Sunday, 9 March, 2008

Mar 9 2008 by Matt Withers, Wales On Sunday

I WAS disturbed to read allegations in your Spin Doctor column of February 10 (‘Good to see Wales Office keeping busy’) that Wales Office staff had made inappropriate political observations and amendments to the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia.

Naturally, we have had this investigated.

Following full technical checks on the ISP addresses used, I can state categorically that none of the offending Wikipedia amendments came from within the Wales Office.

I would, therefore, ask you to make this clear to your readers.

ALAN COGHILLDirector, Wales Office

MANY people will be justifiably disappointed by the appointment of Paul Murphy as Secretary for Wales, an avid opponent of devolution in Wales who, in Wales on Sunday (‘Paul’s Reality Check’, WoS, Feb 24) said that he was not in favour of New Labour joining with Plaid in a marriage of convenience.

I would suggest that with New Labour’s popularity at an all-time low, would it be wise to annul the marriage resulting in a deterioration in the number of New Labour MPs in Wales?

JACK KEARNSGlynneath, Neath

YOU report that Welsh Tory MPs are against a parliament for Wales, while the party’s AMs are in favour (‘I want the powers for us to make a difference’, WoS, March 2’).

Put another way, those who would lose power are against the idea; those who would gain power, are for it.

Who are our representatives representing?

NEAL HOCKLEYLlanberis, Gwynedd

IT seems thatWoS is besotted with our part-time MP, Lembit Öpik, who is finding it difficult to fit in his meetings in the constituency with his ever increasing media engagements.

With our countryside being invaded by numerous wind farms, with more in the planning stage and the apparent absence of police in some of our constituency towns giving rise to vigilantes, our MP’s services are needed in addition to those of our hard-working AM Mick Bates.

ITHEL GILBERT-DAVIESGuilsfield Powys

AT the end of the Second World War, I visited a private club one Sunday. I was on leave from the Army and in uniform.

At the bar was a civilian sitting next to me. He asked me if I gambled.

I replied that I never gambled with my Army pals.

When I asked this civilian why he had asked me this particular question, he gave me this answer:

“I am a bookie who takes bets on horses and dogs. There are three things you should know about betting.

“1. If there are 12 horses running in a race, you pick one and the 11 horses run for me.

“2. We bookies set the odds before the start of a race.

“3. Have you ever met a poor bookie?” From 1945 to the present day I have not bet on horses or dogs. I’ve never even bought a Lottery ticket.

On pages four and five of WoS on March 2 (‘The chips are down’) you give an account of people whose addiction to gambling is blighting their lives.

Perhaps they’d be better off if they stopped gambling. They could then invest in premium bonds.

G CARPENTERSutton Coldfield Birmingham

LAST year your writers Angharad Mair and James McCarthy wrote despairingly of HRH Edward and Harry joining our Army.

What now? Harry was at the frontline, in danger in Afghanistan.

From there he spoke with a great deal of common sense and awareness for the safety of his men at the front (something lacking in your unworldly, thoughtless writers).

Your writers chose to write on a subject they are totally unqualified to write about.

They have no leadership qualities, just narrow-minded bitterness, unlike the true courage shown by Harry.

Will these two bigots now call HRH a murderer or potential killer? If they do, they still need to bear in mind that Welsh soldiers have killed and wounded enemy forces or have been killed or wounded.

H JONESWellington Somerset

FORMER miners have been forced to wait more than 10 years for government compensation for pit-related illnesses, a powerful committee of MPs has said.

Some even died while their claims were being processed because ministers massively underestimated the size and complexity of the project, the Public Accounts Committee has found. Solicitors have earned more than £1.3bn for handling the fees, with one firm alone collecting nearly £124m.

All thanks to NACOD taking the Department of Trade and Industry (a Labour Government department) to court.

So, why are Labour MPs still slapping themselves on the back, when their party fought the claim?

Just like the Post Office closures, they are misleading the public.

ANDREW THOMAS NUTTBargoed Caerphilly