Readers' letters - April 21

xtremely interesting article in tonight’s Retro regarding Suttons of St Helens and Atkinson Vehicles (LP Retro April 19).

There is still a great interest in these wonderful lorries of the past.

There are currently two forums on Facebook, namely the Classic Atkinson and Seddon Atkinson Club (CAASAC) and the Atkinson Vehicles Club.

Both have a wealth of information available to anyone who wants it.

The archives are innumerable.

I also have a microfilm collection containing chassis build information on practically every Atkinson vehicle that was turned out of the Winery Lane factory between 1949 and the last chassis to roll off the line – an eight-wheeler in 1975, a very sad day.

I worked at the Seddon Atkinson Factory in Club Street, Bamber Bridge, from 1972 and well remember Suttons being one of our prized customers. Their drivers came in most days to collect spares, either direct from ourselves or from the main dealer in Warrington Ryland Vehicles (formerly North Cheshire Motors).

My brother Philip worked at Winery Lane in the 1960s until the spares section moved up to the new warehouse in Club Street.

It was good to read of the antics of the drivers in those days.

As you say, there were not many creature comforts to be had back then.

I am sure your article will spark some memories out there for Atkinson and Suttons employees.

Let’s hope it stirs up some interest and good luck to Tony Johnson in his quest for information.

Mike Hardman

Seddon Atkinson product parts information provider from 1972 to 2007 (officially), but unofficially, still 
at it!

LANGUAGE

Words should be chosen carefully

I totally agree with Graham Archer (LP Letters, April 17), regarding the increase in profanities these days, when using the English language.

Years ago, it was understood that people who swore did not have a good knowledge of adjectives (describing words).

I have an old English Oxford Dictionary, published 1932, and it is a joy to sit and read the words which gave such light and shade to our language but which now, unfortunately, sees a large percentage of them long since gone.

Words are of the utmost importance, and the only means to convey to others what one means, and how one feels about everything, for instance words of comfort during a bereavement, words of praise on an achievement, or words of encouragement regarding a family member’s project.

Words can lift others up, spiritually, or dash them down into the depths and, once damaging, harmful words are spoken, they can never be retracted, therefore words should be chosen carefully before being spoken.

An excellent, continuous education in grammar is so necessary, right from starting school through to A-levels at the other end.

The only thing users of swear words do is show themselves up as being uneducated and, as for politicians using them, they are badly letting the side down, and should be ashamed of themselves.

J G

via email

politics

Parties interested in own agendas

Another General Election and, whichever way it goes, it’s going to be a disaster for some of the people.

After voting Labour for over 50 years, I didn’t vote for them at the last election because I wanted the chance to vote to get out of Europe.

What I didn’t vote for was the continued austerity theme that the Conservatives claimed they had a mandate for, when most people voted on the basis of a referendum.

What do I do now?

Do I vote to ditch Brexit, just to get rid of the Tory Government?

Who in their right mind would want to see people in this country continuing to be ground down by draconian cuts?

If I vote to continue the fight for Brexit, then I am stuck with the Tories and something I do not believe in.

On the other hand if I throw away my belief in Brexit and vote Labour, I may see a Labour Government I do not believe in either.

Corbyn, Abbot and the rest are more likely to twin us with North Korea than fight to get us out of the EU.

It seems to me that both parties are more interested in their own agendas than what the people want.

Voting for one thing in a manifesto doesn’t mean you have voted for the other things in the manifesto that are actually hurting the people around you.

I despair of this country.

S C

Address supplied

gibraltar

What if Spain took Cornwall over?

We English must be the most superb experts in hypocrisy.

For example: In the 1830s (1832?), a gunboat from our country approached an island in the vicinity of the South American continent.

It took off all the inhabitants and dumped them on the next immediate country – Argentina. Then agents on the gunboat planted a few pillar boxes and called the island The Falklands. We actually fought a war over the island in the 1980s, claiming the island as our own.

About 300 years earlier, there must have been a great war in Europe. It terminated in 1715 when there was a treaty and Britain claimed Gibraltar.

Over the next centuries, Britain was truly ‘Great’ and the ‘Rock’ bustled with things particularly essential in the Great Wars of the last century.

Modern warfare will make Gibraltar obsolete, but we still fortify it with English ‘Bobbies’ and fish and chips.

I wonder what we would think if a bit of Cornwall was taken over by the Spanish.

Robin Parker

Chatburn

sport

A bit rich ... in more ways than one

I was watching the World Snooker Championship on TV, and Marco Fu was playing, but not playing well.

Former snooker player John Parrot said: “He, (Marco Fu) needs to ‘up his game’ and play a lot better if he wants to progress further in this snooker tournament.”

Mmmm... that’s a bit rich coming from someone who has to be content with being a pundit in the commentary box, albeit a very well paid one like all the rest of the now ‘retired’ snooker aces!

Davies, Hendry, Docherty, Virgo, Taylor, Griffiths and Parrot – all are commentating and/or being a pundit.

They are not actually playing ‘competitive’ snooker any more. And while we’re at it, what about expenses, all courtesy of the BBC licence taxpayers!

But I do like to sit down and watch the rocket, Ronnie O’ Sullivan (pictured above left) doing what he does best – playing snooker.

WOW! Very entertaining to watch.

Darryl Ashton

Blackpool