Court in an earthenware urn fired in a “Roman” kiln which he built himself.
Eddie Price, born October 6 1923, died January 23 2015
Guardian:
Simon Jenkins is simply wrong to claim that Charles is harmless and powerless (Our monarchy is powerless and would remain that way under King Charles, 5 February). The royals have power and influence and seek to exercise it at every opportunity. It may not be in the form of formal constitutional power – most of that these days is exercised by the prime minister (another problem with the monarchy). The power the royals have is that of access and secrecy, the opportunity to influence behind closed doors and beyond any meaningful public scrutiny.
This influence is greatly enhanced by the existence of royal consent, a veto on new laws that Charles and the Queen can exercise if such laws affect their personal and private interest. So it is no surprise that a host of laws give privileged exemptions to the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster. It is no surprise that royal secrecy and royal funding laws have been changed in recent years to the detriment of the public interest. It is because the royals have the power and opportunity to influence government policy.
Graham Smith
Chief executive officer, Republic
• Simon Jenkins comforts himself with the thought that “parliament is sovereign”, not understanding that this is where the trouble lies. In the settlement of 1688, the monarchy was divested of its power, which was transferred to parliament. Parliament then had, and in essence still has, the unregulated power of an absolute monarch. Ways to remedy this? Let the people claim sovereignty; sever the ties of the monarch to parliament; set up a new parliament whose members are chosen by a proportional voting system and whose layout no longer expresses a simple binary choice. It is this process, under way in Scotland, which will spell the end of the pre-democratic structure of Britain.
Robin Kinross
London
• If as Simon Jenkins suggests the monarchy is powerless, why are we spending some £300m per annum on it. What exactly do we get in return for this handout? Prince Charles sounding off? He is welcome to moan about matters that worry him but he could do so just as well as a private citizen. He could even write a letter or two to the Guardian.
John Marzillier
Oxford
• Simon Jenkins would have us believe that we are safe from the influence of the future King Charles because the power of the monarchy is merely symbolic and is, in any case, exercised by the government. However, the power of prominent establishment figures like Charles is exercised through informal channels via a complex of personal relationships, the details of which rarely become public. The plan for the Chelsea barracks may have been withdrawn by the Qataris, but who lobbied them to do so?
Andrew Reeves
Middlesbrough
• Simon Jenkins forgets the effects of soft power on public opinion. Mass opinion has political power. It saddens me to make the point that, by this means, the monarchy is far from politically impotent. Jenkins is right in his estimate of public support for the monarchy and this support, if challenged, runs deep. Try engaging your local rugby club, the local boy scouts or members of the Women’s Institute in a discussion of the monarchy.
Ask ex-servicemen, former civil servants; try raising the subject in the pub, if you dare. And then consider the establishment. What chance is there of finding out-and-out rejection of Charles’s opinions? None of this translates directly into politics, but it’s out there. Far from Charles “having no clout, and no one has to listen to him”, the way is open It just depends on how passionately issues are raised, how hard the 75% are drawn, for a matter to become a public opinion/political issue.
Richard Payne
Ipswich
• The argument of Simon Jenkins might be taken even further. Preserving an impotent monarchy serves as a permanent and symbolic reminder of the triumph of democracy. If it ceased to be impotent, it would cease.
Tony Wright
Birmingham
• You cannot wonder at the lack of confidence in government and powerful organisations when the Duchy of Cornwall and West Dorset district council may choose to ignore their own public plans like this. On 12 February, West Dorset district council is being recommended to approve plans by developers ZeroC Holdings Ltd to build five luxury detached homes on land designated in the Poundbury Masterplan as public open space for the benefit of all the people of Dorchester.
Needless to say, the recommendation to approve the planning application is contrary to the views of Dorchester town council and many local organisations concerned with the character of the town.
Max Hebditch
Dorchester
Ruling out free higher education, Alan Ware (Letters, 6 February) talks about “how to best match the provision of education and training with the needs of an economy”. How about changing our economic hierarchies and elitist privileges to best match the needs of our citizens? This how we ended up with the former free higher education and mandatory student grant.
Gavin Lewis
Manchester
• Perhaps Herr Schäuble (Report, 6 February) should offer the 500 tax collectors to the UK government to collect from the wealthy?
David Bale
Exmouth, Devon
• If you work beyond state pension age, you stop paying national insurance (Letters, 6 February). Why?
Jenny Haynes
Barton on Humber, North Lincolnshire
The education secretary is right to fear Ofqual plans to remove practical science work from the overall grade for GCSE and A-level science (Nicky Morgan calls for Ofqual U-turn on scrapping science practicals, 28 January). The plans are a downgrading of science experiments that will leave pupils ill-prepared for when they leave school.
Finding things out for yourself is at the very heart of science. Ofqual’s argument is that some schools are only doing a really narrow set of experiments and that some teachers are too generous in the marks they give. They say this means we should no longer include the very skills that young people need as part of their overall assessment. That is short-sighted and defeatist. We need to find a solution that actually serves young people and society rather than a quick fix for the bureaucrats.
While I understand Ofqual’s need to assert its independence, it cannot allow that independence to back it into a corner. Scientists, educators and universities have stated from the start that Ofqual’s decision is the wrong one. Surely Ofqual must now recognise this and reverse changes before real damage is done to science in the UK.
Paul Nurse
President of the Royal Society
• For all their emphasis on “rigour”, it is not education ministers obsessing about the 12 times table that will enhance the learning process (Zoe Williams, 2 February). This happens when trained teachers enthused by their job interact well with their pupils, who grow in confidence, learn to make balanced judgments and nurture other personal qualities that are intangible, rather than measurable. Subjecting children to endless tests will no more improve their education than constantly measuring a tree will make it grow.
Barry Samuel
Reigate, Surrey
Independent:
Opinions differ over Alice Thomson’s belief that a good grounding in the basics is sufficient
Sir, Mathematics is not just about learning multiplication tables and algebra (“This obsession with maths doesn’t add up”, Opinion, Feb 4). Taught well, mathematics ignites curiosity and encourages confidence and creativity — the very qualities that Alice Thomson rightly points out we should nurture in Britain.
The scientific and mathematical thinking learnt in the classroom — logical and critical thinking, problem-solving — is vital in the real world and is much desired by employers. If we want an effective democratic society, people must be capable of balancing the benefits and risks of new science and be able to reason mathematically. The Royal Society has called for maths and science to be compulsory to the age of 18 as part of a baccalaureate-style system. It’s not about every student studying an advanced maths or science subject to 18, but creating well-thought-out, inspiring and tailored courses to meet the future needs of UK citizens and employers.
Sir Martin Taylor
FRS Chairman, Royal Society vision committee
Sir, We welcome the political “obsession” with improving mathematical and statistical skills but not only on the ground that basic numeracy needs to improve. More advanced skills are also essential. Like a language, mathematical and statistical skills can fade with lack of practice, and employers and universities have found that the gap between GCSE at 16 and entry to university or work at 18 is detrimental. The CBI repeatedly reports that many employers are not confident of meeting future needs for high-skilled employees, particularly in science, engineering and maths. In a world full of data, higher level analytical and statistical skills are increasingly in demand, as our own work has found.
