RECENT objections to the proposed statue of former MP for Blackburn Barbara Castle, have been on the basis that there should not be statues to politicians and that there is sufficient to remember her by with the road named Barbara Castle Way.

Both reasons are at odds with the never-ending and ever-growing memorabilia to the 19th century Tory MP, mayor and mill owner Sir William Henry Hornby.

His tributes include the Hornby insignia in the borough coat of arms, the Hornby lecture theatre in the town library, and a Hornby sheltered accommodation.

There have been Hornby Streets and of a massive statue in prime position outside Blackburn Town Hall.

All this for a man who gained power, privilege and wealth off the backs of men, women and children in his factories and used his parliamentary position to block progressive legislation, some of which included hours and age of work of children he employed.

Barbara Castle served in high office in Labour governments with Cabinet members who had the strength of character to resist pressure from the US to become involved with an unwinnable, wasteful civil war in Vietnam.

With pensioner bankruptcies reaching record levels, perhaps a better legacy to Barbara Castle than a statue would be to reinstate pension legislation she brought through parliament in the 1970s.

It must be doubtful if she would have approved of a statue in a borough that has made many decisions on privatising council services, the local hospital, putting it in debt to financiers for many years to come and about to do the same with education.

All of which she would have fiercely and probably successfully opposed.

However, perhaps a compromise to placate the warring factions, could be to replace the Hornby Statue with a Barbara Castle statue and remove the Hornby statue to a site near one of the local conservative clubs.

Then everybody should be happy.

DON RISHTON, Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn.