Saturday, 26 April 2008

Apr 26 2008 by Our Correspondent, Western Mail

Foul language is part of sporting culture

SIR –

Boxing is not tiddlywinks on a Sunday afternoon, but a gladiatorial sport, that requires controlled aggression to give the competitors any chance of succeeding. The use of ‘foul’ language is one tool that can be used to create the aggression. (“Wales let down by Enzo’s bad language”, Letters, April 24).

Foul language is part of the current sport culture.

How many footballers and rugby players have been heard over the referees’ microphone making comments that may be inappropriate for the watcher but not for the players on the pitch.

I think we live in a culture where everything is analysed too much.

I did watch the fight and must admit to not really hearing the language that was written about.

I watched the fight to watch the fight and not analyse what else was going on outside of that.

To be absolutely honest, I would expect to hear such language at the boxing, but maybe that is just me.

In respect of all the people who were offended by the language, I would personally not be pointing the finger at Enzo, but the broadcasters.

As in every sport TV is king, control the sport and have cameras and microphones in places that people didn’t know existed.

Surely the broadcasters should keep their microphones out of the corners?

They know that the language is going to happen.

One factor may have been that it was broadcast at 4am in the morning.

And finally, what this has to do with being Welsh I do not know.

JASON LEWIS
Church Village, South Wales

Compassion needed?

SIR – I express my grave reservations about the ugliness of the proceedings which have brought the Bishop of St Davids to the public eye.

I do not comment on the facts of the situation (of which I have no knowledge) but feel that the process itself does the Church no credit.

Many of us in the ordained ministry offer ourselves for service at a great personal sacrifice – both personally and pecuniary.

None of us should presume anything as a result of that sacrifice – but we can all hope for mercy and indeed – many of us might rely upon that mercy more than we might realise.

It is to the shame of us all within the Christian community, that Carl Cooper, his family, Mandy Williams-Potter and her family, have not been afforded the compassionate and quiet care that this situation requires.

The issue has the hallmarks of justice – that is true – but there is little of grace nor of graciousness in its traces.

THE REV RICHARD SPENCER
Priest in Charge of the Parish of Kenfig Hill in the Diocese of Llandaff.

Collaring an outcome

SIR – A few days ago I asked the Department for Rural Affairs about the result of the inquiry into the use of electronic dog collars as training aids.

The consultation period closed on February 8. I was told “the results are currently being analysed”.

I cannot imagine any argument or shred of evidence that would support the use of these barbaric items; yet in view of the appalling decision taken in respect of the badger cull, I am filled with trepidation at the possible outcome of this consultation.

Our Welsh Assembly Government would be wise to heed the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

I believe that says it all!

Pat Lambeth (Mrs)
Independent Candidate Pontllanfraith

Anthem ‘precedent’

SIR – I proclaim I am an avid supporter of most sports, particularly of Welsh involvement.

I am thrilled by the success of our Welsh teams and individuals, and also of our British counterparts – eg, Sir Stephen Redgrave (rowing), Dame Kelly Holmes (athletics) our own Colin Jackson (athletics), Nicole Cooke (cyclist), our national and regional rugby teams, David Davies (swimming) and now Joe Calzaghe (super champion boxer of the world) at two weights.

Being predominantly a rugby aficionado, I nonetheless applaud the achievements of our Cardiff City Bluebirds in reaching the English FA Cup final, for only the third time in history.

With reference to the now-decided question as to whether the Welsh National Anthem should be played and sung before the final at Wembley on Saturday, May 17.

I possess a Columbia vinyl record dating back to 1927, of the Daily Express-sponsored community pre-match singing of Abide With Me and the Welsh National Anthem, prior to Cardiff winning the FA Cup against Arsenal.

If there needed to be a precedent in this matter, then this record is surely it.

Played by the band of HM Grenadier Guards in the presence of 92,000 voices, the leader was Thomas P Ratcliffe.

There cannot be many persons living who attended that match, but should there be, they could verify that this was the case.

COLIN A SENDELL
Rhiwbina Hill, Cardiff

Use real science

SIR – I write in reply to Dr John Etherington’s comments regarding the link between climate change and atmospheric CO2 levels (Letters, April 24).

John, you are quite right to doubt climate change as being driven “solely” by anthropogenic CO2 levels; the atmosphere is a complicated system derived from the cycle of gases rising from the Earth and returning to it.

What I do find hard to believe is that a doctor is placing his doubt purely on the results of one correlation rather than to set his sights in the realms of real science. CO2 has a residence time in the atmosphere of 30 years; therefore, we need to correlate current temperature change with the CO2 output of 30 years ago. I think that way you will find a stronger correlation.

DAVID FISH
(Geoscientist) Russell Street, Cardiff

Bill for bank errors

SIR – I think the Lib-Dem leader is quite right to point out that in this country the banks can “take their profits, but nationalise their losses” and the fat-cat incompetents still pocket huge bonuses and golden handshakes while the taxpayer pays for their greedy errors of judgement.

Is then the great god of market forces a Janus that smiles on them and frowns on the rest of us? I feel sorry for Mr Darling in some respects, as Gordon Brown’s arrogance and blatant bias towards the dictates of the City of London have certainly made his job a thankless one.

If Brown had joined the euro – now the strongest currency in the world – and not mortgaged the future of whole communities with his Private Finance Initiatives to build the schools and hospitals etc that we so urgently needed, then we would be in a far stronger position than we are now.

Mr Brown sold off a lot of our gold reserves as well at a quarter of the price they are now worth, such is the infinite wisdom of the man!

Blair made Britain a colony of the USA in a total reversal of history. It was pretty sickening to see Brown fawning on American television recently in a vain attempt to gain the popularity of Phoney Tony there.

Viv Griffiths
Newton Road, Mumbles, Swansea

Trauma for parents

SIR – Modern travelling and media developments have shrunk the world so much as to make faraway places almost neighbours, deemed, not too long ago, too far or too inconsequential there to pacify and christianise and for armies and civil servants to colonise.

Thankfully – although many of our consciences have been touched to large degrees – the sufferings of so many countries have become concerns of many of us as the media highlights their problems, granted not sufficiently enough.

We’ve been able to alleviate some of them, to some extent.

Some people have become voluntary workers overseas.

There is, however, one Welsh couple pressing for compensation and a formal apology for the illegal shooting that killed their peace-activist son, accusing that government of its “wall of deceit and fabrication over this shooting. And the denial to the family of a fair and just compensation. That can lead to an international criminal responsibility for whoever acknowledges such an attitude”.

It has been a traumatic five- year campaign for Anthony and Jocelyn Hurndall on behalf of their son Tom and I trust many readers will share my sentiments in offering them our strongest support in their heartbreaking quest to seek justice against a deficient and insensitive Israeli government.

ADRIEN JONES
Member of Amnesty International, Church Street, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire

Comments in error

SIR – In my letter in the Western Mail on April 24 I commented on a Labour candidate who didn’t look well enough to last a four-year term. It was meant to illustrate the difficulty they were having in finding candidates.

However, on reflection, I realise that there may be other, more admirable reasons for the selection. Therefore I would retract the comment and unreservedly apologise for making it in the first place.

GLYN ERASMUS
Blackwood

The Western Mail would also like to apologise for any distress caused by the offending paragraph in Mr Erasmus’ letter