Huddersfield Daily Examiner from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England • 8

8 Telephone Clauifiad Advertising 538321 All other departments 537444 Huddersfield Daily Examiner Friday August 3 1990 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Parents of gay children themselves) pay community charges and our children are as entitled to benefit as any others It may not be widely appreciated but some gay young and are also disabled and some are black Whatever they still have to pay their dues like anyone and so do their parents We are all people and deserve respect and equal rights Any youth group is a place where young people meet in a reasonable secure environment with people of like mind or nature They are there to enjoy themselves and get on with others A youth group is not a dating agency but there is nothing to prevent heterosexuals who meet in a youth club from dating In fact it might be expected Why should our gay offspring be treated differently? And why should we parents or others have different expectations of our children? It may surprise some readers to know that we parents were not responsible for our gay sons and daughters being gay any more than they were themselves To respond to Heathcote (July 13) sexuality is not it is an inherent part of a person's nature Did the Heathcotes choose their sexuality? No Also what is wrong with the word 'gay' Gay people chose this word for this is one thing they did and it's far better than the words many heterosexuals choose to describe gay people Anyway we in this organisation choose to look on gay as meaning Good As You! A gay person is a person first and foremost If that person wishes to enter into a loving caring relationship with albeit of the same then why should that be an issue? They gay people themselves have no problem with only the heterosexuals in society have a and that is coping with it Picking up a further point in Mr Heathcote's letter his "expert knowledge" is not so expert He confuses transvestites with transsexuals neither of whom have any relation to being gay except for the approximate 1 who may be gay The fact that he thinks gay people are more prone to psychiatric psychological problems could just be due to the prejudiced views and attitudes of people like himself However he would have to prove this statement too which we are quite certain he cannot do Last to Robin and Michael of the Greyhound Hotel: long may your premises be a haven for the gay community of not forgetting the "straights" who are also made most comfortable there JOY VAL ALAN AND ALL THE REST OFTHE PARENTS' GROUP Parents' Friend Newmarket Otley The policy of honesty-The might of right-Tha MpwHancy of principle Over a barrel THERE are two opposing angles to assess in the aftermath of Iraq's conquest of Kuwait Once President Hussein has cleaned up as much Kuwaiti cash as he can lay his hands on how does he clean up his act in the eyes of the international though this is another Middle East despot who has never before given a damn let alone an Iraqi dinar for what anybody else says or thinks about his bully-boy tactics He could cite old Iraqi territorial demands and annex Kuwait He could withdraw He could and probably will seek to establish a puppet regime and then withdraw demanding recognition for the new republic which would remain under his thumb with his hand in its pocket The alternatives angle in on New York where the UN for once has a golden opportunity actually to operate within the spirit and letter of those high ideals on which it was founded: the international community has both the chance and the power to tell President Hussein exactly what to do and make him do if the UN and its members have the will to make that imposition stick There are encouraging signs: the condemnation has been universal the Superpowers have got their act together there is pressure cut off Iraq's oil pipelines and there is early consideration of universal sanctions both of buying and selling with a UN naval blockade to back them The UN Security Council could open the door on that sort of concerted action but the key to UN action is the reaction within the Arab League: if the Arab nations back the UN then the UN can hustle Hussein back to Baghdad pdq if the Arabs appease and prevaricate then another petty dicatator will have pulled off an economic coup matched only by his egomania -A clean sweep! Single-parent father-families I WISH to express my outrage and disgust at the media and those Goverment departments that seem to believe that all one-parent families are run by mothers and that all non-maintenance payers are fathers It is high time these so-called "social engineers" realised that single-parent families headed by fathers are steadily on the increase and are being more and more accepted every year It is beginning to be crystal clear that there is a higher percentage of mothers not paying maintenance The most famous and well-documented example is the fact that the queen of English feminists Margaret Thatcher is intent on setting up a private agency in order to deduct the maintenance from the wages of such fathers As a single person I resent deeply this attitude and believe that the time has come for single fathers to stand up and be counted and get their rightful say and place and be respected in this so-called equal society I would like to hear the opinions of single fathers in this situation so that a group