Apology should lead to top cop’s resignation
I HAVE just read and heard the Chief Constable Ian Hopkins and his Assistant Chief Constable’s grovelling apology on the report into the exploitation of children by a grooming gang.
For this to have gone on for more than 15 years, with the police and city council social workers being aware, is the most damning condemnation of official bodies who were supposed to have investigated and protected those children.
I believe that Ian Hopkins has brought the force into disrepute and should resign or be processed out of the force.
The same should apply to any social workers or managers at Manchester city council.
I feel so sorry for ex-detective Maggie Oliver who did her best to highlight the grooming but was ignored. Stephen Holt, North Manchester
Thank God for free press
UPON reading the headline news in the M.E.N. (January 15), my first reaction after having taken in all the details of the horrific abuse that the 57 children had suffered after falling victim to a vicious paedophile gang was that there is nothing we can do about the gross unfairness of life.
My second thought was thank God that we still have a free press!
Because despite the horrific amount of abuse that these innocent children were subjected to all those years ago, we would never be reading about this great tragedy if the powers that be had achieved their aim – which was to keep the details under wraps. H. Gardner, address supplied
Cut ties with fossil fuels
A. WHISTLER’S letter pointing to Siemens’ indirect involvement in climate change (Viewpoints,
January 14) draws our attention to the involvement we all have in the environmental emergency.
At Christmas I was given some waxed cloths to wrap food in lieu of using clingfilm and kindred measures may consign technologies we have become used to as ‘modern’ to museums.
We cannot afford to fill our oceans and soil with plastics, be they plastic bags, food trays, drinks bottles, facewipes or disposable nappies.
We can all eschew these and refuse to buy them, but government action through regulation and taxation has a leading role to play.
However our money is still involved when banks like HSBC continue to fund coal mining in developing countries, and the Australian disaster further underlines the ongoing irresponsibility and delay of the Greater Manchester Pension Fund in continuing its involvement with fossil fuel industries and businesses that are sinking money into unsustainable investments that, while contributing to climate chaos, jeopardise the retirement incomes of tens of thousands across our region.
Meanwhile this week has seen the announcement that more than half of UK universities have cut their ties with fossil fuel businesses. MMU has been a leader, but despite what seem to be crocodile tears, Manchester University continues to shy away from divestment.
Perhaps they, and GMPF, would like to explain to Australians (and the rest of us) why they are still putting our money into unsustainable and damaging businesses. A. Judge, Manchester city centre
Stop being so greedy
PEOPLE’S greed seems to get worse the more they have.
We can be all guilty of being greedy but greed in society is shocking and seems to be getting worse as the years pass by.
Football players can be earning tens of thousands a week for kicking a ball!
Politicians claim for everything they can (including the kitchen sink) and nothing is ever done about it.
So called ‘television personalities’ are paid million out of our money just to sit on their backsides talking. I can do that for free.
On a more basic level, how many people can say no to just one slice of cake or several biscuits when you can have the lot?
There’s no point complaining about how much people get paid or claim if you’re not willing to do anything about it.
Our greed not only affects us but our environment and the planet. Do we care enough to take the right actions though?
Our own greed is dividing us all. People though seem to go around shrugging their shoulders with the attitude. “What can I do about it?”
It’s up to us all to do what’s right, but will we? Mr Ged Jarvis, Gorton
Gardens were beautiful
IS everyone getting a little bit fed up of the constant excuses of the city council over Piccadilly Gardens?
In their heyday they were beautiful with an array of flowers, but Karney said it was attracting rough sleepers and drunks, so it all disappeared under the new gardens.
I wish to God we could rid ourselves of these buffoons! Edward Tudor, Blackley