REGARDING the Examiner comment column on the issue of a postman who, while carrying out his work, lost faith with his job and clearly felt he was not valued by his employers at Royal Mail.
Edward Green was brought in front of Kirklees Magistrate court and the magistrates gave him community service and costs.
The Examiner comment states that: “Everyone who works has a degree of trust placed on them by their employers to do the job to which they are paid.”
While one may agree with those comments, it would appear that the employer-employee relationship was not at its best in this case and the working man has paid the ultimate price for his failings by the loss of his job.
The other side of the coin demonstrates over these past years we the public and taxpayer have witnessed the many so-called dozens of trusted employees with proven questionable track records of failure to carry out their job to which they are very highly rewarded – many times above a postie’s salary.
Police, MPs, and bankers failing to “provide a service to others that is less than what is expected.” While a few have fallen on their sword, others have had little or no action taken against them.
We are now also faced with a more serious case of mismanagement by our public employers within the NHS Mid-Stafforshire Trust by what can only be described as a catastrophic failure, not forgetting a further five trusts and rising numbers of 11 to be investigated.
So is this not all the more shocking that people we entrust with these important jobs have not, in the main, been placed before the courts or lost their jobs as in Mr Green’s case.
What separates these highly paid professionals from the same law as Mr Green is that they have let us down badly on a much greater scale.
R D
Mirfield
Biting back at Barry
IT was almost inevitable that the debate in the Commons last week would re-launch Barry Gibson’s loathing of the Church of England and the Catholic Church.
Indeed, anyone with religious beliefs who wishes to uphold the traditional definition of marriage being between a man and a woman with the potential to procreate.
Despite the vote having produced the positive result he wanted, it has not prevented him from expressing his intolerance and disrespect of those not sharing his own views, especially the older generation. They are probably the same people who would disagree with his recent comment that performance enhancing drugs in sport (Lance Armstrong/cycling) are really no big deal.
He quotes figures taken from various polls to show how support for the legislation is strongly in favour. Quite who is polled I can never understand as I and friends I have spoken to have never been polled in our lives.
But the media is always keen to take these results and apply them to the whole nation though sometimes the survey involves only around 1,000 people.
I listened to the full Commons debate and there were some excellent speeches and, to be fair, from both sides of the argument.
It is beyond most people as to why David Cameron came forward with the proposals and cannot agree with his explanation that it’s “because I am a Conservative.” I and many Tory MPs and members strongly disagree and it will damage his support.
As we know, same sex marriage was not in any party manifesto. But, more significantly, it was not in the Queen’s Speech, drafted and delivered only four months ago and listing all the legislation to be put forward over the next session – so why was it excluded, as was HS2?
It has been said in recent months by even some prominent members of the gay community that gay marriage was not required nor sought as Civil Partnerships have provided all they wanted. Why then did Mr Cameron choose to ignore them and proceed with his proposals said to affect 0.2% of the population? I would guess the remaining 99.8% are more concerned with the economy, jobs, benefit reform and the intervention in our lives of the EU.
Locally, I am sure people would like to know the degree to which Jason McCartney and Barry Sheerman consulted with the churches and other religious organisations within their constituencies, not to mention members and those who elected them. This is a particularly pertinent question for Mr Sheerman who declared himself a “committed Christian” and is a lay Canon of Wakefield Cathedral. Seemingly now committed to gay marriage.
Barry Gibson makes much of the history of the discrimination and persecution of homosexuals. But times have changed and continue to do so.
To label opponents of gay marriage as homophobic is wrong and insulting.
I’m sorry Mr Gibson, but I stand by my opinion that the current definition is correct and should not be changed and should remain as a union between a man and a woman.
But then I am a person “of a certain age” as you prefer to call older members of the population.
Among things I have learned being a lifelong Christian are tolerance and respect for others. Perhaps Barry you should try it sometime.
Peter Fenton
Lepton
Talking twaddle
ADDING to the comments from Elsie M Eva and Brian Lawrence, a far worse teeth-gnasher is “I was, like.”
I think this means: “My considered response was” or “my immediate thought was.”
You know what I mean?
RS
Holmfirth
Health concerns
RECENT press articles on inadequate health care indicate tragic problems at Bristol’s Children’s Hospital were linked to insufficient staff on wards – nurses didn’t have time to respond to patients needs.
With local teams of clinicians about to deliver more care in the community, will workload be formally managed in order to prevent overload and undue haste by staff involved? Everyone sure about this?
TC
Huddersfield
No night light show
STREET lights are to be turned off to save money so why then do they have blue and purple lights on at night on the sides of Kirklees College?
If the council wants to save money (that we pay in rates!) switch off these and other pointless show lights in Kirklees.
Mr I Bradshaw
Netherton
