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I am writing this letter by way of support for the families who are having a whole week of February imposed on them for half term.

I am not affected by this in any way personally so am able to give a completely impartial take on the situation.

When my daughter was at school the February break just involved a couple of days and these were added on either side of a weekend.

February is a cold bleak month with no attractions open for those who have to remain in the Isle of Man.

Because of the number of working parents, one or other will be forced to dig into their precious holiday allowance to gaze out of the window at an overcast sky, freeze in a cold wind or watch the rain pouring down.

A miserable week in store for many – especially if you have to turn the heating on for extra hours!

Who enjoys this week you might ask?

My answer is those who are privileged.

Their childcare is not limited, their holidays not restricted and they are not watching the purse strings.

They are able to jet off on a family skiing holiday or head for warmer climes.

It is time that somebody looked long and hard at the school holiday system and maybe consulted working parents of the island.

There can also be a knock on effect for colleagues who work alongside people who need to take all school holidays off.

A lot of goodwill must be involved.

Let us hope that the Department of Education and Children feels moved to reconsider the February holiday.

They could shorten it by making adjustments to when the weather is at least more acceptable for outdoor activities and island attractions are open. =

Also look at facilities for young people who are not old enough to be left on their own but have outgrown junior activities.

At the moment they are making inquiries into nursery provision, but it should not be forgotten that these young children grow up and need to be provided for just as much.

Name and address supplied

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I write in response to the letter from ‘HEAR’ spokesperson Hannah Grove, in last week’s Examiner.

Firstly, I find it disgraceful that after a 16-year-old bravely spoke out about her rightful decision to terminate, Ms Grove, and the HEAR campaign, wrote letters, and two lengthy posts on their website, with their own ‘opinions’ on this girl’s plight.

They claim that the ‘full context’ was not given, despite this being a first-hand account of the girl’s experience.

They then suggested she had been ‘failed in her education’ – which is not only insulting, but ironic, given that Ms Grove has publically admitted to an unplanned pregnancy herself, and even ‘considered an abortion’.

Do HEAR and Ms Grove not realise that NO contraception is 100 per cent effective?

For a group that has publicly stated that they oppose the ‘morning-after pill’, and also the IUD/coil methods of contraceptive that are available on the NHS, they are certainly not helping to ‘educate’.

When questioned, the HEAR campaign admit that they have ‘no plans’ for assisting with better sex education.

‘No plans’ in terms of how hundreds of adoptions would work on a small island, ‘no plans’ for funding and supporting the vulnerable women who would have no choice but to give birth if HEAR had their way.

They preach ‘love and compassion’ – yet have no problem with publicly using a 16-year-old’s account to attempt to further their cause, using false images of what the ‘foetus would’ve looked like’ on their website.

Statistics show that over two million women world-wide access ‘back-street abortions’, and as a result, over 47,000 women die every year.

Making abortion inaccessible is not ‘compassionate’. It results in the death of women.

It results in unwanted babies being born. The trade of ‘illegal’ abortion pills being bought online in the UK has soared according to statistics just released.

Is this what we want for the island?

HEAR seem unable to grasp that they will never speak for every woman. By using the plight of a 16-year-old to ‘further their cause’ they show themselves as anything but ‘compassionate’.

Liz Peters, Ramsey.

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I was appalled to read the misleading letter from the HEAR campaigner in last week’s Examiner.

To be so patronising towards a young woman who volunteered her own account of travelling to the UK for an abortion in order to inform others, in my opinion, is unacceptable.

It was the young woman’s choice to have a termination just as it was hers to recount her experience in the newspaper – in a very honest, knowledgeable and articulate way, I might add.

HEAR, of course (and as usual), missed the point entirely – the point being that the young woman exercised her right to choose what was right for her!

Name and address supplied

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With abortion becoming a contentious topic in the island I think it should be made clear to everyone what we are talking about.

Just to be clear, I belong to no religious organisation nor to a pro or anti abortion campaign.

I downloaded the attached image (above) of a foetus/baby from the NHS website and it shows what the baby/foetus is like at between 21-24 weeks’ gestation.

