(Image: PA)
Leave the red poppy alone
As a veteran, I am deeply frustrated that the red poppy, our symbol of remembrance, is once again being used to promote political and social causes.
From the white poppy to the rainbow poppy, and now the Palestinian poppy, a day dedicated to honouring sacrifice is being increasingly politicised.
Remembrance 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 defence of the freedoms we enjoy today.
The red poppy is more than a symbol. It represents loss, courage, duty, and remembrance.
It also helps raise vital funds to support veterans, serving personnel, and their families.
People are free to support whatever causes they choose, but Remembrance Day should not be used as a platform for them.
For one day each year, let us put politics aside and focus on those who gave everything.
Leave the red poppy alone. Protect its meaning. Honor our fallen. Lest We Forget.
John JonesBirch Close, York___The same old rhetoric
We still have Baldrick Burnham trailing on the world stage and telling everyone of his plans in the morning and changing them in the afternoon.
His latest ploy is to take us back into the EU, and then suddenly realising the riots in France have stopped that because someone told him the EU was bankrupt and were hoping we could bail them out, he suddenly changed his mind when our Chancellor of the Exchequer was told by the IMF that his budget plans would not work.
So now he is searching No.11 for Rachel from accounts’ magic abacus, hoping it will solve the problem.
In the meantime, Baldrick is running round like a headless chicken trying to concoct another cunning plan.
What a waste of space this government is.
Just resign and let the country breathe a sigh of relief.
T J RyderAcomb YorkRecommended reads:Spark:York and the meaning of 'temporary'
The recent letter asking whether the council will honour its commitment to find a future home for Spark:York raises a more fundamental question.
When councillors approved a further five-year temporary permission in October 2025, several members referred to the expectation that Spark could relocate to York Central within four or five years.
That expectation appears to have helped justify another extension, despite there being no agreed site, approved relocation scheme or binding commitment that such a move would take place.
The prospect of relocation appears to have been accepted without firm evidence that it was realistically achievable.
Residents have repeatedly been told that Spark is a temporary use.
However, temporary permissions have now been granted four times.
What began as a short-term arrangement has evolved into a presence spanning around 13 years, with no end in sight.
For those living nearby, successive temporary permissions have meant years of uncertainty and continued noise impacts, with each extension accompanied by expectations of a future move that has yet to materialise.
After four temporary permissions and around 13 years on 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 was acceptable because relocation was supposedly just around the corner.
Franz WallmannNelsons Yard, YorkWhat do you think?
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