People buy fakes as ‘real thing’ overpriced
WITH reference to your article about counterfeit goods in Strangeways (It’s business as usual in ‘counterfeit captial,’ M.E.N., January 7).
Well, I can sort of understand why people choose to shop this way.
My grandaughter recently went into a well known sports retail shop in order to spend her Christmas money.
She bought a long-sleeved crop-style leisure top, nothing remarkable about it, other than the logo emblazoned across the front. The price of this was £55, reduced from £70.
Now, lovely this top may be, but I can’t believe it cost much more than a tenner to produce, probably in some remote part of India, so to avoid being ripped off in this way, no wonder people resort to buying cheap copies! Especially when it would probably be hard to tell the difference! G Harrison, Bury
Kenneth is remembered
I AM writing to praise Manchester council and its leader Sir Richard Leese, especially Charmaine Hughes, head of monuments, and her team.
I requested her help to have the name of Kenneth Whitby, 21, of the Parachute Regiment, who was killed in Greece on December 9, 1944, added to the Collyhurst War Memorial, where he was born and spent most of his life. She has responded 100 per cent.
My uncle is buried in the Phaleron War Cemetery in Athens. This means anytime we want to pay our respects to Uncle Ken we won’t have to travel 2,000 miles, although when in Greece on holiday we would still make every effort to pay our respects at his graveside.
For this we have to thank Charmaine Hughes. By writing to the M.E.N. we can publicly thank her. P Donnelly, Chadderton
Europe needs us more
IT’S just as well Mrs May wasn’t in charge when Captain James Cook went off exploring.
He sailed into unchartered waters without qualms as to what lay ahead, unlike our PM – not one to miss an opportunity to try to frighten the electorate into submission – and is warning that a ‘no deal’ means a voyage into ‘uncharted territory.’
Going bravely into the unknown is what helped make Great Britain the world power it is and, while ‘no deal’ is not the ideal outcome, we need to be bold and hold our nerve in the face of EU intransigence.
They need us more than we need them and it is nonsense to think that if we walk away without a deal we will be up the creek without a paddle. Paul Nuttall, North West Independent MEP
Listen to stop attacks
WHILE I in no way condone terrorism, it is important we try to hear what the ‘terrorist’ is trying to say, otherwise we won’t understand and won’t be ready for attacks.
So the reported explanation of the suspect arrested following the attack at Victoria Station and reportedly detained under the Mental Health Act has to be taken seriously: ‘As long as you keep bombing other countries this sort of s*** is going to keep happening’ (Police swoop on house in terror-attack probe, M.E.N. January 2).
We may hope he was acting alone and there is no cell in our city, but there are many people who are profoundly angry about British arms sales to, and friendly involvement with, what they perceive to be despotic and oppressive regimes.
That many of these regimes portray themselves as Muslim and are oppressing other Muslims does not alter the perception that they are proxy agents and stooges of Western imperialism.
There will be many in different communities seducible by hostile online publications and we can expect this madman won’t be the last.
Perceived injustice, be it tied to images of Israel’s illegal actions against Palestinians, drone strikes (with collateral killing) in the Middle East, Saudi bombing in Yemen, or other less publicised conflicts, feeds violence and glib condemnation or denial serves us ill. J Thatcher, Stockport
Could cash be better spent?
HOW many readers are aware their chief constable pockets a hefty quarter of a million pounds a year?
Could this be one reason we are stretched for resources? D Page, Northenden