SIR – I take little solace from the overwhelming support for the city’s homeless apparent in the letters page from September 21. 
I really hope that this new-found concern sees a significant increase in donations to the city’s homeless centres, Maggs Day Centre, and those charities associated with our armed forces. 
On Dec 8, 2011, Worcester News reported Robin Walker’s concern that there were nearly 1300 properties sitting empty in Worcester, and nearly 7000 across the county. Are we to assume then, that given this resurgent concern for the city’s homeless that the planning committee will see an upsurge in applications, with relatively few objections, converting these empty properties into affordable housing?
Sadly, I fully expect to be disappointed. The unpalatable truth is that not one of the correspondents truly supplied any answers to either this city’s homeless problem or to how to help those desperate enough to risk their lives and those of their families trying to get to Europe.
What have we become when we cannot see the crisis in refugees’ efforts to escape a brutal army that sells female captives off as concubines, films its members throwing people off buildings simply because of their sexuality, and which boasts massacring whole sections of the population purely because of their faith?
They say that history repeats itself, none of those inhumane tactics are new. This country has stood bravely against perpetrators of such violence in the past, we should do so again. Surely the media should take some responsibility for better educating people of the true nature of the refugees’ plight rather than mindlessly continue to repeat the rhetoric of the far-right?
Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan was never more apposite than in today’s global environment. I think some of us need to be reminded of this message.
ROBYN NORFOLK
Worcester

Middle Eastern states must do their bit too
SIR – As refugees continue to make their way to Europe, often in appalling circumstances, and a taxpayer-subsidised arms fair takes place in London, who should take in refugees from Syria?
The UK has a history of selling arms to the Middle East and of using military force as a means of intervention in this region. If we arm both governments and rebel forces and resort to bombs instead of diplomacy we must be prepared to answer for and deal with the consequences. This means not only taking in refugees from war-torn countries such as Syria but also demanding that countries closer to Syria do more. At present, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are hosting around four million Syrian refugees and there are another four million internal refugees in Syria driven from their homes. States such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have provided millions of dollars in aid but have no plans to take in refugees or relax their strict visa requirements. The UK has a duty to welcome refugees from war torn countries like Syria but those states closer to Syria must also bear some of the responsibility.
LOUIS STEPHEN
Worcester Green Party

 

We have a duty to ourselves first off
SIR – What an insult and joke.
We in this country have the freedom of choice.
Something your Mr T Edwards has forgotten. I, like everyone else, will chose how we live and speak, also what we do in our lives.
My wife and I watch the news and listen to the radio and can see what is going on like everyone else in the world.
All these so called refugees or illegal immigrants or whatever you wish to call them have a choice.
But not one of them has any respect for the law or order or any manners for any country that helps them out or even the people that help.
So tell me what would happen if I end up in whatever country, what help if any would I receive.
None whatsoever.
So why should I care, I have no duty to them or them to me. All you hear from them is ‘I want I want’. Well ‘I want’ never gets, that’s what I was told as a child.
MR J SHERIDAN
Worcester

Relive camaraderie of time spent in the navy
SIR – Many readers will have served in the Royal Navy at some time or other.
A lot are keeping up with old shipmates through ships’ associations, and a new monthly service has recently started to find more. Many ship’s association secretaries are sending details of their reunions to R.N.Shipmates for the monthly listings of reunions and other notices. This monthly service is totally free.
Ship’s association secretary – are you on my monthly mailing list? Nearly 400 are. Looking for someone? This is a good start point in meeting up at a reunion 
And for those who just want to live the camaraderie again, R.N.Shipmates are having another reunion next April.
Interested? Send brief details to mike.crowe1@
btinternet.com.
MIKE CROWE
Isle of Wight

What will happen if Corbyn takes power?
SIR – Well this man Jeremy Corbyn I can’t get my head round.
Is he British or someone who hates being British?
He wants to cut our army even more to make our country even weaker. Besides other things, we know he had lots of votes but I think 50 per cent was foreign.
If he ever came to power God help us. He would open the gates even wider.
A G MACDONALD
Worcester