Easter Sunday decision ironic in several ways
I’M sure the irony of the Dunedin City Council’s recent decisions have not been lost on its citizens.
The council wished us ‘‘Happy Holidays’’ for Christmas but then denied some of us a holiday on Easter Sunday so the shops can open.
I know the argument is that the employees will have a choice to work on Easter Sunday or not, but anyone observing the barrage of antiworker legislation brought down on New Zealanders since the 1990s will know it has been a long time since the employees and their bosses were on an equal footing in the workplace.
I wonder if Ed Sheeran, who has been a supporter of many socially responsible causes in the UK and is a strong supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, is aware his concert in Dunedin has been used as an excuse to disadvantage some of the workers of the city?
Maybe someone should tell him. Brian Langley
Dunedin
I RECENTLY had occasion to stay in Dunedin after my wife was admitted to Dunedin Hospital. Taking advantage of the glorious weather, I parked my car and walked everywhere, as Dunedin is such a compact walkable city (and I’m 73).
I revisited Toitu museum, the Chinese Garden and the Botanic Garden. What marvellous attractions these all are for the visitor and residents alike and there are many more.
The one thing I didn’t find any need to do was to go shopping, an overrated pastime in my opinion.
Peter Johnson
Oamaru
Round in almost circles
HERE we go again — a poor design for the roundabout at the Esplanade and more money and time wasted.
How can it be a ‘‘success’’ if the vehicles have to drive over it? Surely a mock up could have been set up to trial these designs before being put in place. It wouldn’t be too hard to do, with a few sandbags and buses in a car park with the parameters drawn on the ground.
If it doesn’t work, don’t build it. This won’t be in place for long before everyone gets sick of it. And not much of a ride in a bus as you’re bouncing over it. Warren Jordan
Roslyn
Gospel questions
IAN Harris (ODT, 8.12.17) offers no evidence in support of Nazareth as the birth place of Jesus because there is none, only speculation.
Both Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels agree that Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born and lived in Nazareth when Jesus was a child. Each gospel leaves out some details found in the other because the writers have different points to make. But they are not contradictory.
Mr Harris shows no familiarity with scholars such as C.S. Lewis, F.F. Bruce, N.T. Wright, Gary Habermas, Craig A. Evans, William Lane Craig, and many others I could mention, all of whom agree there are very few, if any, ‘‘fabulations’’ in the New Testament gospels.
Luke, in particular, is regarded as a scholar of very high calibre, and my understanding is that most scholars think he just made a rare mistake regarding when Quirinius was governor. Iain Chambers
Dunedin
Breaking the ice
The report from Christchurch (ODT,
9.12.17) was incorrect. The USCGC Polar Star WAGB 10 made an earlier unscheduled visit to Lyttelton on March 1, 1998.
On this occasion the 13,190tonne, 122mlong ship, towed the stricken US Antarctic supply ship MV Greenwave.
It was the first visit of a US icebreaker to Lyttelton for 15 years. The visit to Lyttelton this month is therefore the third. David L. Harrowfield
Oamaru