The government has gone some way toward filling this gap with the introduction of new core maths qualifications to be taken alongside A levels. We urge all politicians, no matter what the state of their times tables, to ensure that these are developed after the election.
Scott Keir
Head of education and statistical literacy, Royal Statistical Society
Sir, Alice Thomson is right to argue that it is short-sighted to concentrate on numeracy at the expense of other subjects. Modern languages are a case in point. The UK’s lack of language skills has been estimated to cost the economy £48 billion every year. This is likely to get worse: the British Council’s Languages for the Future report shows the UK’s highest priorities for business and diplomacy will require several languages that are rarely even taught here.
In Singapore (the second highest scoring country in the Programme for International Student Assessment 2012), the curriculum prioritises languages to give access to a global economy. There is no negative correlation between Pisa scores and language learning. Scientists and other non-specialist linguists need language skills if they are to work internationally.
Baroness Coussins
Chairwoman, all-party parliamentary group on modern languages
Sir, Alice Thomson is right: too many children are being asked to do too much maths. I taught secondary maths from year 7 to A level for some years. The top band of GCSE was too easy, having been dumbed down from the GCE syllabus, and was no longer a good preparation for A-level maths, so that universities’ engineering departments, for example, had to spend time making up the shortfall. But the middle and lower bands maths syllabuses were too difficult, and were padded out with topics that bored those students and which they would never use.
Apart from the top band, children who find maths intrinsically interesting and need to have the possibility of mathematical careers (science, accountancy, etc) kept open to them, students should have syllabuses restricted to practical uses, and their maths class hours reduced accordingly.
Chris Price
Chapel Cleeve, Somerset
Sir, Alice Thomson’s article makes a lot of sense. In my 36 years of nuclear research I never did need to solve a quadratic equation or even simultaneous equations. In my judgment, teachers with the very best university degrees do not necessarily make the best teachers. Is it really necessary to have a first-class honours degree to be an effective teacher at say GCSE level?
Some of the best teachers are those who in their own schooldays struggled at GCSE level and A level — these are the people who best understand the difficulties that their own pupils might also experience.
Dr John Sandalls
It is the constitutional duty of the incumbent prime minister to remain in office until it is clear who the sovereign should ask to try to form the next government
Sir, Peter Riddell (Analysis, Feb 6) is right to say that it is misleading to allege Gordon Brown was “squatting” in No 10 after Labour had lost the 2010 general election. It is the constitutional duty of the incumbent prime minister to remain in office until it is clear who the sovereign should ask to try to form the next government. However, Brown subsequently acted unconstitutionally when he precipitately resigned before the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had completed their negotiations to form a coalition.
Mike Thomas
Former editor in chief, charter2010.co.uk, MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne East 1974-83
Despite claims to the contrary, there has hardly ever been an architecture that did not make some reference to the past
Sir, When Professor Fawcett (letter, Feb 6) refers to a modernist architectural language appropriate for the 21st century, free from historical predilections, he omits to mention that there has hardly ever been an architecture that did not make some reference to the past. The role of any language is to communicate. An architectural language without reference to the past would be unintelligible and would have little to say about matters such as community and continuity. It would also have to remain silent regarding many of our psychological and social needs.
John Melvin
Ascott, Warks
Matthew Parris should heed the second part of the Second Commandment, not merely the first section
Sir, Matthew Parris (My Week, Feb 4) does not mention the second part of the Second Commandment, which says that the sin is in the worshipping of graven images, not in their creation. If God had not wanted his chosen people to make images, then there was little point in including the second instruction. The Old Testament has many references to God’s instructions for images to be made, not least the two gold-plated cherubim with outstretched wings that covered the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus xxv: 18-20). Similarly, pomegranates were carved on the bronze pillars at the entrance to the Temple (1 Kings vii: 18-20).
Dr David Fuller
Killiechronan, Isle of Mull
Given the effectiveness of the Times reports on Rotherham, a campaign for the overhaul of the psychological services for children who have been abused is overdue
Sir, Andrew Norfolk’s report (“Rotherham: finally the truth behind the lies”, Feb 5) is the latest example of the good that a persistent journalistic campaign can do. It has led to the imprisonment of persistent wrongdoers, the wholesale removal of a council cabinet, and an awakening in the public consciousness of the existence of a particularly hideous form of child maltreatment.
However, for abused children up and down the country, such revelations, prosecutions and political cleansing, while signal steps in dealing with the need to safeguard and promote their wellbeing, are not the end of the story. They also need, and are indeed entitled to, therapies and support to help them to recover from their damaging experiences. Sadly though, and all too often, appropriate services are not adequate, and are commonly time-limited and cash-strapped. From the point of view of child safeguarding, this is just as great a failure by the adult world as the original abuse.
Given the effectiveness of your reports on Rotherham, a journalistic campaign for the overhaul of the psychological services for children who have been abused is overdue.
Dr Peter Green
Forensic physician and designated doctor for child safeguarding, Wandsworth Clinical Commissioning Group, London SW12
The Homes for Britain campaign is calling on all political parties to commit to end the housing crisis within a generation
Sir, Everyone deserves a decent home to live in, yet for many families it is expensive and difficult to achieve. The Homes for Britain campaign brings together the entire housing sector, and we are calling on all political parties to commit to end the housing crisis within a generation.
Across Britain we need more than 245,000 new homes a year yet we are building around half that amount, creating a huge shortage of homes which is getting worse year after year.
All of the political parties have acknowledged that we need to build more homes and that this must be a priority. We are ready to play our part but need the next government to meet us halfway by providing real leadership and a commitment to solve the issue.
David Orr, National Housing Federation; Grainia Long, Chartered Institute of Housing; Jon Sparkes, Crisis; Stewart Baseley, Home Builders Federation; Alan Ward, Residential Landlords Association; Trudi Elliott, Royal Town Planning Institute; Harry Rich, Royal Institute of British Architects
Brian Moore’s bickering with Eddie Butler is one of the highlights of televised international rugby
Sir, Unlike Paul Ackford (RBS Six Nations, Feb 6) I find the arguing between Eddie Butler and Brian Moore to be a highlight of televised rugby. Perplexingly, due to the subtlety and complexity of the game, they are often both simultaneously correct.
Eryl Parry
Spittal, Pembrokeshire
Faced with a potentially hostile audience of his constituents, Enoch Powell showed a different side to his character
Sir, The letter on Enoch Powell (Feb 6) reminded me of a time in the 1960s when the Communist party in Wolverhampton was championing a group of Asian residents who were having trouble finding housing. At a meeting, via a microphone and with the aid of a translator, they confronted Powell, their MP. He listened patiently, then strolled over and in perfect Urdu began to talk to them. I still remember the transformation. All smiles, they crowded around him, and the meeting’s sponsors faded quietly away.
