SURELY Kev McStravick (HAS, Feb 20) doesn't really believe that anyone seriously suggested that short people should be referred to as "vertically challenged"? That was a joke, like calling bald people "follically challenged".
Birmingham City Council didn't attempt to replace Christmas with "Winterval", either. As part of a drive to attract business investment to the newly-regenerated city centre, the council organised a winter festival - "Winterval" for short - which ran from November to January.
It had nothing to do with any supposed offence to people of minority faiths. Christmas was included, not cancelled, renamed or replaced, and was celebrated, as always, with Christmas trees, lights, decorations, carol concerts and nativity plays.
The council did this just twice, in 1997 and 1998, and yet "Winterval" is still wheeled out year after year as the classic example of "political correctness gone mad".
Mr McStravick's "politically correct cranks" don't exist. They are invented by disreputable journalists in order to ridicule and discredit people who genuinely seek to promote an inclusive, fair and harmonious multicultural society.
Pete Winstanley, Durham.
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