I notice that there is a lot of agitation and a flurry of words about the recent apology with the Turing case and that he was punished for being gay.

Yes, he is exonerated and I welcome that decision. He was as good as Churchill in how we won the last war.

Now every person that was “guilty” of what was then a crime wants forgiveness. But – yes a big but – we cannot go on being compassionate. Are we now re-writing history?

People who were (at that time) guilty of a recognised crime were sentenced accordingly.

Let us go back a few years – for being poor you finished up in the work house, stealing bread because you were hungry could get you deported, what about women’s rights campaigners, slave traders and witch finders?

Yes we all agree that it was wrong, but to go retrospectively through history and try to right every wrong is a sad waste of time.

CLLR ALAN LAY

County Councillor, Roman Bank and Peckover

Via e-mail