David Housden
Elton, Cambs
Telegraph:
7:00AM GMT 06 Feb 2015
SIR – Devolution has opened a can of worms and led to ever-increasing complications. Despite the majority of voters opting for the Union in the Scottish referendum, the concessions made by a desperate David Cameron have only increased the determination of the separatists.
The only logical solution is the undesirable one of the formation of separate United Kingdom and English parliaments. Fudging the issue by means of a veto to be exercised by English MPs will only lead to bickering and horse-trading. In these days of fragmented politics, the result is going to be a fudge open to endless argument and confusion.
J B Box
Hertford
SIR – Will Alex Salmond become the modern Parnell, promising SNP votes at Westminster to any government “prepared to meet his demands”? (“Parnell’s ghost is hovering as the Tories consider their options”). When Gladstone brought forward his Irish Home Rule Bill in the hung parliament of 1886 to appease Parnell, he sought also to abolish Irish representation at Westminster completely. He said that Parnell and his Nationalist MPs were “like vermin about a man’s person, troublesome and disagreeable”.
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Later he compromised, proposing to retain Irish MPs but cutting their number drastically to reduce their power of blackmail.
If Mr Salmond does hold the balance of power after the election, such expedients will surely begin to look attractive to Gladstone’s unhappy successors, and the Union will be in the gravest peril. But they will have only themselves to blame for failing to solve the question of English votes for English laws in this Parliament.
Lord Lexden
London SW1
SIR – William Hague’s proposals would go a long way to address the injustice felt in England over Scottish MPs voting on English-only legislation. However, the Labour Party, and others, are unlikely to support this reform.
Lord Salisbury, the former leader of the House of Lords, has proposed a solution that would be fair to all parts of the United Kingdom. This is to create a federal union.
The House of Commons would be the English parliament and the House of Lords would be replaced by an elected chamber for the entire United Kingdom. The prime minister and leading cabinet members would sit there, and it would deal with such federal matters as defence and foreign policy. Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish parliaments would have equal powers to the English Commons.
No new parliament-house would be created, and the total number of members would be reduced (as would expenses).
This would preserve the Union better than the present confused arrangements.
Jonathan C Simons
Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire
Late payment
SIR – The Bank of England’s data on trends in lending for January showed – as they have for the past few years – further falls in lending to Small and Medium Enterprises. Recent data from the Association of Business Recovery Professionals, meanwhile, showed that late payment is a primary factor in 20 per cent of business insolvencies.
Various initiatives have been introduced to improve the flow of working capital, including the Prompt Payment Code, but little improvement has been seen. Given that SMEs in Britain represent 50 per cent of GDP, employ 60 per cent of the work force and create most new jobs, this should be a cause for huge concern.
Edmund Truell
CEO, Tungsten Corporation
London EC4
Value of trainee doctors
(GETTY)
SIR – Margaret Hodge, the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, is disingenuous when she says that “it costs the taxpayer £400,000 to train an emergency consultant”. She forgot to mention that, during training, a junior doctor contributes around 20,000 hours of service to the NHS, taking on increasing levels of responsibility in line with his or her growing experience.
Doctors in training are a linchpin of the NHS, without which it could not function.
Dr Hilary Aitken
Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire
Protecting addicts
SIR – Mike Barton, the chief constable of Durham, is to be commended for voicing the thoughts of many people who, like me, have lost their children to heroin (“Police chief: don’t jail drug addicts”).
Today I will attend the inquest into the death of a talented musician, my son, Rob Skipper. Had he been given the opportunity to use heroin from a reliable source under supervision in a “consumption room” such as those found in Switzerland, I would have had less cause to warn his wife, sister and mother that he might be dead from an overdose before the end of the year. He would probably be struggling, still, with addiction, but he would be alive and with some hope of rehabilitation. The recent arrest of the dealer who supplied Rob with the heroin is of no comfort to us; my fear is that he may create more addicts while incarcerated.
I earnestly hope the views of the many medical, legal and police authorities who support Mr Barton’s enlightened and considered opinion will gain momentum in the fight against this epidemic, which is taking such a heavy toll on young people.
John Skipper FRCS
Corfe Mullen, Dorset
Broadband promises
SIR – Neil Parish, the Conservative MP, rightly has said that “access to broadband should be considered a fundamental right”. The Government has promised that “by the end of this year, every home and business in the UK will be able to access a minimum broadband speed of two megabits per second – the basic speed for surfing and carrying out online services”.
How is this going to be achieved when the decision to extend the current system is based on commercial viability? I have been running a local campaign for a few years in a small village within the M25 in Hertfordshire. This county has joined with Buckinghamshire to improve the local network under the banner of the Connected Counties organisation. But my village has not been given approval for the roll-out because it is too small. Typical speeds here are below 0.75 mbps. I expect there are many examples such as this.
Elaine Vine
Potters Bar, Hertfordshire
Outsiders’ part in ethnic cleansing in Croatia
A resident of Vukovar in late November 1991, after the ethnic cleansing of non-Serbs (AFP/Getty Images )
SIR – Croatia has been found not guilty of “genocide” in Krajina, but it should remain guilty of “ethnic cleansing”.
There is no other word for the forcible removal of the Serbs of Krajina during Operation Storm in 1995.
Perhaps the reluctance to indict Croatia stems from the fact that both Germany and America re-armed Croatia with tanks and aircraft throughout 1994, without which the Serbs could not have been “removed”.
When we learnt that the German government was, against the terms of the UN embargo, importing Leopard tanks and aircraft in containers into Croatia, I was ordered by a French diplomat to cease monitoring the port of Ploce, in my area.
When I argued that that was precisely why we were employed as European Community Mission Monitors, I was ordered by a Greek (Greece held the presidency at the time) to continue monitoring but to falsify (his word) my daily reports to Brussels, to indicate that I had not been in the area and thus had seen nothing: but I was to continue to watch Ploce and report, privately, to the Greeks.
Lt-Col Ewen Southby-Tailyour
Ermington, Devon
Need for speed: the benefits of running fast
SIR – As someone who used to run considerably faster than 7mph (I once held the 5,000 metres world record), I read with some trepidation Sarah Knapton’s report on new research which suggests that fast running is as deadly as sitting on the sofa.
I’m happy to be able to reassure your readers that I, like many faster runners, am alive and enjoying the numerous and well-documented benefits of running. These include improved emotional and mental health, reduced risk of cancer, strengthened joints and the prevention of a host of unpleasant conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. While I admit to having a dodgy knee, the health and wellbeing benefits far outweigh my few aches and pains.
One of the joys of the 50-plus years that I have been involved in athletics is to see the hundreds of thousands of people of all shapes, sizes, abilities and ages who have discovered a love of running.
Organisations for runners of all sorts are working hard to help more people enjoy the benefits of this free, simple and accessible sport. Whether people run on their own, with friends, participate in group events like Parkrun and Race For Life, or compete for a club, running is a positive, life-affirming activity.
