EU got it right with award for schoolgirl

IT’S not often I agree with anything the EU does but for once I applaud them for awarding the Sakharov human rights prize to Pakistani schoolgirl and campaigner Malala Yousafzai.

The 16-year-old, who was shot in the head by the Taliban a year ago for campaigning for better rights for girls, truly deserves the award. The EU is good at chucking away money as if it’s going out of fashion but I do not begrudge a penny of the £42,300 award to this brave school girl.

It is right, as the European People’s Party leader Joseph Daul said, that “our hope for a better future stands in young people like Malala Yousafzai”.

Even though she now lives in this country, I have a nagging fear that she remains a target for extremists. I pray I am wrong and that she continues to be a shining beacon to us all for many, many years.

Forgiveness at heart of faith

From: Robert Wise, Hollin Close, Rossington, Doncaster.

JOHN Watson (Yorkshire Post, October 5) is a very odd Christian. Not only does he not attend Church but also he does not follow the teachings of Christ by criticising the Archbishop of Canterbury for praying for those who carried out the atrocity in Kenya.

Justin Welby is simply following what is written in the Holy Bible. In Luke 6: 27-28 Jesus instructs: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Later Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Our struggle is not against those responsible for the outrage in Nairobi but the thoughts, ideas and concepts that drove them to commit this dreadful crime. Therefore Christians should pray for these people in the hope that their eyes will be opened and they will see the light and become Disciples of Christ as did Paul on the road to Damascus. To quote from a famous hymn To God be the Glory

The vilest offender who truly believes,

That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.”

That is the true foundation of the Christian faith.

Remembering why we fought

From: Dr David Hill, Chief Executive, World Innovation Foundation, Huddersfield.

as we come closer to ‘Remembrance Day’ in a few weeks time on November 11, I am always humbled by the fact that humanity came together to defeat an evil like no other in the history of mankind.

In this respect the world would not be like it is today if Hitler had especially built the ‘bomb’ first and he was not that far away from this goal according to historical records found after World War II.

Indeed, we would now most probably live in a world controlled by dark forces (the 1,000 year Reich) and where humanity would have been subservient to the will of this evil.

Therefore when November 11 comes everyone should reflect on the fact that millions gave their lives so that humanity now lives predominantly in a free world and where freedom is a reality, not what it could have been.

We should never forget what happened and our young should always be told what their forefathers did for their freedom.

Fab flaw in new sculpture

From: Katy and Laura Croft, Brayton High School, Doncaster Road, Selby.

IT was Oscar Wilde who said: “All art is quite useless.” He was right.

With reference to Eleanor Rigby, the spinster from the Beatles song turned into a sculpture by fellow Liverpudlian artist Leonard J Brown, from Hull, who used £1m of used bank notes, how many lives could have been saved? How many children could survive on £1m?

The Government has always drilled it into us to help the unfortunate.

But how is that humanly possible when such a ‘crime’ is allowed? So called ‘art’ is wasting money!

Money that so many people desperately need to even just put food on the table. We are all struggling with money in one way or another so why be selfish and create such a thing?

Mr Brown’s sculpture is of Eleanor Rigby. from the Beatles’ song that was number one. We don’t even know what she looked like.

Will the Beatles even recognise the sculpture?

Remember, one in six children in this country alone live in poverty, this wasted one million would’ve helped them.

I don’t believe this ‘art’ is something to be proud of. Mr Brown’s hopes of getting Eleanor Rigby in Liverpool’s Tate will not be fullfilled.

Council took action on noise

From: Mike Southcombe, Environmental Protection Manager, City of York Council, Hazel Court, York.

I WRITE in response to your Editorial (Yorkshire Post, 
October 11), concerning the Robert Masuku noise case, that claimed: “Residents were subjected to 11 months of hell before City of York Council acted.”

Whilst superficially it may appear that the case took 11 months to resolve, closer examination reveals that 
during this time there were long periods when the council received no noise complaints, interspersed with periods when action was taken and evidence was collected.

Once we obtained sufficient evidence, a noise abatement notice was served, followed shortly by further legal action, ending in seizure of Mr Masuku’s goods, successful prosecution, a fine and costs.

City of York Council’s environmental protection 
unit (EPU) take noise and 
other nuisance seriously 
and deal with it both effectively and in a reasonable time 
period, taking account 
of the need to collect 
sufficient evidence for a criminal case.