The sexes are equal – but not the same

SO the Church of England has finally gone totally feminist with the ordination of the first female bishop (The Yorkshire Post, January 27). Never mind what the scriptures say – do what’s expedient and “popular”.

Except that this decision will not make the Church of England more popular – quite the reverse. Even fewer people will turn up at the Church of England as time goes by.

This ordination is all part of the political correctness nonsense that says that equal means the same.

Applied to the world of sport this would mean gender blindness and men and women would compete in the same events together.

This would herald the end of 99 per cent of Olympic medals for women and mean that they would have to play up to five sets instead of three in tennis. Imagine the spectacle of men versus women in boxing!

I am a feminist. I believe in femininity (and masculinity) and that women and men are equal – but not the same. I am on God’s side on this.

Soviet spies targeted BBC

From: William Snowden, Baildon.

In his advocacy for the BBC, Allan Davies wryly recalled that a former colleague frequently complained that the BBC “was run by ‘commies’” (The Yorkshire Post, January 24).

It might surprise him to learn that such an outcome was the clear intent of the Soviet Union.

When the British traitor Anthony Blunt was interrogated by MI5 he revealed that the 
BBC was number five on the KGB’s list of top targets for infiltration – ahead of both the Home Office and the Foreign Office.

Why? Because Russians knew that the BBC had the power to influence public opinion, both at home and abroad.

It is a potent power, and 
one that must be tempered by equity.

This salient fact was affirmed by the terms of the Royal Charter on which the BBC was founded; and subsequently reaffirmed by the drafting of producers’ guidelines.

Whenever charges of left wing bias are substantiated, the BBC adopts a default position: that it is “not always possible” to achieve balance in a particular programme, but that it seeks to do so “over longer periods of time”. Such arguments are sophistic.

One of the Rules Against Bias that regulate the conduct of the judiciary is governed by the Latin maxim Audi Alterem Partem – “to hear both sides”.

I commend this guiding principle to the BBC.

No mention of Drax subsidy

From: David March, Tadcaster.

I write in response to a very interesting article by the Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams (The Yorkshire Post, January 28) on wind farms.

He again attacks the production of renewable energy as regards the subsidies paid to its production.

He is correct in his information regarding the subsidies given to onshore wind turbines, that figure being £53m, but fails to mention that Drax Power station is in line for £694m in subsidies since its conversion to biomass.

This has to be imported from the US which is unsustainable in the long term and is not helpful in the UK’s drive to be self sufficient in our energy production.

Mr Adams also voted in favour on there not being a ban on fracking in his constituency, therefore putting the entire brewing industry in Tadcaster at risk.

The Conservatives promised to be the greenest government to date prior to the previous general election, yet seem to be the polar opposite.

Unworkable living wage

From: Hugh Rogers, Ashby.

So it’s official. The majority of families with children manage quite well, do not struggle to make ends meet, and have enough money for a “socially acceptable standard of living”.

Well that’s nice to know. I am sure we are all grateful to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (The Yorkshire Post, January 20).

The real question surely, is why a minority of families apparently can’t manage as well as their neighbours. That raises a series of quite complicated issues, none of which, I suggest, would be resolved by introducing the expensive and unworkable concept of a “living wage” – something apparently dreamed up in bistros by wealthy metro-socialists over coffee and wafer-thin mints, but which, if adopted would actually militate against fuller employment and do little to reduce long term poverty.

In praise of 
a little calm

From: BJ Cussons, Ilkley.

do you think it too much to hope that the BBC brings back Songs of Praise on Sundays? The last two to three editions have been more like a variety show.

While appreciating that some change could be welcome, by the time it finished we had visited several churches, listened to several people rather than one per programme describe their journey to Christianity, heard a rock group, several other non-traditional presentations, one obscure and possibly two familiar hymns.

It was exhausting instead of peaceful.