While I agree that “jogging a few times a week at a moderate pace” is great, running has benefits regardless of the speed you go. But I’ll be sure to warn my faster contemporaries – Seb Coe, Steve Cram, Steve Ovett – that they may soon wish they hadn’t broken all those world records.
David Moorcroft
Coventry
There’s fish in my fish
SIR – Some pub menu misspellings are deliberate – they’re aimed at catching the eye – but perfect spelling could not prevent the amusing critiques we licensees receive in return.
I have fielded complaints that a fillet of fish “tasted fishy”, and – my favourite – another protesting that the “risotto was rubbish” as it “wasn’t even fried”.
Kevin Henley
The White Lion
Crewe, Cheshire
Grammar dictator
SIR – I find the “Hitlers Walk” sign very offensive, too. Where is the apostrophe?
Bill Barksfield
East Hagbourne, Oxfordshire
Cold comfort bottle
SIR – The instructions for use on my new hot water bottle tell me: “Using the bottle every day for prolonged periods of time can shorten the lifespan.” I now have to choose which nights my feet remain cold.
Patricia Pressley
Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex
Untrue crime
SIR – As a retired CID officer, I am always amused when a police officer on a television programme knocks on a door and there is invariably someone inside to answer the knock.
In my experience, this is a rare event. Either the householder is out or, if the occupant is of a criminal disposition, he or she declines to come to the door.
Charles Nunn
Upton, Cheshire
SIR – When television detectives visit somebody connected with a case to ask them a few questions, the person concerned invariably continues to prune the roses, cook the dinner, mend the car, or whatever they were doing before the detective arrived. If a chief inspector called on me to gather information regarding a murder inquiry, the least I could do would be to sit down and give my full attention.
Anthony Whitehead
Bristol
Globe and Mail:
Tabatha Southey
Could we stop the anti-vaxxers if we said measles contains gluten?
At the time the British government announced the Longitude Prize, shipwrecks were a grave problem – many people died, ships and cargo were lost. It was decided that a reward in the form of what would be millions in today’s dollars should be given to the person who devised a method by which a ship’s longitude could reliably be determined – making accurate navigation possible.
Ultimately, the prize was successful. Many lives were saved. Faced as we are now with alarming outbreaks of measles and whooping cough, we need a similar competition.
Who, 50 years ago, would ever have imagined we’d need to promise a reward to the person able to persuade wealthy, educated parents to do this small thing for their own children – of whom they seem quite fond – and for those who come into contact with those children, about whom one hopes they’d give a damn.
Yet here we are. There are schools in the wealthiest parts of Los Angeles where the vaccination rate is on a par with that of South Sudan – fashionable tinder boxes of measles waiting to go up. Pertussis (the far-less-fun-than-it-sounds “whooping cough”) is making a dramatic comeback.
“Why don’t we just explain all that?” a contestant in the competition will likely propose. “That, even if vaccines did involve a slight risk of, say, autism – and then we present the multiple studies that prove they don’t – they’d still be better than returning to a time when mothers named a child Henry, and that would be their third Henry.”
The Board of Seriously, People, You Went To College, Do You Just Hate Children?, established to administer the prize, would reject this solution.
“A study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal showed that, even when educational efforts ‘successfully reduced misperceptions that vaccines cause autism,’ it ‘nonetheless decreased intent to vaccinate,’ ” the board’s chair would have to say. “Yeah, decreased. And have you seen the Internet? You disprove one theory, they come up with 10 new reasons not to vaccinate. Call in the next contestant.”
An infectious-disease specialist armed with meticulous research makes a sober presentation. She quotes Roberto Cattaneo, a molecular biologist at the Mayo Clinic who has spent 30 years studying measles, which he calls “the most transmissible virus we know.” She leans authoritatively on the chair’s desk, and speaks to him directly. “Let me make my case to parents,” she pleads.
She leaves. Two hours later, she pops her head in the door and explains that, had she been infected with measles, the virus would still be alive on every surface in the room she’d touched and in the room’s airspace. “Nine out of 10 of those without immunity in this room would already be infected,” she says “And that ends my presentation.”
“They’ll just say they’re protecting their kids with kale and organic hand sanitizer,” a nutritionist on the board says with a sigh. “People put a lot of faith in raw food and lavender.”
An accountant, an immigration lawyer and a rabbi make an interesting joint presentation; many parents are requesting exemptions where vaccines are mandatory.
Getting these exceptions is a drag, as parent things can be, but it’s not unlike registering your child for a somewhat exclusive soccer league. And so they present their creation: Together they’ve crafted an exemption process so arduous it would make requesting an exemption the emotional and time-consuming equivalent of filing your taxes, earning your citizenship and converting to Judaism.
“You think this will discourage them?” a member of the board asks. “It’ll just give them more to blog about.” And the accountant, the immigration lawyer and the rabbi leave, disappointed, before walking into a bar.
The next applicant enters with a swagger. “Even before Wakefield’s autism-vaccination study was withdrawn and he was struck from the medical register, his methodology was suspect. Anyone making a choice about vaccinating their child based on the work of a disgraced gastroenterologist might just as well be counting on alchemy to bankroll that kid through university.
“However, my own research” – here he tables a stack of documents and a plastic bottle – “suggests people like things from Fiji. Couldn’t we just say that vaccines come from Fiji?”
“Doctors should keep giving vaccines in their offices, but we should have another vaccine for our target group. It’ll be just like the regular vaccine, but, instead of explaining to people you can’t give the vaccine to children under 12 months old, we tell them there’s a year-long wait list, an interview process and that they’ll need letters of recommendation from prior graduates in Not Dying From a Completely Preventable Illness. Tell them the vaccine’s admission board will want to see little Skyler play the theremin. Whatever you call this place, put the word ‘Einstein’ in the name. Maybe try ‘Einstab.’ ”
“Call them artisanal vaccines,” someone suggests.
Selling vaccines in Mason jars is considered.
“Make vaccines an off-menu item, like the doctor’s receptionist will think you’re really cool if you ask for it,” a sociologist recommends, adding, “Can we get that bee guy involved? ‘Burt’s Preventative Medicine.’”
“Tell them measles contain gluten,” the suggestion is made. “They’ll line up around the block.”
A number of time machines will be invented – capable of transporting people back to the days when childhood death was a way of life. The best of these machines is made from an old iron lung, but still the board – while impressed with the technology – rejects it as ineffective in the face of vaccine resisters who are employing the same part of the human brain that once caused people to say, “It’s okay. I know what I’m doing. I drive better when I’m drunk.”
The Chamber of Perpetual Misery, an invention capable of making its occupant instantly feel exactly what it’s like to be up at 4 a.m., and pacing a second mile, with a screaming, desperately sick baby, is similarly dismissed.
“The phrase ‘I have a right to make the choice that’s right for my family’ is being wielded like a magical incantation,” a board member explains. “Apparently, it includes the right to bring back nightmarish illnesses once thought eradicated.”
I imagine the only invention that could actually win the prize is Polio 2.0. Although that may be wishful thinking on my part.
