Training military veterans to teach? I’ll salute that!

WHAT a good idea to offer military veterans a £40,000 bursary to retrain as teachers (Mail).

after the war, my school had new fast-track male teachers. There were then, as now, a lot of children in one-parent families, albeit for a very different reason.

These men were like a breath of fresh air, and the boys loved them. They were brisk, vibrant and funny. Yes, they would throw the chalk rubber at a naughty pupil, which they could not do now, but it was always aimed to miss.

If anyone had gone home and complained to their mother, she would have said: ‘and what did you do wrong?’

Go for it, Mrs May, this is one of your better ideas.

BOBBIE FARRELL, Portishead, Somerset. THE powers-that-be who think that giving former servicemen bursaries of £40,000 to enter the teaching profession is the answer to the lack of discipline in schools are deluding themselves.

Even arnold Schwarzenegger would struggle to retain control when the children know they hold the upper hand. If any teacher so much as says a word that makes them in any way unhappy, a parental complaint and legal action are sure to follow.

KEN HOBBINS, Birmingham.

Fat shaming

WHEN columnist Sarah Vine said she was ‘fat shamed’ (Mail), I imagined she had been lectured by friends on her ballooning weight or her unhealthy diet.

What actually happened was that she sat in the privacy of her doctor’s surgery and her GP, using all his years of experience, told her she was overweight.

If losing weight were really as easy as being ‘fat shamed’, we would not have an obesity problem.

For every person that ‘ fat shaming’ will help, there will be two for which it will send them straight to the nearest takeaway. DAVID PATRICK MOORE,

Thornton Heath, Surrey.

Trade war losers

WHO are the winners and losers in a protectionist trade war? The losers are countries with poor worker rights and lower standards of health and safety — as well as firms who use these countries for mass production and the people who buy cheap products.

The winner is the planet as reduced transportation reduces emissions. People within a protected area will have to produce the goods, giving work.

Governments win through taxation as it will be much harder for companies to hide profits by shifting costs around.

STEPHEN BIRDS, Bury.

Helen’s my winner

I AM disappointed Helen Skelton has been axed from covering the Commonwealth Games (Mail). Given a choice between her, Gabby logan and Clare Balding, Ms Skelton wins by a mile.

She combines competence and professionalism with a style that is natural and engaging. Gabby and Clare’s post-event analysis is as much about them as the sport.

T. BAKER, Brighton, E. Sussex.

A right to live here?

MY SON and his South african wife, who have been married for seven years and have been living in Cape Town with their children aged five and two, are trying to return to the UK.

My daughter-in-law was teaching here on a visa for six years when she met my son. despite the fact they have spent £3,600 on fees, my son has had to leave his wife behind to work here for six months in order to show bank statements as proof of earnings and find a place to live before she can even apply for a visa. I hope Meghan Markle’s settlement visa goes through more quickly and she is not separated from her loved ones for so long.

CATHY BERRY, Chippenham, Wilts.

Planning war

I FEEL sorry for the neighbours of TV presenter Jamie Theakston, who wants to build a house in his garden (Mail).

We suffered the same nightmare when our new neighbours told us they planned to build a fourbedroom house on their lawn.

My once happy neighbourhood fought the plans for this garden grabbing with flyers, posters and emails. We attended local planning meetings, but to no avail. The neighbours won. We moved.

Three years on, building has not started, though the lawn is a mess. The locals now fear the plans for one house will be replaced with an application for five bungalows. R. ROBINSON, Taunton, Somerset.

Football own goal

WHILE leicester City’s success was a refreshing exception, the same six clubs occupy the top spots in the Premier league season after season.

Has it not become boring to the fans of other clubs — even though it is the best league in the world?

None of the other 86 clubs in all of the English leagues has received financial backing and sponsorship on a scale to match those at the very top.

Sadly, unless this changes, the 14 places below the top six will be nothing more than a relegation zone. ask Newcastle, Brighton and Huddersfield.

BARRIE CHRISTIAN, Sutton Coldfield, W. Mids.