In other words, within the legal abortion ‘age’ in the UK. So this is what we are discussing killing.

The law prohibits us from killing another person deliberately, calling it murder.

The question we have to answer is: is killing a baby / foetus like the one in the image killing another person?

I would pose another question, especially to those people in favour of loosening the rules around abortion: if abortion had been freely available during the Second World War, how many of my generation (I was born during the war) would never have been born, never have had a life?

How many of our children would therefore never have been born and had a life, or our grandchildren or great-grand children?

Indeed, how many of you who are in favour of abortion would never have existed?

Before you make a decision, just ponder that!

Malcolm Meddings, Kella Road, Sulby.

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Like Muriel Garland of Zero Waste Mann (‘Bottled water is such a waste’, February 14), I was amazed to see your picture of children at St Mary’s School nursing plastic bottles of water ‘kindly’ supplied to them by Isle of Man Post. What on earth was IoMP thinking?

Unlike some 730 million less fortunate people around the globe (UN water statistics), we in the Isle of Man have clean, fresh water on tap in our homes, schools and places of employment any time we need a drink, and our bodies conveniently make us feel thirsty when this is necessary.

But a lifestyle fashion imported from America over the past few decades has persuaded us that we should wander round all day long clutching sucky-bottles like toddlers, in the fanciful cause of ‘re-hydration’. What nonsense it all is!

The production, transportation and marketing of water in throw-away plastic bottles is hugely wasteful both of energy and materials, and after the water has been consumed almost inevitably involves major environmental pollution (ask Bill Dale’s Beach Buddies, whose volunteers toil all year round to try and clear the worst of it up). Nobody even needs to possess more than one personal bottle, and that should surely be a refillable stainless steel one.

Instead of encouraging the cynical con which is the plastic-bottled water industry (and implying to children that it is desirable), couldn’t IoMP simply have offered some incentive to their taking more exercise?

Valerie Cottle, Willow Terrace, Douglas.

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I would like to thank Mr Griffiths (letters, last week) for his analysis of the appointment system for our hospital and the points he brings up.

However, I do have two points I would like to make.

I do agree that it only costs a few pence for the materials but I would like to know what the administration of this is costing. Perhaps someone could enlighten us.

The main concern of mine is that that people should accept the responsibility for this themselves and not expect the state to do everything for them. If this situation continues our future generations will expect the state to get some one to wipe their backsides for them.

P.E Russell, Woodville Terrace, Douglas.

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In response to Mr Peter Russell’s letter in the Examiner on February 14 entitled ‘a letter and then a text message’ I wish to post the following response:

With the greatest of respect Mr Russell, prevention is far better than a cure in this case.

Whilst punishing patients for wasting appointments after failing to show might seem a good idea, at that point the appointment, be it a 15-minute one or an hour long one etc is already lost at a cost of tens to hundreds of pounds to the health service in lost clinic time and addition to causing waiting lists to grow.

Placing the offending patients at the bottom of the list again will only increase waiting lists further and those patients will often fail to show again and again further disadvantaging patients that need the appointments.

Sending a reminder letter and text (including postage) likely costs tens of pence.

If the reminder system prevents even a small percentage of patients from failing to show, it will save the health service thousands in lost clinic space and help waiting times.

The hospital has to be seen to address the issue of non-attending patients and simply reminding people is proven to work. Especially as patients who may have forgotten about the appointment and now have other commitments will be encouraged to call in and cancel so the appointment can be given to another patient rather than simply not showing up.

In my opinion, it’s simple economics, sensible and designed to improve access for patients whilst maximising the use of hospital time and reducing wasted appointments.

For the sake of a 10p text, a sheet of A4 and a stamp, it’s worth every penny!

Stephen Griffiths, Hailwood Avenue, Douglas.

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I recently was admitted to Ward 12 at Noble’s Hospital for a total hip replacement.

I would just like to say a big thank you to everybody concerned, from the pre-assesment clinic, the ward clerk, all the nurses and domestic staff, my surgeon Mr Ross Barker, my anaesthetist Dr Chris Till, theatre staff, physio and occupational therapists, for making what could have been such a daunting experience into a very professional, friendly and effecient operation that has made a fantastic difference to me.

