The wonder of TV without any ad breaks
MANY letters have been published by readers complaining about the BBC.
After watching Earth’s Natural Wonders I have nothing but praise for the makers of this excellent programme.
I am so pleased it was shown on the BBC where a full hour was devoted to the programme and without being regularly interrupted by adverts.
The annoying thing about adverts is that when we return to the programme we get a summary of what was shown before it stopped for adverts, thus wasting more time.
Many ITV programmes also keep reminding us of a phone-in to win some major prize, something else that uses up valuable time. Long may the BBC keep producing programmes such as Earth’s Natural Wonders, which remind us how lucky we are to be able to buy our food in shops without hardship.
William Fleming, lanark.
What voters want
WHAT a splendid speech by Boris Johnson. However, all these Brexit speeches could be condensed into what the voters in this country want, which is what we desired originally: a military alliance and a Common Market.
We never imagined we’d end up with a council of ministers, unelected commissioners and our laws subservient to EU courts.
Muriel Thompson, greenock, Renfrewshire.
THE public is crying out for a speech on Brexit with some fire in its belly: Churchillian blood, toil, sweat and tears and Thatcherite handbagging, a show of resoluteness and strength in the face of EU aggression.
Sandra Haywood, Kirkby-in-ashfield, notts.
WELL done, Boris. We’re constantly told by the Remainers that those voting Leave were misled by the red bus. But how many voters were misled by Project Fear?
Ted Stickley, Barnstaple, Devon.
Driven to despair
Two vehicles without Mots, road tax or insurance have been dumped in my cul-de-sac but when I reported this to the police, they told me nothing could be done until the vehicles trigger an automatic number plate recognition camera.
As one has not moved for three years and the other for a year, they are clearly abandoned and will not be passing any cameras.
I informed the DVLA, which has not responded. And the council told me that as the vehicles belong to locals, it is unable to move them — and I should inform the police.
name and address supplied.
Charities in crisis
HAVING worked in several countries in receipt of foreign aid, I have seen the corruption, waste and misuse of British taxpayers’ money and the arrogance of the staff running various agencies.
After the scandal at oxfam, why not divert funds to the British Legion and Help for Heroes? The men and women who defend us without question deserve no less.
J. Deakin, W. mids.
IT’S not the offences by a minority of charity field staff that are unacceptable, but senior management’s attempt to cover them up. Without honest disclosure, there can be no future for any charity.
David Spencer, Bridge, Kent.
Best practice
WITH regard to the increase in meat being slaughtered according to Halal practices (Mail), I wrote to my MP more than a year ago about this practice.
The reply was that the EU was looking into it and that the House of Commons had banned Halal meat from its own restaurants.
So how do they know what is Halal meat if it is not labelled, as it ought to be? I had hoped by buying Scottish meat I could be sure I would buy meat slaughtered according to normal practices, but I am not so sure now. Labelling is a must. Bryan Smith, Bridge of earn,
Perthshire.
Gun culture horror
FIFTY years ago when travelling across the US with my grandmother, I was sitting on a plane next to a soldier glad to be returning from Vietnam.
He said he could not go out to celebrate his homecoming with a beer with friends because he was too young.
Decades later a 19-year-old can purchase an automatic rifle resulting in a mass shooting. Would you, Mr Trump, refresh my memory and remind me – when was America great? B. Rourke, giffnock,
Renfrewshire. IT is estimated that there are around 89 guns per 100 people in the US but high levels of gun ownership do no tie directly with increased violence.
Canada, France, Germany and Austria are reasonably high on the weapon ownership table all with around 31 guns per 100 citizens – but nothing like the violence.
It remains the case that the US suffers a disproportionate number of mass shootings.
That’s a heavy price for ‘the right to bear arms’ and to keep ‘a wellregulated militia’ to guard against the return of the Redcoats.
CliVe BRUCe, edinburgh.
Broken promises
WE were told privately owned utilities would bring competition to the marketplace, be more efficient and drive costs down. What has happened is that gas, water, electric and rail travel have all increased in price. Not one has provided a more efficient service.
COlin ROgan, address supplied.
Party games
IS parliament fit for purpose? The Labour Party is involved in an ideological experiment. The Tories seem to think we need to be protected from ourselves because they know best.
The Liberal Democrats are desperate to be different. The DUP shake your hand while holding out the other for money. And the SNP think they will get a bigger handout from the EU. W. ROllinSOn, Ferndown, Dorset.
A question of blame
THURSDAY’S First Minister’s Questions was much better – no Nicola Sturgeon blaming ‘the Tories at Westminster’ for everything. of course, there was no FMQs as MSPs were on another break. Normal service resumes this week, no doubt.
R. PaRKeR, glasgow.
Old-fashioned lesson
I WAS brought up in a prefab and we only had a metal dustbin (Letters). Most of our rubbish went on the living room fire.
As children, we would take old newspapers on our homemade trailer – an old ironing board with four pre-war pram wheels – to a local shop, where we got half a crown for them. We’d also collect glass bottles for the deposit refund, so why don’t they do this with plastic bottles?
ValeRie JORDan, great Yarmouth, norfolk.
I USED to love the ritual of greengrocer shopping with a spud bag – a leatherette carrier into which all the vegetables would be tipped once they had been weighed.
Fast forward to today and the plastic wrapping that suffocates fresh food. Have we become too posh for a humble spud bag?
H. gee, Southport, merseyside.