Winner’s real legacy to police forces

I WAS fortunate enough to have met Michael Winner (Yorkshire Post, January 22) and his wife Geraldine, once in my capacity as chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation at the 
unveiling of the memorial to my murdered colleague Ian Broadhurst and shortly after 
my retirement at the unveiling of the memorial to another murdered colleague, Sharon Beshenivsky.

I found Michael to be an engaging and caring person 
who wanted the ultimate 
sacrifice made by police 
officers to be remembered, in 
the same way as we remember those members of the Armed Forces who have given their 
lives in the service of our 
country.

The Police Memorial Trust which Michael founded has ensured that this will happen.

Michael has created an enduring legacy, which ensures that the ultimate sacrifice made by police officers throughout the United Kingdom will never be forgotten.

I, for one, am eternally 
grateful, a sentiment which I am sure is echoed by serving and retired police officers throughout the land.

Michael, thank you and may you rest in peace.

Taking stock of drink habit

From: Nick Yates, Laverock Lane, Brighouse.

AS I heard the familiar clanking of the fortnightly collection of empty wine and spirit bottles, I wondered if there was some way that those who overindulge and put their health at risk could be helped.

It came to me in a flash; this was an area in which the council could help by setting up a Calderdale-wide operation simply counting the bottles from each household and calculating the units of alcohol consumed per head.

Once identified, these poor wretches who drink more than the recommended quota would be given counselling to help them mend their ways.

I am absolutely certain this would be a popular policy which would be copied throughout Britain.

From: John Gordon, Whitcliffe Lane, Ripon.

AS this appalling weather continues, may I extend a word of praise for those household services that are often forgotten?

The black sacks have been taken, the milk has arrived on time, essential medicines from the chemist have been delivered and, most particularly, the Yorkshire Post has landed on 
the doormat every day it is published! Who could ask 
for more?

Distorted markets

From: Frank Jones, White Rose Way, Thirsk.

I WAS pleased to see Robert Reynold’s letter “How the Government let the banks steal £6,000 from each citizen” (Yorkshire Post, January 21). I did not enjoy the contents, however, for I felt it was confirming a suspicion of mine that things financial are not what they should be. What a contradiction things are.

We are told that we, as a nation, are bordering on a triple dip recession. Enterprises that a few years ago one would have been eager to invest in have crashed. Banks have worsened their reputations of 2008 by various malpractices.

Even the Government 
cannot keep to its projected borrowing from international sources – and yet the Stock Exchange index inexorably keeps climbing.

I always thought the Stock Market index was a reflection of a country’s prosperity, a thermometer that indicated a nation’s health and we all remember what happened in 2008 when the index reached 6,500 – it blew its top.

I thought we would never see the index reach 6,000 until the various governments we suffer from sorted out the nation’s financial problems – if ever!

My conclusion is that Mr Reynold’s explanation of 
inflation by quantitative easing of £350bn is correct – it has completely distorted the financial world.

Syrians free 
to worship

From: E Richards, Pinfold Close, Riccall, York.

WILLIAM Hague baffles me. Tens of thousands of fellow Orthodox Christians living in Syria are free to build churches and cathedrals and to worship in them.

The Syrian government supports the freedom of worship of all varieties of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Baha’i, and so on. In fact, it was in the process of assisting in the repair of a synagogue when the present troubles started.

As the Grand Mufti of Damascus said on television early in the invasion of Syria, “the ‘rebels’ are not Syrian”.

While Mr Hague is rightly worked up about the Jihadists who attacked a few gas field workers in Algeria, he supplies support to the Jihadists attacking Syria, a neutral peaceful country, and destroying churches as they go. Many hundreds of Orthodox Christians have been killed in the Homs area alone.

What’s his problem?