could be set up to fight for their rights People are so busy fighting for mothers' rights and they are neglecting the fathers who have the guts love and determination to be mother and father to their children and give them a happy and stable home life A ROBINSON Reinwood Road Oakes THE attention of this organisation has been drawn to recent correspondence in the Examiner about the registration of Kirklees Lesbian and Gay Youth Group with the council Why should they not be registered with the council as a youth group entitling them to the same subsidies as other youth groups? Why should our sons and daughters be discriminated against because of their sexuality which was no more a choice to them than it was to the heterosexual youth of the area? On the separate matter of should be available to them as to any other group of young people We parents with gay offspring (and our gay offspring Bullying tactics on the buses MAY I congratulate the driver of the 373 bus who averted what could have turned into a nasty situation on Wednesday evening July 25 He remained calm when confronted with threats and diabolical verbal abuse from a youth who tried to board the bus in Westgate at 700pm without paying his fare My sympathy goes out to the drivers who have to deal with situations like this every day In this incident it was the driver who showed courage and strength of character not the loud-mouthed lout who was in the wrong No doubt the youth will meet his physical match one day where his cowardism will come to the fore People like this deserve all the punishment meted out to them MSTTER Adelphi Road Marsh Water waste I UNDERSTOOD that a privatised industry would be more efficient than one in public ownership How then can one explain the farcical expenditure of Yorkshire Water with the badges and stickers telling people to save water? Who is this campaign aimed at? Any normal person knows that if it does not rain then no water goes into the hence no water The other people will not take any notice of the stickers or badges any more than they do for the no-entry signs in town In any case it is the ratepayers (poll taxpayers) who will foot the bill not Yorkshire Water LEWIS HIRST Bradshaw Drive Honley NHYeS Pointing up the potholes THE Government's promised booklet on NHS reforms which has been dropping through local letter-boxes this last week is obviously designed to reassure as well as to inform We are given the impression that like a particular bank the new NHS will always like to say "Yes" Yes your GP will still have as much time for you as he has now Yes he will discuss treatment with you rather than telling you either to suck it and see or like it or lump it Yes you will get all and any expensive prescriptions you may need Yes you can still be treated at a local hospital Yes those long waiting lists will be whittled down Yes you wilfstill have a choice where you have your baby The booklet paints such a rosy picture of the NHS to come that even those not inclined to be cynical may find it all just a bit difficult to especially in a week when because of cash cuts 60 beds will be lost at a famous Leeds hospital and the number of operating sessions will be also reduced Will that shorten those waiting lists? SO Kirklees is to have a blitz on potholes? Of late much blame for the Kirklees "system of potholes" has been laid at the door of the utilities by Or John Harman and council officers Even a child would see that the boundaries of the utility company areas are not conterminous with those of Kirklees They go way beyond yet it is on return to the Kirklees area where the bad roads are a prominent feature for tourists visitors and long-suffering residents suggesting that the real blame belongs in the Town Hall In May Kirklees were saying that they had not got the resources to mend 25000 holes a year dug in our roads Members of the public who want a new road-main connection pay the cost of reinstatement to the utility company before they will start work Colne Valley Tory MP Mr Graham Riddick is quoted as saying: "The ridiculous thing is that Kirklees already has the power to ensure the roads are fully reinstated after roadworks either by making the utility do it or by doing it itself and charging the utility but it chooses not to use that power" Interestingly Clr David Beetham (Lab) who recently replaced a Mir-field Tory said in his election leaflet: "Local roads are in a poor condition due to Government cuts Well he would wouldn't but he won the seat The truth is the money has been there all along and now Clr Harman yearns for Mr Riddick's Parliamentary seat he has having been rumbled decided he is going to have to cause some of it to be spent TREVOR WHITEHEAD Hopton Drive Mirfield Sweeping with a Lorraine Wood at work on the Bradley estate May I compliment the young lady street cleaner who works so hard on the Bradley Estate She is so quick so pleasant and so very thorough It is not a job that many women would like to do but she is a credit to the Kirklees workforce Our estate has never been so well looked after I am only one of many who have noticed this because of the care she has for a very large estate Mrs MOORE Stutely Grove Bradley CROSSWORD CRYPTIC CLUES Vandalism in Greenhead Park Sunday trading DOWN Fanatical attack round the capital of Bolivia (5) Service clothing for a Sund(3) ircle overhead (4) Spy at large! (45) Boredom stems from a place of retirement (7) Coral