Your letters - June 18, 2010

The Lord has blessed Jempsons stores

I SUPPORT Jempsons for not opening on a Sunday.

The Lord God made this world in six days and rested on the seventh day.

I believe the Lord has blessed the Jempsons as they are a Christian firm and honour the Lord.

Jempsons have opened another cafe in Kings Road, St Leonards. I go to this place.

Also in Kings Road is another Christian cafe which is closed on Sundays because it puts God first.

My place of worship is Beckley Full Gospel Mission at Oak Hill.

KEITH COLLINS,

Goddens Gill, Northiam

Airport issue has been aired by council

IN DEFENCE of the Mayor I would point out that former town councillor Brian Champion wrote to me, not the Mayor, asking if the Mayor would act to help persuade the Secretary of State to call in Lydd Airport's expansion planning permission (letters, June 11).

I am sorry if I appeared a little vague when Mr Champion followed up his letter at the Town Hall. It can be difficult receiving visitors, answering the phone and responding to emails when only one of us is in the office.

Additionally, at this time of the year parish and town council staff are preoccupied with various annual returns, annual accounts, audits and other end of year activities with statutory deadlines. I apologise to anyone else awaiting a reply from the town hall.

In response to Mr Champion's visit I took the liberty of placing the matter on a Council committee agenda. I am sure he will have noticed elsewhere in the Observer that members decided to support the expansion, principally on the grounds that it would create much needed employment opportunities in the area.

I can assure Mr Champion that if he does hear fiddle music emanating from the Town Hall it will be being played as part of a wedding or civil partnership ceremony (booking details available on request).

RICHARD FARHALL

Rye Town Clerk, Town Hall, Rye.

Single European Act should be repealed

CLIVE BISHOP rightly points out (Letters, June 11) that any fundamental change to our democracy must be subject to referendum to have legitimacy. He then says we need a written Constitution. In fact Britain has a written constitution to which it is legally bound – it is called the Lisbon Treaty (aka EU Constitution in all but name), which has supremacy over our Parliament.

So profound a change would this be to our constitution that Labour and Lib-Dem politicians connived to deny the British people their democratic voice and promised referendum, yet now the Lib-Dems demand 'democracy' through Proportional Representation. With the three major parties having near identical policies, PR wouldn't make a ha'pence of difference. In fact the outcome of this Lib-Con pact could be the end of the Lib-Dems.

With rare exceptions, countries which have a written constitution were formed by civil war or gained independence from a sovereign. Britain has the modern world's oldest democracy – which survived on an unwritten and ever changing constitution, out of which citizens gained their freedom, civil rights and our parliament's sovereignty. The Magna Carta (1215-1225), the Bill of Rights (1689), Act of Settlement (1701), Reform Act 1832 and our parliament all collectively form our 'Constitution'; one which has given us Habeas Corpus, freedom of speech, freedom to exercise our lives as we see fit, restrained only by legislation when we interfere with another's liberty. Our legal system evolved through precedence – 'what a right-minded man on the Clapham Omnibus would deem reasonable'. These inspired Britain's writing of the European Convention on Human Rights to prevent tyranny in a new Europe – but it has since been 'knobbled' to give civil rights to criminals and terrorists, while criminalising the victim. Under the Lisbon Treaty, Habeas Corpus has been replaced by extradition without trial by one's peers, yet terrorists can't be extradited to stand trial.

Under the Lisbon Treaty's 'ratcheting clauses' Britain automatically surrenders further parliamentary roles to the EU, whose legislative system and constitution evolved from Napoleonic Laws – the State decides what the citizen is permitted to do by a series of Articles. The vast majority of EU laws are now made by Statutory Instruments, none of which are scrutinised by anyone's Parliament – least of all us – while decisions are made by Qualified Majority Voting, by which the majority 16 Eurozone nations secretly voted to get non-Euro nations to bail them out under Article 122 of the Treaty!

If Clive truly hankers after democracy ('the voice of the people'), he must first campaign for repeal of the Single European Act so that our parliament is once again sovereign, answerable to the British people and no longer subservient to a foreign power. Once we have regained our democratic parliament, then we can start to fret about PR and finding a way of making the PR's additional members answerable to the electorate.

BARRY M JONES

Heather Cottage, Bixley Lane, Beckley

UFOs over Sussex

A few months back my wife called me to the window of our lounge where I observed objects showing three orange lights moving across the sky, for 15 minutes we watched 14 of these craft pass over our flat at Silverhill heading towards the South Downs.