PETER MCKNIGHT
Court has given Parliament a clear path to assisted-suicide legislation
André Picard
Next step in assisted suicide: Ensuring it can be done humanely
The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Feb. 06 2015, 11:38 AM EST
The Supreme Court of Canada, in lifting the legal impediments to physician-assisted death, expressed clearly what most Canadians believe: that denying a hastened death to those who are suffering “intolerably and permanently” is cruel. Denying them the choice is also unconstitutional.
The learned justices acknowledged that, if a person of sound mind and failing body chooses to die, she or he should be able to do so humanely, with the aid of a physician, and not have to poison themselves with pills or flee to a country such as Switzerland for a life-ending cocktail.
A victory in principle is not enough. The challenge now is to give the ruling life.
The court has given the federal government and other regulatory bodies 12 months to draft new rules – or not.
The first question that needs to be addressed is whether we need a law at all. The government could, theoretically, use the constitutional “opt out” provision and leave the current ban on assisted death in place – but given public sentiment on this issue, that would be political suicide.
It could also do nothing.
When Canada’s abortion law was struck down in 1988, the court gave parliamentarians time to craft a law that was constitutional, but they never did so. As a result, for the past quarter-century abortion has been legal, and its provision guided by ethical rules of health professionals rather than statute. That has been ideal – at least legally. (Provision of services by provinces is a different matter.)
Civil libertarians are suggesting that, similarly, no laws are required to regulate the provision of physician-assisted death. Rather, it should be an individual decision made between the patient and the physician, like any other medical procedure.
That idea makes most physicians extremely uncomfortable. They want to know the rules of engagement.
If we are going to establish laws or rules of professional conduct about assisted death, several key questions need to be addressed:
Who is eligible? The Supreme Court said a person granted a request for assisted death must be in intolerable pain, have a permanent condition, be legally capable of consent and must “clearly consent.”
Who decides? By saying a person must be capable of consent, the ruling suggests only a gravely ill adult can make the request, not a substitute decision-maker. It almost implies that children and adults with dementia, mental illnesses or other conditions that impair judgment would not be eligible.
Can a physician refuse? The ruling says the rights of patients and physicians must be balanced, meaning a doctor cannot be compelled.
What is the administrative procedure? Does more than one doctor have to approve the request? Is there a cooling-off period? Can only specific medications be used? The court does not deal with these technical issues, nor should it.
If the legislative route is going to be taken – and, again, that is not a given – it is essential that we not allow bureaucracy to get in the way of compassion and choice. We don’t have to start from scratch and rehash the tired old rhetorical debates. We need to focus on how to draft effective legislation.
Conservative MP Stephen Fletcher, an outspoken proponent of the right to die, has drafted two private member’s bills. Bill C-581 proposes amendments to the Criminal Code, using language remarkably similar to the Supreme Court ruling. It could be implemented tomorrow and fully comply with the court’s ruling. If this government wasn’t stubbornly opposed to choice at end-of-life, that’s what would happen. Or, more to the point, what would have happened in lieu of a drawn-out legal process.
Mr. Fletcher’s draft Bill C-582 proposes the creation the Canadian Commission on Physician-Assisted Death, an independent body that would establish the practical rules or guidelines for administering physician-assisted death.
Mr. Fletcher’s draft Bill C-582 proposes the creation the Canadian Commission on Physician-Assisted Death, an independent body that would establish the practical rules or guidelines for administering physician-assisted death.
Another model is Quebec’s Bill 52, which codifies the rules for physicians. Under the provincial law – which has already been adopted – physician-assisted death would be allowed only when four criteria are met:
The person making the request is competent and opting to end their life of their own free will;
The patient has an incurable condition at an advanced stage and is nearing death;
At least two physicians have been consulted, they agree on the diagnosis and are willing to administer a lethal dose of medication;
There is a 15-day “period of reflection” between the request and the final act.
In other words, there are ballasts in place to ensure that a patient’s choice to die is rational and well-thought out.
Let’s not forget that, despite the fierce debate about this issue, very few people would actually resort to physician-assisted death; based on the experience of other countries, it would not be more than a few hundred among the 260,000 deaths in Canada each year.
Granting people choice at end-of-life is essential, but just one small part of the puzzle. We must also ensure that we minimize the pain and suffering of the living, with better and more readily available palliative care, and by bolstering the quality of end-of-life care over all.
That needs to be the real focus of our efforts: to ensure that all patients are treated respectfully and humanely when they are
living, so that all can die with dignity.
WHAT READERS THINK
Feb. 6: Credibility on ‘terror’ – and other letters to the editor
Contributed to The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Feb. 06 2015, 3:00 AM EST
Credibility on ‘terror’
When a letter to the editor began with a statement that war had been declared on Canada by the jihadi movement because they hate our societal values, I thought I was reading an ironic commentary on Stephen Harper’s position (Freedoms Lost – Feb. 5).
But then I realized that the writer was serious, so I got suspicious and skipped to the end to look at the signature. Sure enough, it was from Steven Blaney, a minister in the Harper cabinet.
Ordinary Canadians don’t believe that stuff. I don’t think that the Conservatives believe it themselves.
Jeff Culbert, London, Ont.
………
Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney’s assertion that the “terrorists” have declared jihad on Canada “simply because they hate our society and the values it represents” recalls George Bush’s simplistic “They hate our freedoms” comment in 2001.
It is a gross and misleading oversimplification of the situation. We know where Mr. Bush’s policy led. Are we, too, going to be drawn into perpetual war in a theatre of shifting alliances half a world away? It would seem that this is Stephen Harper’s plan.
Patrick McDonald, Toronto
………
The Conservatives are hyping their anti-terror bill as if humanity were on the brink of extinction and we needed Rambo to save us. The hysteria associated with this measure will only reinforce the prevailing perception about Muslims as the fifth column, the other, the enemy from within whom everyone should guard against.
The Muslim minority already face hurdles in day-to-day activities as if they were all to blame, while in fact they, too, are victims of terrorism.
I had hoped to see a sense of true leadership from Stephen Harper to unite Canadians, to try to address the causes of extremism and fanaticism. Creating bills and more bills only generates sensationalism, fosters fear about “the other” and does not tackle the problem at its roots. It’s like cutting branches while the actual tree remains.
It plays to the dirty politics of divide and conquer.
Abubakar N. Kasim, Toronto
………
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair is our Al Gore: often right on the issues, always right in your face, seldom right on the money (NDP, Liberals At Odds Over Terror Bill – Feb. 5). Canadians, at this time, are not, as Mr. Mulcair says, looking for “an opposition that will do the job of standing up to Stephen Harper.” They want a government that will stand up to terrorism.
It is Justin Trudeau, the perceived policy lightweight, who has produced the most measured, articulate and politically astute reaction to the anti-terrorism bill, calling on the government to “accept that Canadians want greater oversight and accountability” along with the increased power for security agencies.
