Sunday, 2 March 2008

Mar 2 2008 Wales on Sunday

I WOULD like to express disgust regarding the remarks of James McCarthy in respect of the article concerning Charlotte Church’s sobriety at her birthday party (‘Charl’s a soft touch’, WoS, Feb 24).

Apparently a ‘wild child’ she was, but is now, I hope, a responsible young mother.

Surely with all the adverse publicity regarding binge drinking the thoughtless McCarthy was in an ideal position to praise her for not drinking, not attempting to encourage her to return to her past bad behaviour.

I find this most offensive.

DAVID THOMAS,
Ton Pentre, Rhondda

* I MUST take exception to the childish remark about Charlotte Church not having an alcoholic drink on her birthday made by your columnist James McCarthy.

In these times when we already have a huge problem with alcohol misuse I think that WoS and Mr McCarthy should be more careful and responsible.

Charlotte is being sensible and should be praised.

B McCORMACK,
Rhiwbina, Cardiff

* I WAS disappointed and angered by James McCarthy’s column criticising Charlotte Church, albeit in a satirical and lightly tongue-in-cheek manner, for not indulging in excessive alcohol during her recent birthday celebrations.

The slurred criticism directed at Katherine Jenkins was also uncalled for and overstepped the mark.

At a time when binge-drinking and alcohol-related problems are never far from the headlines, and on the day where the same paper held a story of the tragedy that alcohol consumption brought to a family, as well as a scathing column by Angharad Mair rightly criticising the drinks industry for the constant targeting of teenagers with alcopops, the column seemed even more out of place.

I believe that both Katherine and Charlotte now serve as excellent role models for young people as their behaviour does not grab the headlines for the wrong reasons and they lead mature lives.

Would we not all be jumping from the rooftops condemning Charlotte if she had gone out and drunk herself into a stumbling mess as she has done in the past, especially now she has to care for a young daughter?

Surely we should be applauding her change in attitude.

DAVID GWYNFOR SAMUEL,
Merthyr Tydfil

* IN December 2006 your reporter Marc Baker wrote an article publicising claims by Llanelli ‘psychic’ Diane Lazarus that she would catch the ‘Suffolk Strangler’, which is how she referred to the serial killer who killed five prostitutes in Ipswich in 2006.

Ms Lazarus offered to assist Suffolk Police, claiming that she would be ‘able to help police unravel this mystery’ if she could visit the murder scenes.

In Mr Baker’s story, Ms Lazarus is quoted as saying: “I think he is a young lad, a hoodie...I am getting the feeling that he is doing this as some kind of religious ritual”.

Last week, Steve Wright, a 49-year-old man (not a “young lad, a hoodie”) was convicted of the Suffolk murders. Will Ms Lazarus now admit that she was wrong, that she had no idea what she was on about?

And while she’s at it, perhaps she can clarify precisely her involvement in other investigations.

The claim in Mr Baker’s 2006 story – that Ms Lazarus “helped find TV presenter Jill Dando’s killer”, “helped Norfolk Constabulary to investigate the unsolved murder of Joanna Young” and “helped West Midlands Police find the killers of college lecturer Mark Green” – are stated as fact.

Had Mr Baker done what any cub reporter worth his salt does – check facts – and call the police forces mentioned in his report, they would have made it clear to him that Ms Lazarus had not helped them find any killers and that they do not use psychics.

She may have offered help – police get masses of information during murder investigations – and maybe in her mind that constitutes ‘helped find killers’. But her information did not lead to any arrests, any convictions.

Psychics will say that police deny receiving ‘supernatural’ help to solve crimes – detectives don’t like admitting it, say the mediums.

But if such information does help put a killer in jail, why shouldn’t the police acclaim it, and praise the psychics? They don’t deny the success of DNA evidence, do they? They don’t say ‘police will never use fingerprinting in the fight against crime’.

Police deny they use psychics because they don’t use them. Ms Lazarus can make any claim she wants, she can make predictions about catching killers if she wishes to.

But time, and science, will always catch her and her fellow mediums out. We cannot blame Diane Lazarus for making her claim in 2006 – she wants publicity after all. And that’s fair enough if she’s a businesswoman.

But we can blame Marc Baker and Wales on Sunday for naive and careless reporting and for committing the ultimate journalistic crime that doesn’t need psychic help to solve – they didn’t check the facts.

D EDWARDS,
Whitstable, Kent

* I AM a Welshman and would like to be proud of it.

I have travelled to many countries around our globe, and I am embarrassed to live in Hirwaun.

For a number of years whilst living in Berkshire, having been on a three-week trip to somewhere like Pakistan or Bangladesh, I would be pleased to return home to a good beer, a good meal and a relatively clean environment.

Now, here I am in Hirwaun, dogs allowed to run free and do their business on the roads – even in the alleyway of my house or just outside my gate.

The council says it is tackling the problem vigorously. Unfortunately Rhondda Cynon Taf doesn’t seem to know what vigorous means. Come on RCT, take this matter as seriously as it deserves.

PAUL POWELL,
Hirwaun, Cynon Valley

* THE Welsh Assembly Government’s new Renewable Energy Routemap indicates just how deep the corruption of thought has become when section 7.12 has the following banal statement about monstrous wind generators: “Single or double large turbines (or a cluster of smaller turbines) can normally be sited sensitively in a way which either enhances the landscape or has minimal impact.”

This is not only an insult to the intelligence, but a shameful betrayal of the tourist industry and future generations – are we also looking at the nemesis of democracy in Wales?

Of course I support renewables, but wind generation in the UK is the ‘basket case’ of all renewables.

More worrying is the fact that we are supposed to have a coalition in the Senedd.

Where are the voices of Plaid Cymru objecting to this blatant betrayal of the people of Wales – the industrialisation and desecration of our beautiful country to the altar of exploitation and avarice.

Plaid now need to show their colours via the media and emulate our glorious and gutsy rugby team – now is their chance, or forever hold their head in shame.

Cymru am byth.

DAVE HASKELL,
Boncath, Pembrokeshire