Party should pay for its conference

I READ with pure shock the report (Yorkshire Post, February 14) that states that the Liberal Democrat Conference in Sheffield will cost £2m to police.

This is not a public event, but a private function. As such, it should be paid for by the party itself. Perhaps, in a good old Big Society way, the Cabinet could have a whip round to pay for it – let’s face it there are enough multi-millionaires with inherited wealth who could spare a bob or two.

Seriously, in times of cuts, you can’t go spending £2m willy-nilly on policing a private function – we just can’t afford it and it’s not like it’s going to bring any business in is it?

The city centre will be shut down, meaning city centre businesses will lose out. The economy is in a bad enough state to begin with without the Liberal Democrats bringing even more misery to the people of Sheffield with this whopping bill.

I call on the Liberal Democrats to cancel this event as part of the austerity drive. Show the people of Sheffield some respect and that we are really “all in this together”.

Meaning of ‘poverty’

From: David H Rhodes, Keble Park North, Bishopthorpe, York.

POVERTY is a very emotive and evocative word, often cited by politicians and others as relating to great swathes of the British population. To some, this state is not to have a 42-inch colour television, no 20 tins of beer in the fridge, no pack of 200 cigs or the latest mobile phone.

I suggest that we get the right perspective by reading magazines or watching television programmes which show real poverty from around the world.

Examples like a little African girl aged seven, who has to walk a couple of miles to fetch (too often not clean) water for the family.

There are possibly too many families in the UK who because they are not privileged are thus called underprivileged and need varying degrees of help. I feel it is time for the word poverty to be redefined and/or correctly applied.

Libya firms are responsible

From: RC Curry, Adel Grange Close, Leeds.

IT is right that the Prime Minister should praise our Special Forces for extricating unfortunates from the Libyan desert (Yorkshire Post, February 26).

However, it is also right to question why the oil or other associated companies who sent them there did not have their own provisions in place for such emergencies. They know full well about the instability of many of the countries in which they operate. Why should the taxpayer pick up another bill? The costs of the operation should be passed on to the companies involved.

It was easy to castigate the Government for a seeming delay in the work of evacuating people, but one must also ask all those who were in Libya for business or pleasure as to how prepared they were for such an eventuality.

Like everything else in life, responsibility lies wider than in the hands of politicians in office.

Rites and wrongs

From: Frank Goulding, Vernon Street, Newark on Trent, Nottinghamshire.

THE letter headed “Practices that betray God” (Yorkshire Post, February 25) would seem to indicate that Philip Smith is both highly selective and lacking in knowledge of some aspects of the Roman Catholic church.

At the age of 66, I, as a life-long RC parishioner, have never been asked or told to “worship the Virgin Mary or relics”. I do not pray to any saint but simply request that they pray for whatever cause I feel is necessary.

What is betraying God if I honour the memory of Saint Margaret Clitheroe or St John Fisher from Yorkshire or any other holy person?

If I go on a pilgrimage I try to pray for all Christians, not just Roman Catholics.

Like any other Christian, I have many faults but holy water and rosary beads are not symbols of my betrayal.

Sportsmen with sense of pride

From: John Dickinson, St Matthew’s Walk, Chapel Allerton, Leeds.

IT was pleasing to see, on Saturday, watching the rugby international between England and France, how players of both teams put effort into singing there national anthems.

You could see each player was proud to wear their country’s shirt after being given the chance to play in front of so many supporters.

I would suggest that footballers take a good look at themselves when they next play for their country and show the supporters they are also proud to wear the England shirt.

MPs’ work experience

From: Bob Watson, Springfield Road, Baildon, Shipley.

the excellent article by Father Neil McNicholas (Yorkshire Post, February 25) should be made required reading for all our Members of Parliament.

He rightly highlights the ridiculous situation whereby far too many of our MPs have no experience whatsoever in the business world, and yet it is these same people who are running massive departments and making decisions that affect us all.

It is time that there was a presumption against career politicians, with all candidates expected to have worked for quite some years outside the rarefied atmosphere of the House of Commons.

However, can we really expect that little clique that makes up these people to actually do anything to address such concerns?

Their nests are so well-feathered that I for one will not be holding my breath.