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Clitheroe.422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified), www.clitheroetoday.co.uk r.clitheroetoday.co.uk Letters to the Editor - Write to: The Editor, Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, 3 King Street, Ciitheroe BB72EW Editorial e-mail: vivicn.mcath@eastlancsncws.co.uk


I the fact that several BNP Kminal records?


cist tension and violence


tely to provoke? ligh-jacking of the Union I George by these people? Ihe beautiful and peaceful ne a focus for racist activi-


l these questions, then we


lery opportunity to oppose I’fectively the new fascists Isupport of those parties lir tolerance and democra-


Look again at the issues


of fluoridation in water WE are delighted thait the Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust (POT) is NOT recommending fluoridation of water supplies. Since the Hyndbum and Ribble Valley PCT, and


the Burnley Pendle and Rossendale PCT discussed fluoridation, there have been new developments and we believe the public should be made aware of them. A few years ago, the Government commissioned


campaign [with Iraq?


Incem about the allocation I island (Letters, January |ampaigning against war in


nitted ourselves to 30,000


luld meet the basic require- fylum-seekers for 10 years, lur to five million of Iraq’s II flee (the middle-classes in I of conflict.


|tries like Iran have already ns as a result of the USA’s Ind the entire area will see a


ps of injured and maimed 1 and children) rely on aid


later, food and fuel, lly not abandon Iraq simi- bause of the oil, but it is Ishare of these spoils. Inising a coach to London


a review of water fluoridation, which is known as the York Review. In December 2002, four key sci­ entists involved in the York Review wrote to Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Health, to Inform her that they were concerned about the continuing misrepresentations of the evidence from the review, which could have implications for public policy. They made three key points: 1. On the effectivenes of fluoridation in reducing


dental caries, the scientists stated that they could not discover any reliable good-quality evidence in the literature worldwide. What they found suggest­ ed that fluoridation could have a beneficial effect, but in fact the range could be anywhere between a substantial benefit to a SLIGHT DISBENEFIT to children’s teeth. 2. On the effectiveness of fluondation in reducing


inequalities in dental health across social groups, the scientists stated that this evidence is WEAK, CONTRADICTORY and UNRELIABLE. 3. On the safety of fluoridation, the scientists


stated that apart from an INCREASE in dental fluorosis (mottled teeth) they found no clear pat­ tern among the possible negative effects they exam­ ined and felt that not enough was known because the quality of the evidence was poor. One of the scientists has gone on record as saying


that it is worrying that statements which mislead the public about the review’s findings have been made in press releases and briefings by the British Dental A^ciation, the National Alliance for Equi­ ty in Dental Health and the British Fluoridation Society. There have also been serious charges made


against Dr Whittle, Consultant in Dental Public Health and Dr Morton, Director of Public Health and Health Standards, by the National Pure Water


[r contempt it elections


I take this opportunity to Jlichard Atkinson in what ed statement against the


|)y one of the recent letter L lawful political party is bnly piece of truth in the


lid the electorate that the Id a leader from a proper ]the 1930 election (Adolf 5 by the votes for him, but


[were not cast against him. > chance to show your con- Ir political party, the BNP, Ithem at the next local elec-


' having a go at Richard ! taking a hard line stance


|rty. point Jesus made when


Ithe greatest command- l “Love God" and the sec- Ighbour as yourself”.


Was this letter written


with tongue in cheek? I READ with interest the letter “We migrat­ ed, so why not others” from Robin Parker and wondered if this was written rather tongue in cheek? I think that if people were to take the com­


ments too seriously it may strengthen rather than weaken the case for the BNP. Point one: the people from this country


who migrated to new countries were needed to populate the lands which, together with the assets, were being taken from the native people in order to create space, wealth and build empire; we were not the only country in this quest. Point two: this is not a new country look­


ing for population expansion. Many of the people who seek migration to Britain require support and services long term, which will become unsustainable if proper control is not- put on'the numbers,'including many who seek to come here illegally. I would agree that there is a moral obliga­


tion to take in genuine asylum seekers, also refugees from countries where we have sup­ ported or contributed to wars; this will be the case if there is a war with Iraq. Indeed, if as Robin quotes, there are “1,500


ig is a cry for electorate


dvertiser and Times for bnt letters clarifying what


|nd putting the Rev. Atkin- hich should be promoting


bking himself why church propping natiomvide while


lows. ! no ties with any particu-


lious party, but I do object ling by such as the “Ribble pism” and letters like that tn. I suggest this country could I fascist nation; the British


jet it, history’s alarm bells


Ip things in check. Perhaps lionwide should be asking le BNP is doing so well in ■the country? In my view it I our country back the way