Howard M. Greenfield, Montreal
………
Disjointed security
As a retired member of the RCMP who has had lots of dealings with the disjointed security on Parliament Hill, I applaud this move of placing all security under the RCMP umbrella (Mounties To Guard Parliament Hill – Feb. 4).
Since the RCMP is directly involved in intelligence collection on terrorists, the protection of the Prime Minister and visiting heads of state, this makes perfect sense.
I do wonder, with the RCMP already stretched to the breaking point dealing with the rise of homegrown terrorists, as well as other major tasks like organized crime, where the resources required to do this new task will come from. I hope the government will be forthcoming with the money to finance the new undertaking.
Larry Comeau, Ottawa
………
Vaccination ideology
Legislating mandatory vaccination is a very tricky thing, though an argument might exist for it on some level (One Of The World’s Most Infectious Viruses Makes A Comeback – Folio, Feb. 5).
Anti-vaxxers ought to be free to engage in self-destructive behaviours, just as an alcoholic is free to drink, or a smoker has a right to smoke. However, when their misinformed ideology metastasizes enough to break down our herd immunity, then the anti-vaxxer is endangering his neighbour. It becomes akin to drinking and driving or smoking in public spaces.
Nonetheless, forcing people to be vaccinated against their will is not the answer.
Let’s just hope that education and truth will prevail, lest we be stuck with the last megaphone to rouse the willfully deaf science-deniers: children dying.
Daniel Joo, MD, Calgary
………
Lens on Black April
Re Vietnam ‘Hurt’ By Black April Day Bill (Feb. 5): At least 250,000 of the refugees who fled from Vietnam in April, 1975, after the fall of Saigon died at sea.
It is not surprising that communists would claim to feel “hurt” by the bill to declare April 30 as a day of commemoration. Freedom of speech and the truth have always been a source of intense discomfort for totalitarian regimes.
Andrew Kavchak, Ottawa
………
Canada’s splurge of monument-erection and commemoration seems to have adopted a rather nasty ideological tone of late, more interested in condemning than celebrating.
Whether it is the monument to Victims of Communism or the Black April Day bill to mark the exodus of South Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon, the intent seems more about dredging up the past and keeping ideological and philosophical wounds suppurating for generations to come.
Honour victims of repression, mark and welcome the arrival and subsequent success of Vietnamese in Canada, but leave the divisive and dubiously selective propaganda and politics out of it.
Mike Rapsey, Ottawa
………
Men. At the top
As I was reading The Women’s Mosque Is Indigenous Islam (Feb. 5), it occurred to me that Sheema Khan could have referred to any number of male bastions to make her point – the executive suite, boardrooms, sports organizations, etc. I hope that “North American culture” is also able to evolve to a place where half its population is fairly represented in critical areas of leadership.
Cathy Dixon, Victoria
………
I can’t read Sheema Khan’s report on the establishment of the first women’s mosque in North America without thinking of the Roman Catholic Church’s discriminatory treatment of women.
It’s true that Catholic women are not forced to endure physical segregation in churches, but their exclusion from meaningful involvement in their church is total.
While many individual women play active roles in the church, none has actual power, most don’t even have a title. Their efforts to change their situation are often met by condescension and scorn.
Meanwhile, Thomas Aquinas is still considered by many to be the Church’s greatest theologian and philosopher. He’s the saint who taught that women were not created with the same degree of perfection as men and so are unable to reason as well or reflect God as fully.
Imagine … the perfection of men.
Esther Shannon, Vancouver
Irish Times:
Sir, –Further to the remarks of Pope Francis on the use of corporal punishment in the home (“Pope says it’s okay to smack your children”, February 6th), the Holy See is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors the implementation of the convention, advocates the universal abolition of corporal punishment of children in all circumstances believing it to be a violation of their rights under the convention (and natural law) to bodily integrity, human dignity and freedom from violence. In 2014 the Holy See made both written and oral submissions to the committee on this subject: “On the international level, the Holy See does not promote corporal punishment . . . the overall message, which the New Testament will bring to perfection, is a forceful appeal for respect for the inviolability of physical life and the integrity of the person . . . The 1987 Catechism of the Catholic Church recognizes that parents are obliged in the first instance to educate, guide, correct, instruct and discipline their child; the terms ‘corporal punishment’ or ‘punishment’ are not used”.
On the strength of those assurances, the concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child said: “The Committee welcomes the statement during the interactive dialogue that the delegation of the Holy See will take the proposal of banning corporal punishment of children in all settings back for consideration. However, the Committee is concerned that while corporal punishment, including ritual beatings of children, has been and remains widespread in some Catholic institutions and reached endemic levels in certain countries, as revealed notably by the Ryan Commission in Ireland, the Holy See still does not consider corporal punishment as being prohibited by the Convention and has therefore not enacted guidelines and rules clearly banning corporal punishment of children in Catholic schools, in all Catholic institutions working with and for children, as well as in the home”.
The Holy See in turn responded by saying: “The Holy See takes note of the Concluding Observations on its Reports, which will be submitted to a thorough study and examination, in full respect of the Convention.”
In the light of the Pope’s recent advocacy of parental corporal punishment of children (provided it does not involve face-slapping, apparently) are we to take it that the Holy See has conducted the thorough study and investigation it promised the Committee on the Rights of the Child and has decided to oppose the stated view of the committee that the corporal punishment of children should be banned? Is the Holy See now doing what it claimed not to be doing a year ago, namely actively and internationally promoting the corporal punishment of children? If it is, then Pope Francis has surely turned the clock back considerably. What faith are we to have now in the Holy See’s commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child? Will we hear anything on this subject from the Holy See’s new Pastoral Commission for the Protection of Minors? – Yours, etc,
MARY McALEESE,
Roscommon.
Sir, – David J Strahan ( February 6th) writes that he hopes the Government would “reconsider the current proposal and come up with a revised definition and wording which would preserve the distinction between marriage and civil partnerships of the same sex, and one that would be just and fair to all”.
Surely this is ignoring the very reason the proposed referendum is called “marriage equality”. An unnecessary distinction between marriage and civil partnerships for same-sex couples is not something which is just and fair to all, because it is treating the relationships of same-sex couples as being something less than equal.
The meaning of marriage is in no way being fundamentally changed or altered. Nobody gets married simply because the other person is of a different sex or has the ability to have children. It’s not the gender of the persons involved which matters, but the love that they share and the commitment they’re making. Treating the relationships of same-sex couples as being anything less than equal is most certainly not just and fair to all. – Yours, etc,
CONOR MARTIN,
Ratoath, Co Meath.
Sir, – Here we go again! Every time this nation sets out to hold a referendum on an issue touching on the personal and social lives of its citizens – whether it be divorce or abortion or, this time, equal marriage rights for same-sex couples – the opposing sides call in social science to back up their claims. Then we have the inevitable attempts to demolish the credibility of the studies highlighted as favouring the arguments of the opposition. No social science study is perfect. It is always possible to be critical about the sample size, the sampling method, the nature of or lack of a control group, etc. What must be done is to examine all relevant studies to weed out the bad from the “good enough” and then weigh the evidence from the better studies in order to identify the findings that converge and might permit the drawing of some conclusions.
