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Heritage taken away

I WONDER how many Swindonians both indigenous and those who have relocated over the many years since I was young, think about what little heritage we have left.

Swindon was famous for its railway, which was one of the best in the world. You wouldn’t think so today would you? The Old Railway Works - Well the locomotive part of it has become the Outlet Village. The carriage and wagon part has all gone.

The Outlet Village seems quite popular judging by the amount of people who are there all through the week. Is this the reason why the town centre is so poor in comparison?

All the known stores seem to have gone over the years, dood stores like McIlroys - quality goods in an impressive building.

Not only do we not have a railway works anymore, we also don’t have any good stores in the town centre.

Historic buildings? Well, the council has never been good at preserving these. The first to go that I can just remember was the Goddard Mansion, lovely building in its own grounds. Used I believe by the American Services during the war.

Apparently, it was left in such bad condition that Swindon Council took the decision to demolish it. Pity. Then we had the Baptist Tabernacle. Wonderful building just down from the town hall. Corinthian Pillars all across the front, very impressive. Gone!

Then there is the old town hall and Corn Exchange in Old Town. Just a shell now. The tower on it is I believe the only one like it in the whole country. Did our council do anything to save it from its present state?

The we come the the Mechanics’ Institute, just outside the old Railway Works. Another glorious building left to go to rack and ruin. Council support? What do you think?

Now we have another gem of Swindon’s, the Baths or the Health Hydro. I understand they are going to turn it into apartments.

Its was built by the railway for workers and their families. Indeed, Aneurin Bevan, a Government Minister, came down to examine it and other GWR health plans in the 1940s and based the NHS on these self-same health schemes that Swindon possessed.

What are our present council going to do? Spend £20m on a new museum! Yes, it will be full for a 12 month and after that it will have had it day and receipts for it will decline.

When are they going to do something really useful for the town? Don’t hold your breath.

DAVID COLLINS

Blake Crescent, Swindon

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Palestinian truths

THERE was a letter that appeared on the SA on December 30. The writer made false claims about Palestine. His position is not a new one. It’s lies that have been told and retold for seven decades.

Here is the truth. Palestinians seek peace, but they get jet war planes and bulldozers. Their houses are bulldozed, they are driven out of their country, their land is taken, they are pushed into a corner, defenceless Gaza is bombarded from the air, its schools and hospitals are blown out.

“Israel was born out of Jewish terrorism. Jewish terrorists hanged two British sergeants and booby trapped their corpses. Irgun, together with the terrorist Stern gang, massacred 254 Palestinians in 1948 in the village of Deir Yassin” – Gerald Kaufman, British MP for Manchester. I must add that he’s a Jew.

“Tel Aviv, when you are serious about peace, call us.” – Former Secretary of the US Jim Baker, who was a right winger and despised the Muslims.

“And we journalists are writing like performing bears, repeating all the clichés we’ve used for the past 40 years. The killing of Mr Jabari was a ‘targeted attack’, it was a ‘surgical air strike’ like the Israeli ‘surgical air strikes’ which killed almost 17,000 civilians in Lebanon in 1982, the 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, in 2006, or the 1,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians, in Gaza in 2008-9.” – British journalist, Robert Fisk.

Palestinians have no representatives in Washington, London or Brussels. They have no journalists or friends in the Washington Post, New York Times, WSJ, CCN, BBC, SKY News, The Guardian, The Sun and other media outlets.

“Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct. The mandates have no sanction but that of the last war. Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home.” – Gandhi.

Palestine has been stolen from its people. The Palestinian people have been killed, tortured and jailed since 1948.

And for those who seek justice on behalf of the Palestinians in peaceful ways are jailed, blackmailed and thrown out of their jobs and courses at universities and accused of being anti-semitic.

AXMED BAHJAD

Ermin Street, Swindon

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Spring is on the way

WELL, have we all returned back to the daily grind after the festive season? Once again, back at the workplace to pay the bills, with some people in charge of you, whom you would not say hello to on a desert island: True or false?

Ladies back on the school run, not to mention the cooking and cleaning necessary in any household with a young family, while holding down part time or full time jobs.

Wait till the children get older if you think they are a problem now. You will find yourself addicted to the Good Old Days - trust me, I speak from personal experience as a father of five. I jest, my own children.

On a lighter note, spring is about seven weeks away and the nights are becoming lighter by minutes on a daily basis.

I am used to the British climate after nearly 50 years on building sites all over Britain. If you think it gets cold in Swindon try the Scottish Highlands on a summers day.

Finally, after reading the recent doom and gloom and petulant attacks on each other on these pages from people who are, or should be old enough to know better, if you cannot laugh at yourself and your geographical, as well as family roots, you have my sympathy, as well as my Christian prayers.

There were two Glasgow men who came out of a pub at closing time.The saw a brown wage packet on the pavement. After wrestling and exchanging blows, Wee Jimmy, the victor, opened the envelope.

“£300 quid cash,” he informed Hamish.

“You lucky little chap,” Hamish said.

Wee Jimmy replied: “Lucky? Look at the tax I have paid.”

BILL WILLIAMS

Merlin Way, Covingham, Swindon

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What if we all refuse?

AT THE meeting of the council in October, when asked by a member of the public Mrs Martin confirmed that the non-parish precept payment, which this year is £47.05, up from £27.81, last year, was to be continued, and it would be then paid by all town residents at the reduced rate, £25.45. as quoted in the letter from Mr Kane.

She also said that this money would then be used for ‘other things’. This precept payment by non parish residents, was taken to cover the costs of such items as grass cutting, street cleaning etc, which they cannot now afford.

When all residents in April are paying the parish precept for the ward they live in, how can it be in any way legal for the council to continue to take this non parish precept debt?

Come April, if every council tax payer refuses to pay this precept payment, will they take us all to court?

T REYNOLDS

Wheeler Avenue, Swindon

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Brexit confidence

IN REPLY to John Stooke, January 4, there are many aspects of life in Britain that are looking much brighter since the Brexit vote on June 23 2016.

The FTSE 100 has hit a new record high. In fact, at one time the stock exchange hit new record highs for six days in a row.

The fall in the pound has been a big boost for British exports.

Unemployment is falling and there are a record number of people now working in Britain. Car production is increasing with more cars being made in Britain than ever before.

There was a huge credit card boom at Christmas because people have the confidence to go out and spend.

Mr Stooke’s gloomy predictions do not tally with the confidence and freedom being enjoyed by the shoppers around Britain.

TERRY HAYWARD

Burnham Road, Swindon

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Labour don’t care

ON JANUARY 9 the whole of the London Tube network was shut down because of strikes. Southern Rail was also disrupted by strikes that day.

London was in chaos with people trying to get to and from work in the rain by queueing for buses.

Buses could not run properly because the roads were jammed with people travelling to work by car.

The capital city was brought to its knees by these strikes and the Labour Party fully supported both of these strikes.

The Labour Party no longer speaks for the working class. it did not care about the pain and suffering that these strikes brought upon working class people desperately trying to get to work in London.

STEVE HALDEN

Beaufort Green, Swindon

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Roundabout plea

I AM writing in support of Steven Blanchard’s letter (SA Saturday January 7) regarding the accident waiting to happen at the new Greenbridge roundabout.

I have found it very confusing as to where we should stop to give way and see many other motorists in the same position, often creeping into the lane of oncoming traffic. Can SBC (or whoever is responsible) please put some give way lines in? As the saying goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”!

BARBARA KIMBER

Covingham

Swindon