LETTERS

Corbyn’s disgrace

WHAT an odd world we live in! boris Johnson is referred to a disciplinary panel by the Conservative Party because he made a clumsy joke.

Over the years, Jeremy Corbyn has offered sympathy to terrorist organisations and has not been disciplined by the Labour Party.

He justifies this as ‘pursuing peace’. The trouble is he speaks to, or lays wreaths for, the terrorists, not the victims or their families.

As leader of the Opposition, he is an embarrassment to this country.

MiKE HAiRSinE, Sutton Coldfield, W. Mids. COrbyN says he is a man of peace, but is there any evidence of him trying to bring the Palestinians and Israelis together for talks?

FRAnCES PURSLoW, Bromley, Kent. IF THe Labour leader really wants to pay his respects to victims of terrorism, he should be in Omagh. gRAHAM nUTLEY,

Bedford. JereMy COrbyN says he was copying prayers at the graves of men linked to a terror attack out of respect for others. Why did he not similarly copy those singing the National Anthem at the battle of britain memorial service?

DAVE DAVEnPoRT, St Helens, Merseyside. THe way he mentions world peace at every opportunity, you would think that Jeremy Corbyn was a Miss World contestant.

MARgARET WALTERS, Bristol. ‘I WAS present . . . I don’t think I was actually involved’ — Corbyn has just written his own political epitaph.

ALAn RiTCHiE, Belfast.

Crime-ridden capital

THe comparison between crime in Los Angeles and London (Mail) is a real eye- opener. London leads massively with rapes, robbery and burglary. Los Angeles has more murders, but the figures are close. Our great capital has descended into a dystopian hell.

Our liberal elite has brought us to this desperate state of affairs. Drugs are the common denominator in most crimes, yet one of our major political parties argues for the legalisation of cannabis.

Prison sentences are short and prisoners have better diets and care than many pensioners.

The massive population increase in London is another element in the rise in lawlessness. The police just don’t have the numbers to cope.

We need to double police numbers, build more prisons and have harsh sentences for knife crime, rape, robbery and burglary. The money is there if politicians cut the ludicrously bloated foreign aid budget. Don ToWnSHEnD,

Chelmsford, Essex.

Betrayal of tragic Jack

I AM appalled that, though convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence after the death of six-year-old Jack Adcock, Dr Hadiza bawa-Garba will be allowed to work in hospitals again. The Court of Appeal decision makes a mockery of the General Medical Council, which struck her off, and won’t instil faith in the NHS.

The doctor will have a career while the Adcock family will never know peace of mind again after poor little Jack was robbed of his life.

CHRiSTinE WARD, Leicester.

Role play

THere has been criticism that a straight actor, Jack Whitehall, will play a gay character in a Disney film. Should we also be upset by gay or bisexual actors in straight roles?

Perhaps only sports stars should play athletes and decorated servicemen play heroes. Oh dear, there will be no more science fiction films as no aliens are available for the roles.

An actor of whatever sexuality can play whatever role is offered, provided they are a good enough. That’s what acting is all about. PAMELA STEWART, okehampton, Devon.

Cross-Channel surgery

AFTer nearly two years of waiting for two hip replacements, with visits to several hospitals and urgent referrals by specialists to surgeons and still no progress, my wife decided going to Calais was the only option.

She had been told by the Queen elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, Margate, that she was 51st on the list for a surgeon who works there for only a day-and-a-half a week. We knew the deterioration in her hips was due to the long delays.

Our GP sent a referral letter to the Centre Hospitalier de Calais and within three weeks a pre- op assessment was arranged.

We booked a day return ticket on the train and my wife had X-rays, blood tests and consultations with an anaesthetist and the surgeon, who spoke good english. A date for her first hip replacement was agreed — less than three weeks later.

The operation went as planned and for her week’s stay, my wife had her own room with an en-suite shower. The staff were kind and attentive.

It cost £600 in train fares and a hotel stay for me and other expenses. My wife is now having physiotherapy

at our local hospital and looking forward to going back to Calais in October to have her second hip replacement. BRIAN KIDD, Sandwich, Kent. I HAVE been waiting five years for a hip replacement, slowly getting worse to the point it is difficult to walk. So much for the NHS.

SUSAN WOESS, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex.

Waste of time

AS professional house-sitters, my wife and I travel around the South of England. We find it hard to work out what can be recycled in different areas.

One council will provide up to five bins or boxes for recycling, while another will provide two. Some will recycle cardboard, others won’t. A few will recycle only certain plastics and others will take it all, unless it is black.

The amount sent to landfill is madness. Why can’t all the councils get together and come up with a system that works for everyone? R. MATTHEWS, Honiton, Devon.

Royal prerogative?

IT HAS been suggested the Duchess of Sussex’s mother plans to live in the UK.

I’d like to know on what basis this visa would be allowed, and if the draconian rules applied to British citizens and their families living abroad are to be abandoned. I hope the same rules will apply to my non-EU wife. If not, immigration lawyers must bring cases for parity to the courts. PAUL ELLIS, address supplied. THE photographs of various Royals and celebrities attempting to curtsy were amusing, if a little unkind (Mail). However, I think the conclusion that curtsying is an outdated, demeaning, forelock-tugging imposition is inaccurate and another step towards the death of civilised British society.

When acknowledging the Queen or senior royalty with a curtsy, surely you are respecting your country and all for which it once stood.

What is so undesirable about a man giving a slight bow or a woman a courteous bob?

Are we all so obsessed by our own self-importance that the will to show respect and humility must be expunged? PATRICIA DUNWORTH, St Peter Port, Guernsey.

Gripes after 50

YOU know you’re the wrong side of 50 (Mail) when you only look at your mobile when it rings or you receive a text.

You trawl through the TV guide only to find there’s nothing worth watching. You check your emails only every few days or so. You remember when a stag do did not require the use of a passport.

Flying used to be an exciting part of your holiday instead of a frustrating chore. And when a celebrity appears in a magazine or on TV, you don’t know who they are. MICK WHEELER, Chelmsford, Essex.