Most single mothers are destined to life in the worst flats in the worst estates, without child care or a chance to work, their children’s chances blighted from the start. (It is odd how the Government focuses on the inadequacies of single mothers when fathers are the ones who cause most of the trouble in problem families. The Government wants to encourage more single mothers to give their babies up for adoption. What a good idea!
Some 38,000 teenage girls and 50,000 non-cohabiting single women give birth every year at a cost to the state of pounds 9bn in social security. Sir: If further examples are needed to convince those who continue to believe the Irish were a backward people, I suggest they read Johannes Scotus, John the Scot (In the ninth century “Scotus” means Irishman). The exellence of his translation work was remarked upon by Anastasius, the librarian of Pope Nicholas, in 860, who was astonished that a man from a remote and barbarous country could have possessed such a profound knowledge of Greek.
Throughout what we call the “dark ages” there is evidence that the knowledge of Greek and the Latin classics was kept alive by the Irish.”During the latter part of the seventh century, it was in Ireland that the thirst for knowledge was keenest, and the work of teaching was most actively carried on” (M R James).Tim CraigOswestry,Shropshire. It would become possible to stop gobbling up countryside in urban “development”, and much more
Most of these are benefits in any terms.
Some appear as negatives only in the false accounting of conventional economics, which measures all exchange of money as a “good”, even if the “good” is the medical care of road accident victims, or scraping oil off beaches.
Christopher PadleyGreen Party PopulationPolicy Working GroupMarket Rasen, Lincolnshire. A slowly falling population would naturally lead to a disappearing housing shortage and falling costs, together with falling unemployment, reduced congestion, reduced pollution, and a falling import bill. The pressures of intensive farming on food quality and wildlife could more easily be reduced. Sir: Why should a falling population after the year 2020 give the chancellor of the day a “feel-bad problem?” (“Feel-bad factor predicted as population falls”, 22 March). Sir: Your revelation (26 March) that the CIA supported violent opposition groups within Iraq echoes previous evidence of US support for Iranian rebels who have targeted civilians. Will John Major now condemn the US as he berated Iran last week after far more tenuous allegations?
Glen Rangwala
Trinity CollegeCambridge. Around 93 per cent of students who applied for a loan in academic year 1994/95 had their applications dealt with in a timely fashion.
The difficulties have now been fully overcome, following the introduction of an improved procedure for 1995/96.
This followed the internal review to which you refer.Colin Ward,Chief ExecutiveStudent Loans Company LtdGlasgow. Sir: I am most grateful to Anna Pavord for highlighting the plight of Downe Hall, Bridport (23 March). In the past few days a knight in shining armour has been sighted on the horizon in the unlikely guise of English Heritage, previously part of the nothing-doing/do-nothing brigade.
English Heritage, until last week deaf to all our appeals, has now reversed its policy towards Downe Hall and is starting to work out how to preserve the house and its gardens. It gives fresh hope to us all when a national institution has the nerve and flexibility to change policy at a late stage.Let us hope that at the local level West Dorset District Council can show a similar responsiveness and that perhaps some Heritage Lottery money could help preserve intact for future generations this elegant house and gardens.Caroline Sandwich(the Countess of Sandwich)ChairmanDorset Gardens TrustBeaminster,Dorset. Your report (22 March) fails to put these problems into perspective. The delays – whilst undeniably serious – affected a small proportion of students.
The problems were short-lived: they were fully resolved by 15 January 1995. Two years ago I made the case for the city networks at seminars in seven of the five-day Spring-Harvest/Word Alive conferences.Since then 11 cities have started networks and most of the rest are following, pooling our knowledge and experience across the country in dealing with among other things, homeless teenagers, drug addiction, battered wives, single mothers, debt, and helping the demotivated young to find jobs. I think that my predecessor, the great Earl of Shaftesbury, would have approved.Sir Fred CatherwoodPresidentThe Evangelical AllianceLondon SE11. Sir: The Student Loans Company has acknowledged and apologised for the problems which resulted from the introduction of a revised application procedure for loans in the autumn of 1994. That’s why CJD, in spite of being an infection, is so rare.H C Grant, MD, FRCP(Neuropathologist)Edinburgh.