Hidden stories (From York Press)

Hidden stories

10:58am Saturday 13th February 2010 in

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York has so many great stories to tell, not all of them obvious. One of York’s hidden stories is about the influence on this city, and on the wider world, of members of the Rowntree family. So it’s good news that the BBC is preparing a film about Seebohm Rowntree’s seminal work on unemployment in York, and its contemporary relevance (What happened to them?, The Press, February 3). York’s Rowntree Society has been helping them with this, much as we did with Andrew Marr’s recent series, which included a segment about Seebohm.

We urge Press readers to do whatever they can to help to track down the descendants of the families studied by Seebohm in 1910 – let’s help the BBC tell another great story from York.

Steven Burkeman, Chair, The Rowntree Society, Whitby Avenue, York.

Unknown factors With the General Election fast approaching, the Lib-Dem propaganda machine appears to have gone into overdrive, judging by the number of leaflets finding their way through letterboxes in York Outer.

One theme that Lib-Dem candidate Madeleine Kirk continually refers to is the Conservative candidate Julian Sturdy being “shipped in” from Harrogate and that he is an “unknown farmer”.

In the interests of balance and fairness, I would like to refer to some unknowns – both “known” and “unknown” – that the Lib Dems prefer to remain unknown.

While it is known that Coun Kirk has stood unsuccessfully for election many times in the past, it is unknown to many that she stood as a “shipped-in, unknown candidate” in Leeds East (1997) and Elmet (2001 and 2005), and sandwiched in between was an equally unsuccessful try for election as a Yorkshire and Humber MEP (1999).

Such hypocrisy levelled by Coun Kirk at her political opponents is so unwise when her York council colleague Coun Tom Holvey is standing in Selby as a “shipped-in, unknown” candidate and unknown to many, ex-York Lib-Dem councillor Cuthbertson is standing even further afield as an “unknown” candidate in Barnsley South.

Of course, these are all “known – unknowns”. The one ‘unknown – unknown’ is of course the General Election result.

However, Coun Kirk attempts to portray the York Outer campaign as a “known – unknown” by stating that Labour can not win the seat.

This again is unwise, because it is a “known – known” that after the General Election the Liberal Democrats will not be forming the next Government, not this year, next year or anytime ever.

With thanks to Donald Rumsfeld for the inspiration behind this letter.

Mark Warters, Yew Tree Mews, Osbaldwick, York.