In June 2012, the American Psychological Association (APA), the largest professional organisation of psychologists in the world, said: “On the basis of a remarkably consistent body of research on lesbian and gay parents and their children, the APA and other health professional and scientific organizations have concluded that there is no scientific evidence that parenting effectiveness is related to parental sexual orientation. That is, lesbian and gay parents are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children.” – Yours, etc,
Prof SHEILA GREENE,
Fellow Emeritus,
School of Psychology,
Trinity College Dublin.
Sir, – How often has the practice of not voting on the actual subject matter of a referendum in favour of giving the Government a “bloody nose” rightly been criticised? And yet here we have Colum Kenny (“Why we should vote against lowering the age of candidates eligible to become President”, Opinion & Analysis, February 5th) imploring young voters that “They should vote No, if only to express their frustration at their current economic conditions.”
What has the age threshold for becoming President got to do with current economic conditions, “jobs, real wages, rent control, mortgages, proper healthcare and pensions” or “young people moving abroad“? Why doesn’t he implore young voters to vote No because of the inclement weather in this country while he’s at it?
Some of the other arguments Prof Kenny proffers in support of a No vote are equally dubious, not least his contention that any candidate aged between 21 and 35 would be more likely than others to be a creature of a political party, chosen and funded as a gimmick to appeal to young people. Not only is this bald assertion not backed up by any evidence, but one could easily argue the opposite. – Yours, etc,
ROB SADLIER,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – It is a strange constitutional quirk whereby nobody under the age of 35 can run for president in a country which has seen a number of ministers (Leo Varadkar, Simon Harris, Lucinda Creighton, et al) holding important portfolios in recent years while being under that age.
Furthermore, the historical foundations of the State were driven by a good number of young political personalities and in that sense the original introduction of the age barrier essentially represented a paean to the US democratic system more than a response to particular Irish political requirements. – Yours, etc,
JOHN KENNEDY,
Goatstown,
Dublin 14.
A chara, – Maolsheachlann Ó Ceallaigh’s remarks (February 6th) concerning the near god-like deference given to the to the opinions of social scientists these days are of particular interest in the light of Prof William Reville’s article (“Why are so many social scientists left-liberal?”, February 5th), in which he points out that the vast majority of academics in this area have a very uniform political outlook, which can be problematic regarding their research “in areas relating to the political concerns of the left”.
This suggests to me that there are occasions on which their findings may need to be taken with a large pinch of salt, especially when they are used to underpin arguments for controversial social change. – Is mise,
Rev PATRICK G BURKE,
Castlecomer,
Co Kilkenny.
Sir, – I’m all in favour of a 21-year-old president – provided the music is not too loud and parties end at midnight. – Yours, etc,
JOHN O’BYRNE,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – The periodic debate about the use of “the British Isles” has broken out again. Peadar Mac Maghnais (February 5th) suggests that the term is dated. Surely not. It is used regularly by people in the travel and tourist industries, by weather forecasters, and by many others, simply because it is an appropriate – the only appropriate – and useful term to describe this archipelago as distinct from the European continent. It also acknowledges that Great Britain and Ireland share a common culture, by and large. We in Ireland are sometimes reluctant to admit that much of our heritage is British.
Moreover, in an era of vastly improved British-Irish relations, “the British Isles” has long since lost its possessive or imperial connotation. Beyond all that, were not the ancient Brits our Celtic cousins? The only objection to the sensible usage of “the British Isles” comes from those with a post-colonial chip on their shoulder. Finally, the proposed substitute of “these islands” is limited and inadequate. It would also be extremely comical if used, say, in Washington or Canberra.
Get over it. – Yours, etc,
JOHN A MURPHY,
Cork.
A chara, – In response to the name for these islands, I tend to favour the “Northwest European Archipelago” or the “Northeast Atlantic Haven”. – Is mise,
PASCAL
Ó DEASMHUMHNAIGH,
Enniscorthy,
Co Wexford.
A chara, – I have to agree with Peadar Mac Maghnais that the term British Isles is very misleading if not rather offensive if taken to include Ireland. It also makes life difficult for Irish citizens living abroad. Born and bred in Ireland I now live in France and make blood donations. One of the questions on the questionnaire was, have you ever lived in the British Isles, les Îles Britanniques? Naturally I said no. However I was told I did and that they couldn’t take my blood, for fear I had been eating mad cows. I contacted the Irish Embassy in Paris and they swiftly took up the issue with the French health ministry. I’m delighted to say the questionnaire was changed and brackets were added reminding the reader that Ireland is not part of the British Isles. The questionnaire has been revised since to just say the United Kingdom, le Royaume Uni. Your readers will be happy to know that Irish blood is very welcome in France and that the British Isles no longer exist. – Is mise,
CIARÁN Mac GUILL,
Clichy,
France.
Sir, – Given your stated approval of the alcohol price-fixing measures announced by Government (Editorial, February 6th) and consistent support over the last decade for the neo-prohibitionist agenda generally, can we now expect The Irish Times to announce it will refuse to carry any more alcohol advertising in its pages? Will you now also redact from your daily sports pages any mention of the various beer brands that have such a close association with international sporting tournaments?
Indeed, if you want to demonstrate full commitment to rescuing Ireland from this terrible crisis, will you now also dispense with John Wilson’s excellent wine column in the Magazine section?
Such a loss would make your organ less attractive for the average, non-binge drinking reader who spends his or her Saturday nights at home by the fire, enjoying a nice glass of Rioja while leafing through the supplements – rather than standing outside a high street chipper starting fights with passers-by.
But in the war on hazardous drinking, it seems we must all endure some hardship for the common good. – Yours, etc,
PHILIP DONNELLY,
Clane, Co Kildare.
Sir, – Throughout the crisis, many eminent economists informed us that the maximum sustainable debt/GDP ratio was around 120 per cent, approximately the level that Ireland’s peaked at a year ago. Greek debt/GDP currently stands at 175 per cent. This debt is clearly unsustainable. If European decision-makers can put aside their tut-tutting and hubris for a moment, they will see that there are only three options open to Greece – debt write-down, debt restructuring or a Greek exit from the euro zone. – Yours, etc,
JOHN BELLEW,
Dunleer,
Co Louth.
Sir, – Once again I have failed to win the jackpot or, for that matter, anything in the Lotto draw. I will console myself in the knowledge that the ticket I possess must be somewhat collectable being valid for a date on which no Lotto draw took place! – Yours, etc,
J GERARD OSBORNE,
Dublin 13.
Sir, – Further to “Safety event moved over fire alarm concerns” (February 2nd), the Printworks Building in Dublin Castle complies with building regulations on access and use for people with disabilities.
The conference booking in question was confirmed in October 2014 as suitable for the event by the organisers. On January 30th, the OPW received notification that the conference was being moved to a nearby location for financial reasons.
