Letters - Tuesday, May 11, 2021

It was an interesting article by Wes Holmes about the great work of Mel Greenhalgh and team with pigeons, other birds and animals (The Gazette, May 6).

Carrier pigeons played an important role in the First World War, with half a million pigeons carrying messages during the hostilities.

Pigeons won medals for outstanding bravery during the D-Day Landings.

Gustav (pigeon NPS 4231060) was given an award for delivering messages from the Normandy beaches (June 6, 1944). He served with the RAF.

Paddy Pigeon had the best recorded time when he flew with a message from Normandy Operation in June 1944. He was serving with the RAF.

The Dickin Medal for valour – the animal’s Victoria Cross – was awarded to 32 pigeons.

Pigeons were also recognised in Ancient Egypt.

Pigeon post was the world’s fastest communication system for 3,000 years until the invention of electric telegraph and radio in the 19th century.

When I pass a small group of pigeons looking for food and notice the signs “do not feed the birds”, I think “what a way to treat war heroes”.

One can be fined for feeding birds.

P O’Connor

Address supplied

POLITICS

Latest proof of Labour’s demise

Another huge redwall has come tumbling down. Hartlepool is the latest proof of Labour’s demise. A new leader has demonstrated that not only is he ineffectual but that the Party’s policies are moribund. This huge and shattering defeat reveals that Labour is out of touch with 21st century Britain.

It is no longer the party of the working man and woman (meaning cloth cap manual workers) because those workers in the main regard themselves today as middle class. The transformation of our society has clearly gone unnoticed by Labour.

Hence, Labour is like someone taking part in a shooting competition who discovers their rifle is loaded with blanks.

Like the dodo bird the Labour Party is flightless and close to extinction. Its front bench is the most inexperienced and inept of modern times. The Party is bereft of politicians like Healey, Callaghan and Wilson. Instead it is replete with nonentities. There is not even a whiff of a statesman.

The poison of Corbynite policies is all too clearly still around eating away at the dwindling red walls. Labour has no clear, credible policies or strategy. Instead it has concentrated on cheap, childish attacks on the government. Thank goodness it has not been in charge during the current pandemic.

Instead of concentrating on pressing economic, educational and social issues, Labour has focused daily on the cost of the PM’s apartment wallpaper. It has singularly failed to praise the furlough scheme and the very successful vaccination programme despite both being lauded worldwide.

If a general election were held today, Labour would be wiped out. It would truly become the dodo bird of politics. It would be in permanent quarantine.

Come to think of it, this might be no bad thing for a healthy liberal democracy needs a competent opposition party; sadly, the Labour Party is no longer able to provide this.

Dr Barry Clayton

Thornton Cleveleys

APPEAL

Campaign for fairness in award

The Galleon Bar has supported year-round employment sponsored music projects and good causes for the past decade. The Galleon Bar prides itself in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

Many people in Lancashire and beyond cannot understand as to why The Galleon Bar has been left out of the Cultural Recovery Fund (CRF) - although £4m has been awarded to grass roots venues within Blackpool and Fylde coast area.

Something has gone terribly wrong in the process and this decision to award The Galleon Bar not a single penny seems very unfair. The Department for Culture Media and Sport set up the CRF grant scheme to help grass roots music venues like The Galleon Bar not exclude them.

The Galleon Bar has no outdoor trading space and remains closed. This much loved venue now faces a very uncertain future.

Please voice support if you feel The Galleon Bar deserves to be included in the CRF grant scheme.

Email: [email protected], or write to: Arts Council England, The Hive, Lever Street, Manchester, M1 1FN.

Thank you.

Stephen Pierre

on behalf of the

The Galleon Team