Wider issues are at stake in Richard burial

NOW that the remains of Richard III have been found, an appropriate burial site needs to be agreed.

The exhumation order was given for an unknown skeleton. At the time it was not known to be Richard nor did the excavators believe it to be Richard.

The person who believed it was Richard and who ordered the exhumation was Philippa Langley of the Richard III Society. The exhumation order was completed by the archaeologists using the usual format for unknown remains where remains are buried locally.

However, the confirmation that the remains are those of Richard III changes everything. Richard III was a crowned and anointed sovereign and as such his burial must be a special case.

The current argument is both undignified and unnecessary. The decision should be made after a proper consultation between representatives of government, his confirmed descendants, professional historians and the Richard III Society, whose members raised £10,000 to save the project after a Leicester-based funding body withdrew at the last minute.

In particular Philippa Langley and John Ashdown Hill, both of who have spent years of effort and personal financial input, must be included in the discussions. Without the Richard III Society and these two members, there would be no remains to argue about.

This decision is not for Leicester or York to make but for others who know the history and protocols required. It is certainly not for the University of Leicester to decide. The decision must be made on behalf on the whole country.

MP deserves
jail over lies

From: Alan Chapman, Beck Lane, Bingley.

IN his recent letter your correspondent Tim Mickleburgh (Yorkshire Post, March 12) asked why Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce should be sent to prison? He puts the case they have done little wrong and should not qualify for imprisonment.

I fundamentally disagree for they conspired to cheat and deceive the voters of Eastleigh into sending a member of the 
Lib Dems to the House of Commons to falsely represent them.

Looking at that constituency general election result for 2005, when Huhne was first elected to Parliament, he won by only 568 votes or one per cent. He and his then wife conspired to lie about the fact he was driving a speeding car in which he was caught for the fourth time. This would have accumulated 12 points on his driving licence and led to his disqualification.

Such a conviction for a general election candidate would have been reported in the local press and undoubtedly would have swayed some voters. Also Huhne’s level of election campaigning without his own car to hand, would have diminished his door knocking, thus producing a lower vote. As it was so close the likely result would have meant the Conservative candidate, becoming the MP for Eastleigh.

Using deception to sit in the mother of Parliaments is a very serious matter and a custodial sentence is imperative.

English skills
betray young

From: David T Craggs, Sand-le-Mere, Tunstall, East Yorkshire.

ALTHOUGH it is no doubt serious, I had to have a wry smile when I read your article ‘Young hit by lack of computer skills’ (Yorkshire Post, March 12) which stated that young people dreaded filling in an online application form.

Are these the same young people who know their way round Facebook, YouTube, email and Twitter in their sleep and can text at speeds that we lesser mortals can only dream of?

One thing is certain. Any silver surfers worth their salt would not have the slightest difficulty in filling in an online application form if they were required to do so. Why? Because they have in abundance the most important skill of all to do so – a command of the English language, particularly the ability to read with understanding and of course the ability to spell.

In my opinion this has little to do with the lack of computer skills, but a failure to appreciate just exactly what is required in order to carry out the task, and the responsibility for this inadequacy must surely be laid at the door of their schools’ English departments both at primary and secondary levels.

Digital effort
not all wasted

From: Stephen Broughton, Belmont Close, Branton, Doncaster.

WITH regard to the article about South Yorkshire Digital Region (Yorkshire Post, March 13), I have been using it for sometime now, it is good. When I wanted to go to high speed broadband there was nothing else here in Branton. BT staggered along later.

I knew about it from papers and work. I just had to find a provider but I have never seen an advert for it. The question needs to be asked: how much is spent advertising the Digital Region? The take up of this system will only go up if the public know it’s there.

Keeping fit is
no-brainer

From: Brian H Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

I READ with interest Sheena Hastings’ report that research suggests that lifelong exercise holds the key to keeping brain function in later life (Yorkshire Post, March 13). Regular readers may cite yours truly, a lifelong exerciser, as living proof of the contrary.

However, I recall being rebuked by a female reader who claimed that girls like her had been damaged by their nightmarish experience of school games. My indiscretion had been to revive fond memories of school football in bitter weather with derelict changing huts and neglected chemical toilets.

Since my wife and I retired, our favourite pastime is sitting up in bed drinking tea while watching neighbours go to work. At weekends recently we have had to satisfy our sadistic streak by watching the numerous joggers butting through sleet, snow and headwinds in the direction of the bleak Hallam moors. The vast majority are female. How times change.