Skip to content 
From the white poppy to the rainbow poppy, and now the Palestinian poppy, a day dedicated to honoring the victims is increasingly politicized.
Memorial Day should remain apolitical.
It is a time to remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country and in defense of the freedoms we enjoy today.
The red poppy is more than a symbol. It represents loss, courage, duty and memory.
It also helps raise vital funds to support veterans, service personnel and their families.
People are free to support any cause they choose, but Memorial Day should not be used as a platform for them.
For one day each year, let’s put politics aside and focus on those who have given their all.
Leave the red poppy alone. Protect its meaning. Before we fell. So that we forget.
John Jones
Birch Close, York
___
The same old rhetoric
We still have Baldrick Burnham backstage on the world stage telling everyone his plans in the morning and changing them in the afternoon.
His latest ploy is to take us back to the EU, and then suddenly realize that the riots in France have stopped, that because someone told him the EU was bankrupt and hoped we could bail them out, he suddenly turned around when our Chancellor of the Exchequer was told by the IMF that his budget plans wouldn’t work.
So now he searches No.11 for Rachel from accounts magic abacus, hoping it will solve the problem.
In the meantime, Baldrick is running around like a headless chicken trying to hatch another clever plan.
What a waste of space this government is.
Just resign and let the country ease up.
TJ Ridder
Accomb York
Recommended Readings:
Passengers are left out in the cold – why is it taking so long to replace a bus shelter?
“Dirty footpaths and litter-filled shop fronts – York Council needs to up its game”
Spark: York and the meaning of ‘temporary’
The recent letter asking whether the council will honor its commitment to find a future home for Spark:York raises a more fundamental question.
When councilors approved a further five-year temporary permit in October 2025, some members hinted at the expectation that Spark could move to York Central within four or five years.
This expectation appears to have helped justify another extension, although there is no agreed site, approved relocation scheme or binding commitment that such a move will take place.
The prospect of relocation seems to have been accepted without firm evidence that it was realistically achievable.
Residents have been repeatedly told that Spark is a temporary use.
However, temporary permits have now been granted four times.
What began as a short-term arrangement has evolved into a presence spanning 13 years, with no end in sight.
For those living in the area, successive temporary permits have meant years of uncertainty and continued noise impacts, with each extension accompanied by expectations of a future move that has yet to materialize.
After four temporary permits and around 13 years at the site, the real question is no longer whether Spark will move.
It is whether the council ever had a realistic basis for telling residents that another five years would be acceptable, given that relocation was apparently just around the corner.
Franz Wallmann
Nelson’s Yard, York
What do you think?
Do you feel strongly about an issue? Send us a letter. Please do not write more than 250 words You must provide your full name, address and mobile phone number. Email your views to: letters@thepress.co.uk
