It’s our precious wildlife paying the price of HS2
OuR countryside is about to experience destruction on a scale that hasn’t been seen since the motorways were built.
At that time we lost wild species and wrecked the habitats of many more. No lessons have been learned as the damage we can expect to be caused by HS2 will dwarf that desecration.
We stand to lose acres of ancient woodland. Any attempt at replanting will take at least 100 years to be effective. This will not only result in a loss of flora and fauna, but will compromise the quality of the very air we breathe.
We are told HS2 will make business more competitive and efficient. But is the mere pursuit of money worth the losses?
Why not upgrade our existing rail network and put it into the hands of people who can run it efficiently and improve the links between our towns and cities?
The soul of the nation is dependent on those in authority making the right decision on HS2.
BRIAN BIRD, Nottingham. WE DO not need HS2 when all business people have highspeed computers.
A few more coaches on existing train services between London and Birmingham would be beneficial and not cause disruption. MARJORIE VOADEN,
Rhoose, S. Glam.
Labour’s blame game
EVERY Labour MP interviewed before the General Election gave their unequivocal support for the party manifesto and backing to Jeremy Corbyn. union leaders also supported him.
Now the party has been beaten, they blame Corbyn alone. In the background, his unelected advisers are planning to work with the next leader. Surely the Labour leadership candidates are as guilty as Corbyn for the party’s failure or are they gullible and so not fit to represent the electorate?
ANDREW PAYNE, Workington, Cumbria.
Gamble on legislation
THERE is a simple way to halt the proliferation of internet gambling — government legislation.
Clearly, self-policing of adverts by the TV companies and bookmakers is not working. Before the Gambling Act 2005, bookmaker advertising was forbidden and under no circumstances were incentives to gamble allowed.
Back then, betting shops were heavily regulated, but still thrived on the High Street. A return to these rules would protect the young and vulnerable.
ROGER PAUL, Bushey Heath, Herts. THE application of VAR in football matches has resulted in much frustration for managers, players and fans, so much so that it is having a detrimental effect on the game. Most of this disquiet is being caused by the interpretation of the offside law.
As a former Football League referee and linesman, I believe the wording of the offside law should be amended.
The deciding factor should be concerned only with a player’s feet. This would remove all the controversy relating to flailing arms, dipped shoulders and heads stretched forward.
MALCOLM SMITH, Sutton-on-Sea, Lincs.
Too little, too late
AT LAST, the medical profession has acknowledged that women suffer trauma after a miscarriage.
When my daughter-in-law lost her unborn baby four years ago, she was offered no support by the midwives. She became depressed and was given antidepressants, which she still takes.
Sadly, she has decided she could never face becoming pregnant again. If she had been offered sympathy at the time, things might have been different.
Name and address supplied.
Driving out shoppers
CITIES, such as Birmingham, that are planning to ban cars from their centres will find they have shot themselves in the foot.
Making the streets cycle and pedestrian-friendly is all very well on a warm, sunny day.
But I think most people who own a car will simply drive to outof-town shopping centres rather than use park-and-ride schemes.
Some of us have no choice. My village’s hourly bus service into Ipswich has been withdrawn, forcing me back into my car.
JOHN BOOTH, Ipswich, Suffolk.
Writing on the wall
IS PROGRESSIVE education pushing the boundaries too far? Kathy Crewe- Read, head of
Wolverhampton Grammar School, has said that writing with pen and paper will become obsolete so insists pupils use iPads in class.
This is in preparation for a perceived demise of not only the written word, but reading, too.
If this radical change was to occur and total reliance be put on technology for education, surely teachers and headteachers such as Mrs Crewe-Read will cease to be of service. Her position and even schools will no longer be relevant to the education needs of future generations.
Going paperless may reduce the felling of trees to help save the planet, yet that benefit will be overshadowed by the carbon footprint created in generating the energy to keep all of the iPads charged up.
And heaven help us if the power and the wifi fails. The iPads will shut down and no one will be able to recall how to communicate by putting pencil to paper.
ALEX THURKETTLE, South Shields, Tyne & Wear.