Readers' letters from Friday 27 Feb 2009

Tell us truth about Iraq debate

I NOTE with interest the current enthusiasm for ‘transparency’ from across the party political spectrum and I trust that this enthusiasm will be extended to condemnation of Jack Straw’s decision to veto the release of the minutes of the crucial Cabinet meetings of March 13/17, 2003, which considered the legality of the Iraq war, which was then in the final days of planning. On January 27, 2009, the Information Tribunal had agreed to uphold the order to release the documents, but the government’s Justice Secretary has vetoed this. I suspect that he is unwilling to take the risk that the Cabinet minutes may show that the then Attorney General Lord Goldsmith was initially in agreement with the CND and the Stop the War Coalition’s position that UN Security Council Resolution 1441 was not sufficient to make an attack on Iraq legal.Straw’s disgraceful decision comes in the wake of many other attempts by the government to stop us knowing the facts. For example, we learned only last week about the terrifying prospect of the nuclear catastrophe which could have resulted from the collision between HMS Vanguard and her French equivalent Le Triomphant in the mid-Atlantic in early February.And we are still waiting for the release of information about the government’s suspected collusion in the torture of freed Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed. Jack Straw’s use of his veto to stop us knowing the truth about discussions in March 2003 cannot be justified in any way. The disgrace of the Attorney General ‘changing his mind’ on whether the war could be justified must be exposed in all its detail. The British people needs to see these minutes in preparation for the full inquiry into the Iraq war, long promised, but never quite delivered by Gordon Brown.The illegality of the invasion of Iraq must not be swept under the carpet. Six years does not erase the guilt of those responsible for breaking international law. This matter will remain a running sore until we know the facts and have seen those responsible for bringing about the deaths of countless thousands of innocent civilians put on trial at an international tribunal.

Philip Gilligan, Littleborough

Scrap Israeli Science Day

WE are asking Manchester Museum of Science and Industry to cancel the planned ‘Israeli Science Day’ booked by the Zionist Federation of Great Britain for March 3. A similar event is planned for the Science Museum in London on March 5.Since the booking was made, Israel has conducted a brutal war against the people of Gaza. Israel continues to maintain a siege which worsens what the UN has declared as a massive humanitarian disaster in Gaza. Confidence in our museums as public institutions would, we believe, be damaged if our Science Museum allowed itself to be seen as giving a platform to promote Israeli interest, rather than scientific interests. The Israeli Day of Science is not primarily about science, rather it is a showcase for seven Israeli universities, which are all complicit in the Israeli occupation and in the policies and weaponry so recently deployed to such disastrous effect.MOSI has a history of providing scientific exhibitions which explain how science has been developed, how it has been used to enlighten, to provide understanding, how science has been used for the benefit the whole of humanity. It is this inclusive approach which has placed the museum in such high standing among schools and colleges, families and communities across the region. We ask that it considers cancelling this event.

Prof Jules Townshend, Manchester Metropolitan University; Mark Krantz, Greater Manchester Stop the War Coalition; Christine Vie, University College Union NEC; Linda Clair, Manchester Palestine Solidarity Committee and others

Safe deposits

I CAN assure N. Llaw (Postbag, February 24) that Greater Manchester Police is very much pursuing the real criminals who attack staff making deliveries to cash machines using a range of tactics and this has led to a reduction in such offences. One of the strategies we use to disrupt this criminal activity is from time to time escorting such deliveries. We all depend on cash machines for easy access to our money but the deliveries are particularly vulnerable and the guards and sometimes members of the public have suffered serious injuries and worse in these attacks. In many other countries there are armed private security staff at banks, something we would not want to see in this country and so it is important we continue to confront this criminality and take on the groups behind it. The security companies do make a contribution to our work, which means less of a burden on the tax payer. In respect of the anti-social behaviour reported in the letter, if contact is made with the local neighbourhood team covering Portwood (0161 856 5902) they will be happy to assist.

Chief Constable Peter Fahy, Greater Manchester Police

Counterfeits kill

YOUR report of the court case of the gang distributing 72 million cigarettes (MEN, February 24) got a mixed response from the public. Many see this as a ‘Robin Hood’ crime – stealing from the tax authorities. The real argument for this action should be to protect the public from the disgusting and dangerous ingredients in these cigarettes that do deadly damage. Recent analysis found camel dung and other faecal matter in counterfeit cigarettes. It is also the case that many of the cigarettes are sold on by young people to other young people and children. So if everyone in Greater Manchester wants to have smoke-free young people, we need to make a stand against smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes which kick-start kids towards a path which ends up with 14 residents a day across our region dying of smoking-related diseases. Kicking smoking is not easy, but help is only one call or text away. Call the NHS on 0800 432 03 03 or text QUIT with your name and postcode to 81066.

Pat Karney, NHS Director of Tobacco-Free Greater Manchester

Tree SOS

I DO not understand why they have to cut down all the trees in the railway area because they help us breathe more easily and lots of wildlife will not be able to live there anymore. Once we saw a massive mushroom on a tree and if you cut the trees down, they wouldn’t grow there any more would they? In autumn my sister and I love to collect conkers. Now maybe they will re-think cutting down the trees. Thank you.

Misha Patel, Manchester

Not whining, campaigning

MOSTON Valley Residents Association asks that we at Trinity ‘stop whining and be thankful for what you have had’ (Postbag, February 25).The Association’s committee and I are grateful to the council, but Trinity represents 700 properties in north Manchester. Only a number of streets received a facelift. Now we have other areas of Trinity seeking the same, and we support them. Those residents who wrote to Postbag at the same time as I did were questioning the allocation of budgets, including a glass walkway by the Central Library in Manchester.So if you feel that we are whining, then sorry, but all we are doing is campaigning for improvements to our area.

Stephen K. Holt, chair, Trinity and District Residents Association

Penalised for trying to help myself

I HAVE just returned from a tribunal where I appealed for the reinstatement of my disability living allowance which has been turned down for the third time as not fitting the criteria.  I wonder if I am rejected because when I am well I choose to work, despite struggling every day with health and medication? Should I simply go on the dole or get pregnant, since people who do seem to get more consideration? There are a lot of people out there who lie about their health and get everything. Yet there are a lot of genuine people who get turned down. If you can sit at a computer or watch TV at home all day, I think there is no reason why you can’t go out to work. I feel better when I can work. But why is it that when we try to help ourselves, we get penalised by the system?

Angry sufferer