I all people) I talk to are fed py correct nonsense. I will


I We used to have firemen, be referred to as fire-fight-


jdreds of silly things like ; understand a very popu-


I compered a much-loved ras carpeted for using the le was so upset by this he pw, all for using a word kids pi over the North used to pr doing something silly or ning at all to do with race,


Iswing towards the BNP ] cry for help, help that the jot, or will not, give. ■being used as a bottomless pnts and potential asylum bis also applies to British pge on the welfare system pg to cripple it, while the population (of any colour


told there is no money for hs taxation and national


|e Government is telling us liough money in the pot in jhe old age pension and we |to private pensions in the fire living longer and longer Health Service is over


I have worked and paid tax Irance all my life, and it P;o being 60, it cost me a lot hern on a medical prescrip-


|o r a fact people that have nd never worked get theirs fill the other handouts they


la brilliant health and wel- las being abused but man- \d above the water. .. • .. . I blame the problem on the' V ion for living too long.' Iwhat the true problem is,t Ifor strong leaders to bring; Tty into the country,


W '


r . - - , ' •' •*'


/.(


Iraqis every month claiming asylum in Britain” it is not surprising, considering the Bush regime and Tony Blair are hell-bent on war in that sorry country. As to the comments on higher salaries and


taxes for the working man, come on now, you must be jokingl Yes? Taxes for the low and middle earners are high enough, but what is needed is a new morality and higher banding structure to tax the higher earners, and more so, those on obscene incomes which are out of all proportion to any individual's worth. As a final comment, I think that the reason


most working people do not like paying taxes is because of the way they perceive it to be wasted by government; many also object to tax spending for involvement in wars. With few exceptions, if any, do wars con­


tribute to solving the problems of the world? I believe in most cases there are other ways.


HARRY KAINE, Langho.


Local elections are


about local issues I WAS interested to read details of the BNP’s policies. Local elections are about local issues and administration. Voters should ask them­ selves how will the BNP improve the prosper­ ity and welfare of the Ribble Valley? The BNP gave us few coherent answers. Its core argument seems to be this, in order


to provide more resources we should put our “own people first”. Hence (I presume) taking from “outsiders” to give to “oiir own”. The question arises, in our locality who are “our own people”, who is an “outsider”? The 1991 census suggests 0.6% of the Ribble popula­ tion comes from “minority communities”. To put this in a personal context (as we can


all do) - my partner is German, our paperboy is Maltese, a friend in the book club is Italian, and the friendly guy that serves me delicious sag prawn is Bangladeshi. Are these people “outsiders” or “insiders”? If “outsiders”, should they make way for


our “own people” in the GP surgery? Or per­ haps be removed from their accommodation to house “our own”? To recognise them as “not our own” should they wear a special item of clothing or perhaps a coloured star? Ulti­ mately they could live in a special “outsider" area - we could call it “the ghetto”. The stark reality is this - . i f the BNP is


elected - I believe it will bring no extra resources, community relations will plummet, our image as a fine place to live, do business and take a holiday will disappear. If anyone is in doubt, ask Burnley people what their town is now known for. A vote for the BNP will impact badly on us all - insiders and out­


siders.' , .


MARK FOORD, WaltSlreet, Sabdcn.


• The Editor welcomes letters on any subject, but correspondents are reminded that contributions may be edited or con­ densed.


" '


• Letters with noms de plume will be accepted for publication, providing a name, address and telephone number, if available, are included."


' dTs.co.uk >' ^ ■ rF o r. ''


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Association, to the chairman of the Health Select, Committee concerning,allegedly misleading state­ ments that they made and allegedlyinaccurate con­ clusions that they have drawn from the York Review at the Hyndbum and Ribble Valley PCT meeting in December, 2002.


• , •


We trust because of this new information, the Hyndbum and Ribble Valley PCT and Burnley,


■Pendle and Rossendale PCT will re-examine the evi­ dence and reconsider their decisions on fluoridation.


MRS LINDA FOR REST, Chairman, Fight Against Fluoridation; Blackburn, Hyndbum and Ribble Valley, 41 The Hazels, Wilpshire, BB19HZ. Tel. 01254 246662.


i i ' l "■ ■ Witchcraft and magical


practice evidence sought HAVING lived in London for the past 20 years, I recently moved back to the Ribble Valley where I was brought up, and am wondering if your readers could assist me in my research? As a graduate archaeologist and historian special­


ising in the archaeology of witchcraft and magical practices, I have been eager for many years to be in a position to be able to document any physical evi­ dence for these practices in this area. Until now, this has proved impractical. I collaborated closely with the late Dr Ralph


