430 A WEEK WAGES

Myrtle Grove Mytholmroyd.
15.12.03

Dear Sir,

With regard to your article last week in which Councillor John Ford spoke of 'average earnings' of 430 pounds a week, I feel you might be interested to hear of the urban myth that has now started to appear throughout the area in consequence . It goes something like this...... A hypothetical council minibus driver is sitting in his local having a pint when an old acquaintance hauls in and plonks down next to him.
'Ey up Winthrop Slatterthwaite. Not sin thi in ages.... ow do?'
'Alright thanks ... And before you start up again like last time - I don't look like Saddam Hussein!'
'Yus am sorry abaht that ... I were wrong. Truth is you look more like ...'
'No I don't look like Lord Lucan!!'
'Freddy Mercury?'
'No!' 'Jobs? How do you mean?'
'Well (nudge wink) you know what I mean. Good screw innit?'
'Pardon?'

'You know. It were in t'paper, 430 pounds a week. Wouldn't mind a bit o' that ... superann' an' pension too ... cant be bad.'

FOR REASONS OF PUBLIC DECENCY AND TASTE THE FINAL SENTENCE OF THIS CONVERSATION HAS BEEN CENSORED!!

Unfortunately I have it on good authority that a large number of non hypothetical council workers are being subjected to this kind of comment from the general public. Now I know that that when Councillor Ford spoke of a 430 pounds average wage he was referring to a figure that includes everyone who works in the district from the Directors of the Halifax Building Society down to the Big Issue sellers on Southgate.
Trouble is not everyone bothers to read newspaper articles carefully, and consequently it has gone into many heads that when Councillor Ford spoke of the average wage for 'Calderdale' he was referring to Calderdale Council ! This of course is quite untrue and while I do not criticise the accuracy of your article I feel it was presented in a way that many people have found misleading. Many people will simply look at a headline, read half a paragraph and switch on Corrie.
When that headline says - 'Workers earning average of 430 pounds a Week TOP OF THE PAY LEAGUE! ... But Council Tax will eat up your extra cash...' The implication is obvious! Only closer inspection reveals that the 'Council Tax' headline refers to an adjacent and quite unconnected article.
Heaven forbid that I should ever wish to spring to the defence of Councillor John Ford - but (to use the Cliche) COME ON COURIER...! Lets have a bit less sensationalising spin and a bit more responsible journalism... or is there something I don't know , like you’ve been bought out by Rupert Murdoch ... If so I await 'local page three' with anticipation....!

Jim Jarratt

This letter was never published. They obviously didn't like my criticism of their sensationalist journalism which I feel is innapropriate for a local newspaper!

copyright Jim Jarratt 2004