I thought they were aircraft, but on opening the window there was no sound and all aircraft have engine sound and flashing wing and tail lights. None of these were apparent and they were not helicopters, they were silent flying objects moving at a fair pace of knots, people will draw their own conclusions, but we know what we observed.

If people wish to laugh at us that is their perogative.

PETER SAUNDERS

Rectory Close, St Leonards.

College celebration had positive effect

I AM writing with regard to a story in the Friday June 4 edition of the Battle Observer entitled "Young revellers keep police busy".

On the day in question we held a Year 11 leavers' dress up day, as we have for the last five years. This involved the year group, over 200 pupils, coming into school in fancy dress and formed part of the celebrations for the end of their time at the college.

There was a fantastic atmosphere at the college with the younger students and staff watching the Year 11 students arrive in an amazing array of fancy dress outfits from Spartans to morphs to zombies. We organised this event with the full cooperation and support of the local police, indeed a number of officers were present at various stages of the celebration and I am sure would vouch for the pleasant atmosphere and excellent behaviour of the students.

The way in which we have organised the event over the past five years, has led to a step change in the attitude of the students towards this day away from a perception of a 'muck up' day to a celebration. A very positive move for the college and the local community.

The morning at the college involved the students in a series of events including a barbecue, the presentation of a number of awards and songs from both students and staff. The students left the college by approximately 1pm, some 5.5 hours before the events reported in your paper. I therefore feel saddened that the events reported by your paper have been so clearly linked to the celebration at the college. The staff at the college have put in enormous amount of effort into ensuring that the events run smoothly and we also work to ensure that these events do not impact on the local community. Indeed we have had many positive comments regarding the behaviour and dress of our students on that morning. I find it a real shame that the idiotic actions of a very small number of young people should colour the public perception of the young people of the college and the public reputation of the college as a whole.

I hope that you might be able to come into the college to speak with me regarding the day at the college and I could be given the opportunity to paint the events at the college in a much more positive light.

Paul Swatton

Principal

Claverham Community

College, Battle

Confusing signs of the times

EVERY year about this time, many road signs in this area disappear behind trees and bushes, or remain indecipherable as a result of years of grime and algea - try reading, from the north side, the one pointing down Mount Street to Whatlington; some even point in the wrong direction - for example, there is one at the roundabout at the north of the town which should point to the town centre and Hastings, but which, as a result of an accident at least three months ago, has ever since pointed in the opposite direction.

Strangely too, there is no sign in Battle pointing to Sedlescombe. Of course this sort of thing doesn't worry local residents, but it must be irritating to visitors who rely on direction signs, and who therefore gain a bad impression of the area.

If, hitherto, ESCC's excuse has been lack of funds, in the present financial climate what chance do we stand of any improvement?

Talking of lack of funds, for years we have been asking ESCC for a decent roundabout at Powdermill Lane, and always the answer has been 'When funds become available'.

Now, with funds available, what have we got, but, as described to me by a friend who lives in that lane 'Just a few lines and a white dot in the middle of the road'.

John Hill

Glengorse, Battle

Stub out smoking at hospital entrance

I RECENTLY had cause to go to the Conquest Hospital and was appalled at what greeted me outside of the main entrance.

I am thankfully not a frequent visitor but judging by what was going on some must have racked up hospital hours like air miles.

When visiting a hospital the first thing that greets you (after a parking meter/barrier) should not be patients smoking outside of the main entrance. Who is responsible for this policy?

Surely the point of entering a medical rehabilitation centre is to get better not worse?

What hope have the professionals got when 'ill' people are allowed to choke their lungs with smoke and tar whilst having treatment?

If you are well enough to 'puff on a ciggie' then you are well enough to be discharged.

All this would bad enough if when you entered A & E with a sporting injury (whilst trying to keep fit) you were treated with a modicum of respect.

In my experience Osama Bin Laden would fare better, but then again perhaps he smokes 40 a day.

D IBBLEIGH

Pevensey Road, Hastings

Attempt to trace missing sisters

WHILE tracing my family tree I have discovered two half sisters, Doreen Anne Sibley (born 1935) and Jean Cassandra Sibley (born 1933).

Jean resided at Rolvendene Farm, Leasam Hill, Rye, in 1959.

We had the same mother, Freda Anne Sibley (nee Annie Jeffery)

If anyone has any information I can be contacted by email at [email protected]

MICHAEL SHENTON

Manchester

'First class' care at Conquest

CAN I say a heartfelt thank you to all the staff of Gardener Ward, Conquest Hospital - the care I received during my eight days there was first class.

To our many friends, thank you for your love and prayers; to our family thank you for travelling 218 miles. I am now home and well on my way to recovery.

RL & R HODGES

Priory Road, Hastings