The Office of Public Works is happy to provide facilities for many events at Dublin Castle for government departments and agencies, public and commercial enterprises and will continue to do so to the highest standard into the future. – Yours, etc,
COLETTE DAVIS,
Office of Public Works,
Jonathan Swift Street,
Trim, Co Meath.
Sir, – Further to “Safety event moved over fire alarm concerns” (February 2nd), the Printworks Building in Dublin Castle complies with building regulations on access and use for people with disabilities.
The conference booking in question was confirmed in October 2014 as suitable for the event by the organisers. On January 30th, the OPW received notification that the conference was being moved to a nearby location for financial reasons.
The Office of Public Works is happy to provide facilities for many events at Dublin Castle for government departments and agencies, public and commercial enterprises and will continue to do so to the highest standard into the future. – Yours, etc,
COLETTE DAVIS,
Office of Public Works,
Jonathan Swift Street,
Trim, Co Meath.
Sir, – Further to “Stena Line confirms end of Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead route” (February 6th), alas for Dún Laoghaire pier – now no longer even a disappointed bridge. – Yours, etc,
FRANK E BANNISTER,
Dublin 4.
Irish Independent
David Quinn’s article describes Stephen Fry’s atheism as an ill-considered outburst. His reasoning in this regard is difficult to follow.
Firstly, he contends that if Stephen Fry is an atheist then he must accept in full the views of other atheists such as Dawkins, Hawking and Crick or explain why his views differ. Not so; atheism is not a religion and unlike Catholicism does not come with its own dogma. The only thing atheists have in common is that they do not believe that God exists.
Mr Quinn does neatly lay out three possible reasons for unjust suffering; either God is not good, God is not all-powerful or God does not exist at all.
He does not have an answer though, apart from noting that there are people who believe in God despite having endured terrible suffering.
Mr Quinn asserts that unless you believe in God then you cannot believe in free will, right and wrong or basic morality. This is an extraordinary contention which he does not begin to support.
It is certainly not implied by science.
He also contends that there can be no such thing as love unless there is God – again advanced as a truism without any attempt at a logical framework.
Atheism does imply that there is no supernatural policeman watching your life and listening to your thoughts.
Neither punishment nor reward awaits after death. For me, that says that an atheist acting in a moral manner actually has a purer motive in doing so than someone who expects a pay-off for it.
“Matter cannot produce a moral law,” he says.
He should not underestimate matter; given that over 13.5 billion years it could form generations of stars, light and heavier elements, organic chemistry, simple and then complex life, and eventually sentient beings capable of morality, love and philosophy.
Conor Faughnan
Knocklyon, Dublin 16
Slapping in the classroom
Your columnist, Barbara Scully, together with Tanya Ward of the Children’s Rights Alliance and Senator Jillian van Turnhout, are unanimous in their condemnation of Pope Francis’s comments (Irish Independent, February 6) regarding slapping children.
Surely they cannot for one moment believe the Pope is advocating violence towards children. Slapping is wrong and dangerous when the person administering the slap is out of control. But as a boy growing up in the 1960s, I was slapped at school many, many times, like thousands of other children at that time.
Some of the teachers have been good friends to me in my adult life and I never for one moment considered my punishments excessive. Do these people who condemn the Pope’s views suggest I now go to the gardai to bring criminal charges upon those who slapped me 50 years ago, people who are now my friends? That was an era where teachers were respected, rather than nowadays, when they must walk on egg shells in anticipation of this or that accusation by pupils or their parents.
David Bradley
Drogheda
Respecting our differences
In relation to the recent ‘manly’ McDonalds adverts on TV, I wish to state that it is okay for a man to drive a Nissan Micra or a brightly coloured car. Indeed, it’s okay for a man to borrow his mum’s, girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s car.
It is inherently sexist to suggest that a certain car model is deemed girly. It may seem like just a bit of ‘craic’ or innocent slagging but not to me. I am one of those who does not always conform to the traditional image of how a man should act. It can be hard for me and others who do not have a ‘thick skin’ to be the odd one out.
Growing up as a gay teenager in rural Ireland has taught me that slagging all too often leads to bullying and isolation.
Instead, we should be encouraging and respecting differences. Will McDonalds complain if I pay to eat in one of their restaurants and have a salad instead of a double cheeseburger? I certainly doubt it.
Seamus Kearney
Lismire, Cork
Apology to Muslim pupil
The mother of an 11-year-old Muslim pupil in Limerick, who took offence as a copy of ‘Charlie Hebdo’, was passed around the classroom featuring the Prophet Mohammed (Irish Independent, February 6), explained her outrage by wondering how respect for diversity in a multicultural Ireland can be promoted “if our educators are not mindful of the different cultures and religion in our classrooms”. This seems to me to be a perfectly reasoned position; however, for this to work it has to be an inclusive policy.
Children will only benefit from an inclusive debate where prejudice against all religions, minorities and ethnicities is exposed.
Dr Kevin McCarthy
Kinsale, Cork
Debt relief for Greece
I was taken aback at the condescending tone of Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s comments towards Greece.
When asked about the ECB decision to stop funding Greek banks, he said: “Clearly, this is, if you like, a direction to the Greek government, that as we have said, this is not a case of having debt write-downs.”
How quickly time flies; it only seems like yesterday when Kenny was hailing a breakthrough at a European Council meeting, when he proclaimed Ireland was considered a “special case” with a view to the retroactive use of the eurozone bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, to lessen the burden of Ireland’s bank debt.
As we now know, that turned out to be little more than just a pipe dream.
Throughout the crisis, many eminent economists informed us that the maximum sustainable debt to GDP ratio was around 120pc, approximately the level that Ireland peaked at a year ago.
Greek debt to GDP currently stands at 175pc. This debt is clearly unsustainable.
If European decision makers can put aside their tut-tutting and hubris for a moment, they will see that there are only three options open to Greece: debt write-down, debt restructuring or a Greek exit from the eurozone.
John Bellew
Dunleer, Co Louth
Better late than never
Saturday, January 24, 2015, Eindhoven Airport, Holland. Two passengers for flight FR1965 ask an obliging businessman to drive us 50km over snow-covered roads, at great risk to all, to make our return flight to Dublin, scheduled to depart Eindhoven at 11.00 hours.
Getting through security, we arrive at passport control by 10.20 am and are only then informed the flight is delayed due to weather conditions.
Text from Ryanair at 10.44 am: “Apologies for the delay to your flight FR1965 today, your new estimated time of departure is 15.20 pm Please monitor the airport departure screens.”
Between 10.45 am and our actual departure times, three different times appeared on the airport screen: 15.00pm, 15.15pm and 15.20pm.
No consideration was given for any expenses that may have been incurred by the flight delay – such as expensive parking in Dublin, missed onward connections, or other meeting arrangements. When the aircraft did arrive from Dublin it was the usual 300/400-metre walk to board it for its return flight – out in the open and not very comfortable for OAPs.
P Clarke
Sligo
