Active We needn’t swear by such language
THEY WANT TO MOVE ON
RESEARCH by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests that 98% of adults in England now have got Covid antibodies, and that Omicron has passed its peak.
Perhaps this would explain why the government are now abandoning Plan B and relaxing all Covid restrictions.
The relaxing of restrictions include the end of Covid passports, which were implemented on a whim without public consultation or prior discussion. We are no longer required to wear face masks in public places like shops which is a most welcome development. If the face masks actually stopped the virus, why are 100,000 people testing positive daily?
The government are keen to move on from Covid. Currently, their primary concern is Russia allegedly preparing to invade Ukraine.
However, media reports suggest conflict between Russia and the Ukraine has been ongoing for eight years. Why was it not a concern during this time? Secondly, is it not easier for Russia to just switch off Europe’s gas supply?
Robert Parker
I DON’T know how many readers have watched The Responder, set in Liverpool and screened on BBC 1 over the last couple of weeks.
For those who haven’t, the story revolves around a world-weary police officer, whose patch embraces drug users and pushers, along with myriad petty criminals and time wasters.
He’s also suffered the indignity of a demotion, and, not surprisingly, he’s at the end of his tether.
To give it an added air of verisimilitude, the series is written by a former copper on the beat, so to question its authenticity might be considered ill-advised or naive. Indeed, that is not the purpose of this letter.
That said, I yearn for the time when the television intelligentsia resist the idea that they are ‘educating and informing’ the masses by the use of excessively gratuitous language and overwhelmingly repellent characters.
Those of us of a certain age
TIME TO LOOK ELSEWHERE
THE Oglet Shore, the Wetlands and sites of Special Scientific Interest are not the only available land for potential expansion of Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
You only have to drive past to see how much unused (or under-used) ground surrounds the airport, including vast ‘provision’ of punitively over-expensive airport parking –both shortterm and long-term.
Expanding JLA services (with or without runway extensions) can only benefit the city’s economy.
Reports estimate a minimum of £20m profits to Liverpool in the next 12 months from cruise ships.
JLA could quite easily match this.
If we don’t support Liverpool JLA the trade will (once again!) devolve to Manchester.
In the past, road, rail, air and tram links have been dangled like carrots before Liverpool before being withdrawn and given to Manchester – along with TV production, BBC Radio HQ and other benefits.
Manchester must not be allowed to ‘steal our thunder’ again!
Paul McDermott
– in particular – hardly have a Disneyesque view of life.
For my part, I spent most of my working life engaged with young people in a variety of situations, as well as serving as a magistrate for over twenty years – easily shocked, I’m not.
It has, unfortunately, almost become a badge of honour for TV to proclaim ‘the following programme contains swearing and violence which some viewers may find offensive.’
Much more offensive to me is the subliminal notion that we don’t realise such things exist without television ramming it down our throats.
I note the author of this piece is a great admirer of Jimmy McGovern. Some of his work is equally raw, but his series Moving On is a text book example of a series dealing with varied adult situations, which always engages the viewers, without alienating them.
Hopefully there is another writer/‘responder’ out there who can do likewise?
Brian Beard