Readers' letters from Monday 3 Mar 2008

Turning informer is not the answer

THE Nazi Party in Germany encouraged members of The Hitler Youth to report their family members and neighbours who were not sympathetic to the aims of the political party.Similarly, in George Orwell’s book 1984, children were also urged to report individuals who spoke out against the state.The MEN (March 28) carried a full page advert from Greater Manchester Police asking members of the public to report to them details of anyone ‘owning a few mobile phones’.I have two mobile phones, one for work and and one for personal calls. Should I report myself? Or my five co-workers who also have two phones? Or just the one of the five who happens to be a Muslim?Had mobile phones been around 30 years ago, we would have been reporting friends and colleagues with Irish accents. This advert (costing taxpayers how much?) will simply spread fear and suspicion where it doesn’t and shouldn’t exist and will divide and alienate even further different sections within the community.

P.G., Moston

Wrong panel

I ATTENDED the climate change debate and welcome your initiative in organising discussion on this important issue. I was very disappointed, however, to see climate sceptic Henry Clemmey given equal billing with Professors Kevin Anderson and David Collins.While Dr Clemmey has every right to an opinion, his presence on the panel was totally unrepres-entative of the scientific consensus that human activity is contributing to climate change, and simply served as a distraction from the pressing debate on how we cut greenhouse gas emissions.If you were organising a debate on how to improve life expectancy, would you choose a panellist who claimed that smoking doesn’t cause lung cancer?

Ali Abbas, Chorlton

Take the lead

MANCHESTER city council has been reported as spending £90,000 a year on bottled water.It takes 10 litres of water to manufacture each plastic container which then takes decades to decay in landfill sites.Clearly this casts a cloud over the city’s 100-day environmental clean-up campaign. Tap water in glass jugs could save council tax payers £90,000 which could be spent on local environmental improvenment grants for local groups in each ward.Other cities have more innovative green policies. Glasgow city council plans to build the city’s first wind farm. Five turbines, each 125 metres tall, with rotors extending 35m, would power all traffic and street lights in the city.The development would save about £3m a year, which the council would plough back into the community. Could Manchester take similar measures?

Gerry Diamond, Manchester

Hard lessons

THE National Association of Head Teachers reports what many teachers have known for years – teachers have no rights – not even the right to teach. A recent government report stated that 250,000 teachers have left the profession over the past five years. Adverts offer new recruits a £9,000 ‘golden hello’. Are these signs of a happy profession?Letter writer K.M. (Postbag, February 28) rightly says that we have to put up with the level of abuse and violence no other public service worker is expected to tolerate. I am one of the army of supply teachers who stand in for permanent teacher absences and it’s even worse for us. I have had a craft knife waved in front of me after a pupil slashed books and desks. He was taken out by the head of department and returned to class five minutes later. I have been punched dozens of times in the corridors and the street. I have been threatened by year 11 pupils driving past. I am verbally abused almost daily. I am regularly accused by both boys and girls of being a paedophile. These are common complaints reported by other supply teachers.In class, I am ignored and abused by pupils and told that I am not a proper teacher because I am on supply and that I have no right to discipline them. Some staff teachers and managers see us as weak, ineffectual and ignorant of our subjects. Yet I am more qualified with more experience in my speciality than most teachers I stand in for.Now, disruptive kids rule the roost and everyone else suffers. I feel like a cross between a baby-sitter and animal trainer. Is this how to treat caring professionals? 

Supply teacher