island provides scanty cover (6) At last he makes something to cover the extremities (9) 1 stop a distorted kind of dialect (6) Tolerating a certain demeanour (7) See 21 Across One of many all in one piece (4) See 9 Across ACROSS Defray the charge for air cargo (3-4) We near it transmits the Shakespearian spirit (5) 9 and 20 Choice piece the bird pecked Behaves overbearingly as the miner does maybe (9) He gets the stripes someone else deserves (8-3) Train speeds go at walking pace (11) I can store a variety of designer clothing (9) To provide publicity is a strain (3) 21 and 16 Tunnels beneath the coal seams (10) It could be painted instead (7) Coule down COULD anyone give me some advice? The central heating in my flat is slowly killing me How can I overcome the problem? My radiator is permanently turned off But every morning I wake up with a raging sore throat and now I am beginning to have chronic catarrh I have tried gargling with salt water I am eating throat sweets by the pound I have tried leaving bowls of water all over the place to the detriment of the carpet when I stand in them Please oh please can anyone tell me what to do before I lose my voice altogether? I do not want to leave Coule Royd but it seems as though I will have no choice in the matter because I cannot go on like this Ms JENNIFER FIELDING Coule Royd Dalton Post haste I PUT a letter to Qeethorpes into the postbox at Fartown Post Office at 3pm on Thursday July 26 and received a reply before I got up at 830am on Saturday July 28 Thank you GPO MELL Woodhouse Hill Fartown and no little time It surprises me that there were no witnesses of this senseless destruction As a recent resident of Huddersfield I am informed by those who have lived here for a great many years that Greenhead Park was once a distinctive jewel in this town's crown but that its former charm and grandeur is now a memory I am grateful for the continuing efforts of park staff who seem to produce magnificent results against the odds but I hope and trust that the rebuilding of the monument will be a matter of priority If for reasons of cost we accept that the restoration of this stonework cannot proceed then we are in danger of condoning the lowest common denominator of social behaviour and witnessing the further demise of a historically important feature and vital public amenity I am reminded by a much greater authority that "in order for evil to flourish it demands that good men should do nothing" We must all be guardians of our environment or be prepared to accept that the spoilers have won and that as a microcosm of the town itself Greenhead Park is in terminal decline TONY CHISHOLM SO Harold Ainley is putting his fillings in again about Sunday trading Harold must be well into his seventies and all the best to but he hasn't moved with the times Does he think that by stopping Sunday trading he will get more people going to church? That's a laugh in itself: it wouldn't increase byl So why does he object to people working Sundays? A friend of mine (not in Kirklees) advertised for two part-timers one for Thursdays and one for Sundays He got more than four times as many applications for Sunday than Thursday and a vast number of those were students Garden centres are allowed to and rightly so And if Mr Ainley went there on a Sunday he would find the place packed with customers They even have car park attendants which must prove there is a need for Sunday opening People who work all week want to buy DIY equipment and plants at weekends Off-licence stores are allowed to open and that must do a lot more harm in some cases than DIY stores And is he going to object now that the Post Office is going to work Sundays? You'd have been happy a few zzz i T- I AM saddened and appalled by the nest-spoiling mentality which governs the attitudes and actions of many people who use and abuse Greenhead Park As a popular venue for a wide range of activities Greenhead Park has to suffer constantly from those people for whom throwing down utter seems to be their raison d'etre In addition I noticed with horror that vandals no longer satisfied with wreaking their pathetic frustrations on the shrubs and Victorian conservatory have now taken to destroying the monumental stone balustrade around the war memorial Where this clearly demands little ingenuity it does demand a degree of strength and determina- Wonderful help I AM the mother of the mentally handicapped man whom Colin Vause has befriended and I'm sure all parents like us are very thankful indeed to have the help we receive fromMENCAP I have worked on the sidelines for the society more years than I care to remember and I ve had wonderful help from the kind people of Marsh Lindley Paddock and Netherton to help me make funds that help to keep up all the good work that continues daily to give as much help as possible to all concerned The wonderful staff at Waverley Hall would I'm sure be pleased to welcome any members of the public to call there and see the work they do daily and I know the trainees would be delighted to meet them MARY LOCKWOOD Imperial Road Marsh Top marks THERE was an advertisement in the Weekly News recently for a party to get together to climb Ben Nevis to raise funds for cystic fibrosis We were on holiday in Fort William the other myself and my son his wife and two little boys Benjamin who is seven and Christopher who is five They climbed to the top of Ben Nevis (and played in the