ST GEORGE’S Square after its £4m revamp should have activities every weekend in the summer months while Greenhead Park is undergoing alterations.
A good idea would be to have a brass band playing in the square to show what talent our town possesses.
What a way for our visitors to emerge out of the railway station?
They would find it uplifting.
St George’s Square is a large open space so let’s fill it with events and show visitors that our town is worth a visit.
Let’s show off different aspects of our multicultural town in the square – cooking and entertainment – with schools showing off their talented pupils.
The mind boggles at what the square could be used for.
Bringing more people into the town is good for business and a lively vibrant atmosphere is required to make our town a place to flock to at a weekend, not one to avoid.
j taylor
Lepton
Tough on real crime
MAY I express my own observations on the letter of R A Vant and Richard Bulloch (Mailbag, March 31).
In 1947, just demobbed, I worked in a textile mill. My jacket with money in it was hanging on a nail on the wall unattended for eight hours each day and not a penny ever went missing.
People were leaving house keys under milk bottles and there was hardly any burglary.
Police had time to chase offenders, not to lecture victims of crime.
In the 1950s there were small changes, but murder was extremely rare.
The biggest changes came in the 1960s when discipline in the schools started rapidly eroding, helped by parents with the attitude ‘my children must not be deprived as I was.’
The judges took a completely different course with the law favouring offenders to the detriment of the victims.
Then came a breath of fresh air – human rights with responsibility, widely proclaimed by the then Pope John Paul II, as human dignity
That was replaced by the do-gooders for human rights without responsibility and that turned everything upside down.
Car thieves were called joyriders and many fanciful names were invented for offenders.
The crimes started to escalate rapidly and, of course, spin was invented to mask it.
Adding political correctness to this, all statistics had to be butchered to look good using sometimes percentages as a disguise. For example, in one year 25% was increased so 100 crimes made 125%, next year a 10% drop shouted of a fantastic achievement yet it is still 112 crimes compared to the 100.
We are still waiting for a party to bring crimes down in real terms without spin.
tony sosna
Huddersfield
A matter of publicity
MR Vant is quite right in one respect about the good old days (Mailbag, March 26).
There was probably just as much violent and horrible crime as there is today. However, what is different is the publicity it gets.
When I was a youth in the 1930s a man in our village just disappeared. It was not until several years later that I discovered he had been jailed for incest. One didn’t talk about such things.
There were plenty of murders. The Brides in the Bath case comes to mind. However, again, I knew none of the details until many years later.
If you wanted the gory details you had to get the News of the World. You certainly didn’t have any on the BBC radio news and the Daily Herald would report them, if at all, discreetly on an inside page.
I know that in this day of 24 hour TV news, instant worldwide communication via the internet and an ongoing press competition for the scariest headlines ever that there is no returning to those sheltered – or some would say – blinkered days, but wouldn’t it be nice?
r whiteley
Huddersfield
Hill referendum
REGARDING Castle Hill, it seems our political councillors have again given reasons for doing nothing and ignoring public opinion.
We have a fantastic feature which people view from miles around. It attracts people from outside the town and country.
With its archaeology and history, it is a major source of interest to innumerable people.
What a wasted view to take that it must be conserved with few facilities to take advantage of the nature of the site.
The argument of green belt seems to smack of political bias so the democratic way to give the public a voice would be to have a phone referendum.
The Examiner could simply ask the public to phone in with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the rebuilding of the old hotel coupled with complete site information and improved access.
There are groups of enthusiasts who would help if asked.
GK
Newsome
Amazing Grace
WHAT a lovely surprise to open last weekend’s Examiner and see the lovely photograph of Kerry and David Horan with baby Grace.
Thanks to the Examiner for telling their story. I am sure it will give hope to others in the same position.
I have known Kerry and her family for many years. Kerry was in my Sunday School class at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Mirfield.
Baby Grace’s proud great-grandma Annie will celebrate her 91st birthday this month.
Kerry is a lovely girl and so deserves this beautiful baby.
I wish her and David well in bringing up Grace.
I know they will make a marvellous job of it. Love and God bless you all.
audrey kershaw
Crosland Moor
No ‘powerful leader’
I DO agree with every word Ian Brooke from Radical Action Network wrote (it’s time to resist this autocratic rule, Mailbag, March 29).
For Kirklees Council to have a ‘powerful leader’ for four years is a truly undemocratic system. In fact, I find it quite frightening. We should have an online vote on this before anything is decided.
very concerned
Netherton
Praise for band
COULD I, through the Examiner, say a big thank you to Skelmanthorpe Band for another wonderful concert at Huddersfield Town Hall.
Their special guest was Faryl Smith, a lovely young lady with an amazing voice. The band were on top form and played a varied programme extremely well. A very enjoyable evening, so well done!
Rita curry
Honley
More courtesy
I COULD not resist writing regarding the letter about courtesy on buses (March 31).
The young lady who stood to let a 67-year-old man sit down deserves the praise. Congratulations – more people want to take a page out of her book.
JENNIE ROE
Denby Dale
Holes in argument
MANY correspondents quite rightly raise the issues of potholes and road repairs being dealt with slowly and seemingly haphazardly.
Martin Noble (Mailbag, April 1) tells us of road humps being constructed and potholes being ignored in Honley. If this isn’t just plain stupidity, then what is?
May I suggest to Kirklees Highways that they come clean about where they are actually making an effort to do their duty by publishing an action programme that could be published in the Examiner each week?
GB
Shepley
Thanks for nothing
AS our generous government has given pensioners a rise of just £10 a month (wow) and hasn’t increased our tax allowance, my tax goes up by £6 a month so I’m £1 a week better off to pay increased council tax, petrol, alcohol and food bills.
Thanks a lot, Gordon Brown and your mate Alistair Darling.
p rowley
Lindley
Park anywhere
READING an Examiner story about parking fines.
I think you should park where and when you want as long as you are not in any danger to yourself or others.
That’s what we pay road tax for.
Joan
lockwood
