LETTER: It's your responsibility

IT WAS the unlamented Dr Goebbels who coined the phrase "lies often repeated ultimately win belief". As editor of the Citizen you have to accept some responsibility for lies being peddled in your paper by anonymous writers. One of these writers is using the name of a minor goddess of Ancient Greece - Nemesis. His latest letter peddles lies described as facts. According to Nemesis, the Labour group assumed responsibility for council policy when Cllr Tony Cunningham resigned in March 1989. There never was Cllr Tony Cunningham in Lancaster. As you well know, Tony Cunningham is our local member of the European Parliament. I can only guess at the reasons which led Nemesis to drag his name into this. Prior to his election he was a councillor in Workington. In fact a full Labour administration of Lancaster City Council was not formed until after the elections in May '91 when we became the largest party. There are further allegations by Nemesis concerning Chancery PLC and Bubbles. These too, contain substantial inaccuracies. My colleague, the chairman of the council's budgetary Control Service Group is replying to you about these allegations. I will only make the general point that the key decisions on both Chancery plc and Bubbles were taken when the Conservatives dominated Lancaster Council. I referred at the beginning of this letter to those who seek to peddle lies as truth. Part of the responsibility for their actions must surely rest with the editors of newspapers who give them space.