snow) in four hours I think this is a great achievement as Christopher suffers from cystic fibrosis This may give hope and encouragement to parents who have children with CF PROUD GRANDMA Dyson Street Dalton weeks ago Harold when a store got fined for selling a loaf on Sunday Now that is criminal A loaf just fancy How much did the councillor get on his expense account for working Sunday to buy some wood and a few nails so as to shop another store for opening Sundays? And who paid for the goods and were they put to good use? So come off it Harold let people who know their business get on with it and Wickes Smiths DIY MFI and many more have got brains at the head of their companies that's why they are at the top of their field So try something new Harold go help Kirklees with King Street before it goes to Wakefield And let people who know their job get on with it FAI Salendine Nook Huddersfield Clocking on to CET I AM in favour of Britain's clocks being put forward to Central Euro-time that is one hour ahead of Greenwich mean time in the winter and two hours ahead of GMT in the summer I like the lighter evenings The people who are against clocking on to CET are wondering what the point is One of the points is that there are some people who don't have to get up early in the morning are having lie-ins until it is more than one hour ago since it came light and they stay up until it is more than one hour ago since it came dark Do these people not want to put their get-up time and bed-time forward when it makes a difference of how much daylight they get when they are up? Another point is in the winter There are just as many people or even more people say that they hate GMT because it comes dark early and they would rather have the clocks at one hour ahead of GMT in the winter In the summer if the clocks were at two hours ahead of GMT it is better for people who go out in the evenings and do what they want in the evenings and it is better than wasting daylight in the morning with the clocks at one hour ahead of GMT on sleep If the majority want to clock on to CET why can't we get it? RICHARD APPLEYARD Woodside Road Beaumont Park The George Cross island QUICK CLUES ACROSS Cover (7) Giver (5) Bed (3) Incite (9) Intrigue (11) Impulsive (11) Extract (9) Abrade (3) Wilful (5) Flaw (7) DOWN Storey (5) Finish (3) Average (4) Absent-minded (9) Share (7) Attitude (6) Size (9) Cordial (6) Gushed (7) Search (5) Leer (4) Sprite (3) YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ject to erect a unique monument close to Valetta We also arrange well-patronised group reunion visits to Malta so that old comrades can enjoy that pleasant holiday island under favourable conditions We are also giving consideration to the instigation of a Malta Medal along the lines of those followed by the Bomber Command and Normandy Veterans' Associations Although the GCIA was founded only in July 1987 our membership is approaching 2000 We have established branches in both the UK and overseas This includes an active Malta branch Nearly 500 members and families took part in our 1988 1989 and 1990 reunion visits to Malta and two other reunions are now being planned A feature of the previous visits was the enthusiastic manner in which we were greeted by Government officials and the peoples of Malta alike If those interested would contact I AM writing to let your readers know about the George Cross Island Association (GCIA) We would welcome more members from any Service men or women who served in Malta or were engaged in attempt to supply the island fortress during a critical period of World War II Membership is restricted to those Allied men or women who served at any time between June 11 1940 and May 13 1943 We also welcome the next of kin of those who survived within our determining period Our aim is a simple to keep alive the memory of the deeds of those who served and died in defence of the island We are supported by the Malta Government peoples and the media The dues of the GCIA are modest but its ambitions are big or example we are currently engaged with the blessing of both the UK and Malta Governments on a pro me I would ensure that their applications would receive personal attention Those who served in Malta during its seige and blitz suffered uniquely: More bombs were dropped upon Malta than upon London the fighters and AA guns destroyed about 1300 enemy planes Malta twice was reduced to only about 10 days of food supply to relieve the seige the August 1942 convoy was escorted by the largest Naval force assembled by Britain in World War II battered as the island its harbours and airfields were nevertheless for some critical montlis planes and ships based in Malta managed to sink over 50 of the supplies destined for Rommel and his Afrika Korps Without Malta's heroic stand and fight back there could have been no Alamein victory in October 1942 FRIXON 10 Nepaul RoadTidworth Hants SP9 7EU QUICK ACROSS: 7 Neighbourhood 8 Directed 9 Veto 10 Seldom 12 Silver 14 Studio 16 Coarse 18 Stem 20 Consomme 22 Inconceivable DOWN: 1 Reticent 2 Agreed 3 Abet 4 Cul-de-sac 5 Shovel 6 Foot 11 Moorcock 13 Ensemble 15 Damson 17 Anorak 19 Tiny 21 Nail CRYPTIC ACROSS: 7 Telephone call 8 Steerage 9 Esau 10 Honest 12 Venial 14 Recast 16 Resign 18 Pair 20 Radicals 22 Taking offence DOWN: 1 Resthome 2 Serene 3 Rhea 4 Once over 5 Screen 6 Flea 11 Tutorage 13 Angelica 15 Afraid 17 Sachet 19 Ajar 21 Daft Left in the lurch.