LETTERS

Shake up the Lords

THE EU referendum was not about trade or the future relationship with the EU. It was about who we wished to govern us, and we the people decided it should not be the EU.

That is democracy working. Perhaps it is time for the second chamber to be put through a similar process.

While it may be appropriate for party leaders to appoint members to the chamber, the people should have the ability to remove those we feel are not representing our views.

This could be in the form of a ballot every four years in which the 5 per cent that receive the most negative votes are removed.

PAUL TATHAM, Maidenhead, Berks. THE House of Lords has voted against Brexit and so has shown itself to be authoritarian and anti-democratic.

When they were all hereditary lords, it was fine to have such a revising chamber because they would make sure they handed on a good country to their son and heir. But this lot are just appointees and political chums.

Can’t we return to something similar to King Alfred the Great’s Council, the Witenagemot or Meeting of Wise Men?

A modern version would have representatives of the law, medicine, media, unions and other professions appointed for five or ten years on a basic salary plus expenses.

Their focus would then be directed towards their own people and their country, not their pockets.

SONYA PORTER, Woking, Surrey. WE HAVE hundreds of unelected old men and women, many of them placemen and few of whom appear to do anything for the £300 per day they can claim in expenses.

But it appears that being a member of the dining and wining club that is the House of Lords means you’re allowed to attack the Government.

PETER GODFREY, Hemel Hempstead, Herts.

What about my rights?

IN ATTRACTIVE countryside just 50 yards from my home, an area has been identified as a possible traveller site. Petitions are being organised and protest meetings held.

We are being urged by our MP and councillors to take part in the consultation on the local development plan. The main concerns of locals are litter and fly- tipping, increased crime and intimidation, and the drop in property values. We have been told the effect on house prices is not a consideration.

I agree with Richard Littlejohn that there is one law for ‘ vulnerable minorities’ and another for the rest of us.

I am a woman pensioner who hoped to live the rest of my days in peace and quiet. If these proposals are agreed, I feel this is unlikely.

Name and address supplied.

Look the part, Meghan

HOW lovely to see Prince Harry happily undertaking his public duties alongside the woman with whom he is very much in love.

Meghan Markle seems to relish her new role and I am sure that together they will do well for our country and the Commonwealth.

However, I do wonder who is advising Ms Markle about what clothes to wear to public events where she represents the monarch.

Being a member of the Royal Family means that cameras will always be present, so she does not need to try to attract attention by Hollywood posing. Wearing a jacket requires your arms to be in the sleeves; it is not correct attire to simply drape it around your shoulders. A sundress, no matter how costly, is for the beach, not an important event.

Being a royal is different from being a celebrity. Ms Markle will represent all sectors of the country so should present herself accordingly.

J. BARRY, Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

Price of rubbish

I HAVE been involved in litter picking for 20 years. The council supplies me with the equipment and collects the bags when I’ve filled them.

My concern is that unless the deposit on plastic bottles and cans is high enough, and I mean no less than 50p per item, then we won’t see any difference in the number that end up as litter.

I gather six to eight bags of rubbish a week and find many bottles that are discarded while half or nearly full, which shows you that people have money to waste.

KELVIN BEESTON, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. I AM surprised at the widely held belief that the younger generation care about the environment.

When I walk my dog in the park, I pick up empty drink bottles, cans, crisp packets, sandwich and cake wrappers, all dropped by youngsters, even though there are waste bins.

When I was a child, eating or drinking in the street was considered bad manners. The only time I ever ate outside was at a family picnic, when we made sure we left the beauty spot as we had found it. PAM BRIGHT, Shoreham-by-Sea, W. Sussex.

How much!

I HAD to laugh at the young man who was indignant at being asked to contribute to the household budget (Mail).

My three children were expected to make a small contribution towards their keep and did pretty well out of it. But then Son Number One said he didn’t see why he should take a turn at washing the dishes and doing other little chores.

I decided to teach him a lesson. The following Friday, when he opened his wallet to pass over some cash for his keep, I gave him a bill for seven nights’ B&B, seven lunches, seven evening meals, laundry and kennelling for his dog.

The total came to more than he earned. Surprisingly, he decided that a bit of help around the house wasn’t so bad after all.

JENNIE MARTIN, Norwich.

Refs’ revenge

FOOTBALLERS’ verbal abuse of referees is appalling. It’s no longer the beautiful game.

It is time referees adopted the Rugby Union approach. If there is one word of dissent against a decision, move the ball ten metres in favour of the opponents.

Obscene verbal abuse should get a yellow card and contact with the referee a red card. Such actions must be supported by the FA and persistent offenders should be banned for several matches. It’s time players realised who is in charge.

GLEN BIRKWOOD, Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey.

Bring on summer!

AT LAST, I have been able to swap my jumper, padded jacket and woolly hat for sandals, shorts and an

open‑neck, short‑sleeved shirt. The snow, hail and freezing winds of just a few weeks ago have been forgotten.

Frogs lurk under rocks in my garden and iridescent blue and green dragonflies flash and sparkle as they dart and dive, like miniature Sopwith Camel biplanes.

A heron glides overhead at treetop height, its 6ft wingspan reminiscent of a prehistoric pterodactyl.

A solitary buzzard circles, searching for prey, jet vapour trails carve the azure sky into segments and the distant buzz of lawnmowers herald the start of summer.

My reverie is broken by a cry for help from my wife. She has locked herself in the utility room because the kitchen has been invaded by the biggest, fattest, noisiest bumble bee I’ve ever seen.

I trap the golf ball‑size monster in a wine glass, with a beer mat underneath, and free it in the garden.

The Hysteria from Siberia and Beasts from the East have given way to sunny days and oppressive nights. It’s what makes this island unique. TOny LeVy, Wednesfield, W. Mids.

All dressed up . . .

I WAS offered a job as a parttime sales assistant in a ladies’ dress shop. I was due to start on the Monday, but had a phone call on the Saturday asking me to bring a passport, driving licence or bus pass to prove I was English.

As I’ve worked for decades, I was so affronted I told them what to do with their job. JOSePHIne MASTerS,

Tenterden, Kent.