All voices should be heard at the town’s remembrance service
FOR several years Stockport Humanists have tried to get a non-religious voice into the Remembrance Ceremony so that the sacrifice made by the non-religious can be acknowledged.
At present their contribution is trivialised by the words ‘other religions and none’ at the end of a long Christian address which, this year, also included small contributions by representatives from the Jewish and Muslim faiths.
Before the 2016 Ceremony I wrote to Eamonn Boylan, chief executive of Stockport Council, to suggest that a non-religious representative (from the British Legion?) should say a few words after the Christian address.
Suggested words were provided together with a short poem that highlighted the suffering caused by war.
Mr Boylan kindly organised a meeting to discuss the suggestion between the Bishop of Stockport, the Mayor of Stockport, Councillor Gordon (a lay preacher) and the British Legion.
The representative of the British Legion wasn’t named and is so far refusing a Freedom of Information request to determine his name.
It was concluded that it was a religious ceremony and so should not allow a non-religious voice to be heard - so much for community cohesion!
In 1920 the Royal British Legion was asked to organise a Remembrance Ceremony, this to remember the sacrifice made by those of many faiths and none. Because of the large number of faiths (and none) involved the ceremony would be secular and held outside rather than within a religious building.
It would be held at the Cenotaph which deliberately has no religious carvings on it.
Since those days the church has got involved with the ceremony to a degree that varies from place to place and in many places, including Stockport, seems to believe it ‘owns’ the ceremony.
However this is not correct.
It ‘belongs’ to the British Legion as they are the national custodians of Remembrance by Royal Charter.
THE REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY is THE Remembrance event for the country and is a CIVIC EVENT.
The British Legion exists to serve the interests, without discrimination, of those of all faiths and none who have served this country.
It is high time the Stockport branch woke up to its responsibilities and ensured that the voice of the non-religious is heard at the ceremony. Chris Neilson
SORT OUT POOR PHONE SERVICE
WHEN you consider the size of Stockport, the level of telephone service offered by the council is, and had been for some years, an utterly pathetic disgrace, coming as it does from the town hall, the flagship of the borough, no less.
It is managed by Stockport Direct, a misnomer if ever there was one. ‘Direct.’ Don’t make me laugh.
I have been trying recently to contact the town hall in an effort to find a real human being with whom I could discuss a matter relating to council tax.
I phoned five times over a couple of days in an effort to find a real person as opposed to the robotic voice which promises so much and delivers very little.
Three times I was asked to wait.
So I waited and waited and waited with no further response, so I hung up in disgust.
On the other two occasions, I waited a while then the line went dead on me.
I am old enough to remember the old days when, if you phoned the town hall, you were told immediately or almost immediately whether the person to whom you wished to speak was available or not.
Oh how I wish for a return to those times. Any suggestions anyone? Dave Thornley Offerton
UNCOVER THE RIVER
RE: ‘Firms back bid to boost town centre’ November 10 edition.
Surely the first and most important step in improving public interest in visiting Stockport town centre would be to uncover its greatest asset, the culverted River Mersey that flows below Merseyway.
This wonderful river was culverted many years ago at a time when the Mersey was polluted with sewage and textile factory effluent, but for some time now it has been running clean and has a good stock of fish, birds and other wildlife.
Uncovering the river through the centre of Stockport, dredging the riverbed and installing riverside footpaths, seats, tiered banks with riverside restaurants and coffee shops, would transform Stockport into a place once again worth a visit.
De-culverting has occurred in many European town and city centres and this simple act in Stockport could, in my view, make a soulless concrete mess into a wonderful tourist asset. SRK Dawber Cheadle Hulme
OUR STREET OF SHAME
IF you walk from Debenhams to Sainsbury’s you will walk past ten charity shops.
The state of Princes Street is a disgrace.
There are also four shops up for sale or let – we should change the name of Princes Street and call it Charity Street.
The policy of Stockport Council is a charity shop is better than an empty shop.
There are also three charity shops in Underbank, four in Castle Street and two in St Petersgate.
This must be some kind of record. Derek Potts Heaton Chapel