Well done everyone.

Name and address supplied

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Following the child refugee situation, Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury have spoken at length recently about family values.

Surely, no one would gainsay the efficacy of the family?

My nine-year-old niece asked me what Jesus had to say on the subject.

We turned to that inerrant source of knowledge about Jesus, the Bible, and learned that his mission is to make family members hate one another, so that they shall love him more than their kin (Matthew 10:34-37), he promises salvation to those who abandon their wives and children for him (Matthew 19:29).

He pledges that brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child.

Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death (Mark 13:12). Children who curse their parents must be killed (Matthew 15:4-7). Peter and Paul add to these family values the despotic rule of husbands over their silenced wives, who must obey their husbands as gods (Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Timothy 2:11-15).

To Jesus we owe the notion of Hell and eternal punishment – a fate awaiting most people after they die (Matthew 7:13-14). A belief in Hell is unavoidable if one is to believe in Jesus (Matthew 25:41-46, Mark 9:43-48, Matthew 13:41-42)

‘Why,’ my neice queried ‘would an omnipotent, all-loving God have any incentive, interest or even the slightest inclination to inflict endless pain and suffering on dead people?’

Heedless of the threat of drowning (Matthew 18:6), I pointed her to Professor Elizabeth Anderson’s stimulating essay (Google: If God is Dead, Is Everything Permitted?).

Doug Clark, Hildesley Road, Douglas.

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Yet again we read the government kneeling at the false alter of so-called ‘green electric cars’

I really appreciate the world of new technology but seem to be in the minority discovering the awful truth re the above, especially when you see them allowed free parking places and ‘fuel’.

Does anybody really believe that at the point of electrical production emmisions did not occur?

What are the huge losses happening between Pulrose and say Ramsey during transmission?

The power from battery to motor yet again has losses!

The cars weigh more than their petrol equivalent which hurts the roads!

Which car has the highest depreciation in the UK of all cars?

Allow a boffin to give a true figure to all the above and set a true tax figure which will probably come out similar to a two-tonne four-wheel truck but at least they have an excellent used value.

Name and address supplied

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Open letter to my neighbour

Dear neighbour,

What would you do if you heard someone scream at your children at the top of their voice, so loud and filled with vitriol that it made you jump out of your skin?

That was you this morning, with me jumping.

Again.

Because it wasn’t a one-off, it is every morning.

I appreciate that you don’t appear to like mornings; who does?

But your lovely small children won’t like mornings either anymore.

Probably forever.

I also appreciate how hard it is being a parent as I am one too, but being a good parent is the most important job in the world.

A cliché I know, but so true.

You are their closest role model so they will look to you to learn how to be a decent human being.

I’ve noticed them shouting back lately so your style of teaching is working well.

I’m not saying I have been a perfect parent, but I always had a rule that my children would never go to school upset as it would set them up negatively for the day and I wouldn’t want that for someone I love.

Nor am I saying that was always easy, and I had many a sore lip biting it shut; but it worked.

Why are you so angry with them?

Is this how you were brought up?

I was too, and at a cost.

I lived in fear of my father until I was 16 and he was out of my life and his legacy is my lifelong anxiety.

But it wasn’t the physical abuse I remember the most (although that was not pleasant obviously), it was the shouting, the name calling, and the putting down that caused the most damage.

There are always consequences of this type of behaviour (just Google long-term effects of shouting at children). You are abusing your children.

There, I’ve said it.

They are being emotionally abused on a daily basis.

You are inflicting wounds without bruises.

I have sympathy for you because you can’t be happy, but I have more empathy for your children who sometimes look through me when I smile as if they are not there.

Or don’t want to be.

Does it not bother you that me and the neighbours the other side of you can hear you swear at your children?

We both feel torn between not ‘interfering’ because you don’t appear to hit them (and sadly many parents act like you), and reporting you but suffering your wrath.

But more so would it bother you that in a few short years your children may not want to know you.

They may even hate you.

They are your captive victims now, but they won’t be forever. Don’t let it be too late for you to have the relationship they deserve and that you will cherish for a lifetime.

Please get help.

Your worried neighbour.