Our tears and our fears
From Fran Lye Sir: I am sorry that Boris Johnson's visit to Liverpool was unsatisfactory ('What I should say sorry for', 23 October) but he does seem to be out of touch with the sentiments of local people. If Mr Johnson feels that our response to Mr Bigley's murder was in some way disproportionate, then wouldn't it be sensible to ask why, rather than condemn us?
I consider myself to be a 'Mrs Average' living on the outskirts of Liverpool, but Mr Bigley's kidnap and brutal death struck a painful chord. My husband works away from home during the week, my sister travels to East Africa three or four times a year to work and has just this week set off for Zambia. Two close friends have husbands who live and work in the Gulf (they have recently returned home, thank God). My father, although now retired, was a merchant seaman in his younger days. I am not unusual — the economics of this area dictate that friends and family travel long distances to work. There is a suppressed anxiety when someone close to you works away from home, and a feeling of helplessness if something happens, even everyday things like illness or a minor accident. Many peo
ple nationally could sympathise with the Bigley family, but I am certain that the majority of Liverpool families were confronted by their greatest fear: the death of a loved one far from home.
Fran Lye
Liverpool
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