Merrifield (Deputy Director of the Museum of Lon­ don and author of “The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic”) for some years on academic research into ritual protection of domestic and farm buildings, and made a promise to him that should I ever return to the Clitheroe area permanently, I would docu­ ment any examples of such protective devices that I could discover. I am interested, therefore, in anything “odd”


which any reader may have found or heard about in the local towns or villages. Examples might include items such as shoes,


clothing, iron implements, animal remains, bottles or holed stones discovered in peculiar places (e.g. under doorsteps, walled up in chimneys and fire­


places or in the roof space) within houses or farm


b u i ld in g s . - .i f U ■ These items were often carefully concealed by the i


owners of buildings until quite recently, to protect themselves and their animals against the possibility of magical attack. (I have already discovered a ref­ erence to hagstones - holed stones - having been found when the old smithy was demolished at Chat- bum). I would also like to hear about any written charms or curses which have come to light ( lam , aware of the West Bradford example) and whether or not anybpdy remembers any practising “cun-. ning” men or women assisting the local farmers. I lam also interested in recording any evidence


found personally or remembered which might point to the apparent practice of witchcraft, for example “poppets” (witch dolls) which were sometimes pierced with pins or thorns, or animal hearts simi­ larly pierced;.' While I came across a few examples of such items


in Barnet, North London, where I acted as archae­ ological officer in the local museum, worked closely alongside English Heritage in maintaining the Sites and Monuments Record and published local history and archaeology books and articles, I am very hopeful that an area as rich in folklore as ours will prove to be far richer in information, bearing in mind our 17th Century witch scares. If any readers have information which they


think maybe of interest, I would be very grateful if they could get in touch with me so that I can ensure that the finds are recorded and.shared with other researchers in this field of archaeology.


JENNIFER LEE COBBAN, Bccch Grove, Chatburn. Tel: 01200 440385.


Churches exempt from


live music licence bill LIKE many local and and regional papers, you may have received letters from readers over recent weeks expressing concerns about the impact of the Government’s Licensing Bill oh the future of live performances in churches. I am pleased to be able to tell you and your read­ ers that, having listened to these concerns, we have


decided that places of public worship across the country will not need a licence to put on regulated entertainment of any kind. The last thing I would want is to threaten the


great tradition of church music that has been at the very heart of our nation’s cultural life for hundreds of years. The Bill will be amended as soon as possi­ ble to ensure this does not happen. I can also tell you that we intend to exempt vil-


' lage and community halls from fees associated mth the provision of entertainment or entertainnient


' facilities under the licensing regime. I recognise that they are integral to community life and pro­ vide a social hub in a great many rural and urban areas. I am determined to enable them to continue to play this essential role. The exemption I am announcing will enable reli-


■ gious institutions and music societies to flourish. I hope it will provide reassurance to your readers.


KIM HOWELLS, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Cockspur Street, London.


Ambiguous road signs


need some clarification IT is interesting that all the letters of motorists of which I am one, all condemn the speed cameras. They all admit that in effect they were driving without due care and attention. It is incumbent upon motorists to observe all


that is going on at the roadside whilst being aware of the speed at which they are driving. As far as I can see, the only time they could have


■ justification for speeding would be through the camera situated at Harwood Bar, near Clayton-le-


, Moors, where there are two ambiguous road signs one of 40 m.p.h. and the other of 30 m.p.h dis­ played. That must have been illegal on the coun­ cil’s part and these extenuating circumstances should have rendered the prosecutions void - until the proper speed limits were clearly displayed.


G. TAYLOR Mayfield Road,


Ramsgreave We should look at the


issue of national security REGARDING recent letters published about immi­ gration, carrying it to its logical conclusion, every­ one bom after Adam and Eve is an immigrant. But how times change. Contrary to beliefs recent­


ly published in this newspaper, like many other Eng­ lishmen, hone of my thTM brothers and two cousins was told that they might be "descendants of immi­ grants" as they were handed their guns and uniforms and told to go off and fight German Socialism in 1939-1945. Could we count on such national unity in 2003? Meanwhile, a high-ranking policeman has stated


that Al-Qaeda terrorists are at large in this country. Then I read an ex-Taliban fighter has been granted asylum in Wales. Israel, a country bom out of Jewish immigration


and conflict, has very strict mles on who it allows to settle permanently in that country. Why then, for the very same reason, national secu­


rity, should not Britain do likewise, especially after recent incidents in London and Manchester? Hands up all those who did not see this coming and anyone who still advocates an open-door policy.


BERT DE HARDWICK (HARDEWYK), Queensway, Waddinglon.


Pride in our welcome of


refugees in the past WE in this country (and in America) can be proud of the fact that we have always welcomed immigrants and refugees from other countries and regimes, who have, for many years, integrated well into our society, even if not being of the same religion. However, among the present genuine asylum seek­


ers, I believe that there are some whose avowed intent is to overthrow our society and way of life, with no regard for human life - their own or anyone else's.


S.J.DODD, Highmoor Park, Clitheroe


Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, February 6th, 2003 17


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