LETTERS

Nothing to fear

LORD King, the former governor of the Bank of england, has put some sound common sense into the Brexit debate.

earlier in the negotiations he stated that we must show the eu we were prepared to walk away if it continued being intransigent.

He now rightly says there is no need to fear a well-prepared no Deal exit, for which much of corporate Britain and europe has already planned.

unfortunately, any advice of this sort given to Theresa May has clearly fallen on deaf ears, resulting in this appalling impasse.

Parliament’s vote to rule out no Deal was not binding, so we can still walk away. This would settle uncertainty for businesses and deliver what 17.4 million people voted for. into the bargain, it would save us £39 billion.

DAVID MORGAN, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. TO SAVE the sanity of the population, may i suggest that the BBC introduces separate TV and radio channels devoted to Brexit.

Viewers and listeners could tune in should they choose, leaving the other channels free to report on issues of equal importance.

Then we wouldn’t be forced to hear about the shambolic happenings surrounding Brexit every time the TV or radio is switched on. Mrs PATRICIA SUMMERS,

Littleover, Derbys.

A true hero

i MUST take issue with the headline in yesterday’s Sebastian Shakespeare column. Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFCs), to the best of my knowledge, are not awarded to ‘show-offs’.

My father, Wilfred Johnson, was proud to have served during the war with rAF Coastal Command at Chivenor, north Devon, and to have played a part in the Battle of the Atlantic against german u-boats.

Two of my father’s crew lost their lives in the crash of his Wellington bomber on August 17, 1944, to which the Mail story refers, and other crew members were seriously wounded.

My father suffered extensive burns and underwent several operations. He bore his injuries in later life stoically. ‘Showing off’ was not in his nature. if he took his pipe out of his mouth, it was certainly not to talk about himself.

STANLEY JOHNSON, London NW6.

In the slow lane

HAS anyone in europe considered the impact of speed-limiting all cars manufactured from 2022?

We will see the biggest ever sale of new cars during 2021, followed by a slump in 2022 with no expectation of future recovery. Meanwhile, secondhand car sales will soar.

Anyone who has to drive for their living will do everything they can to avoid a speed-limited vehicle when the average speed in the middle and outside lanes of motorways, where they spend half their lives, is 80 mph to 85 mph. Why would you want a car that travels slower? PAUL BOXALL, Camberley, Surrey.

Council taxed

iT’S the new financial year, yet Andy Burnham, the Mayor of greater Manchester, is forecasting a council tax rise next year to pay for free bus passes for 16 to 18-year-olds.

He originally expected bus operators and local colleges to step in to fund this scheme but, after two years, that has not happened.

And a £27 million computer system for greater Manchester Police is more than a year late and over-budget.

Perhaps the money needed could be raised by abolishing the roles of mayor and police and crime commissioner. Council tax payers have no chance with clowns in charge.

J. WALMSLEY, Bury, Gtr Manchester.

Sleepless in Sheffield

i neVer cease to marvel at the waffle from pseudo- experts. The latest claim is that we have been suffering physically and mentally ever since we started altering the clocks twice a year (Mail).

Well, i’ve got news for them. Like most women, i have not had a full night’s sleep since i had my first child. Two more children came later.

After the night feeds ended, they were followed by croup and every other childhood disease.

By the time the last one’s spots were clearing up, the first one was out on the town, coming back home from parties at all hours, entirely indifferent to my sleepless tossing and turning.

Then the menopause set in and with it came insomnia. i have not had even half a night’s sleep in decades, but neither have i had a heart attack or staggered around gaga during the first 24 hours of a clock change.

i admit that it can be depressing when the sun goes down at 4pm in mid-December, but most folk are happy to be beside their cosy fireplace, preparing for Christmas or comfort-munching.

i would really miss lovely long summer evenings, so i’m content to pay the price by changing the clocks twice a year.

S. WINSLADE-RAFTER, Sheffield.

Nursing shortage

SHOULD nursing be a vocation, not just a means of employment? According to the Health Foundation, 40 per cent of NHS staff vacancies in england are for nurses.

Despite government pledges to increase numbers and training, we are facing a long-term shortage of qualified nurses.

Bursaries have been withdrawn, which means aspiring nurses have to fund their own tuition and face huge debts, which is one reason for the fall in applications.

As a former lecturer and tutor to nurses, i suggest that only 5 per cent of qualifying nursing students need to be graduates. i recommend a return to the traditional model of nurse training: hands- on for two weeks, alternated with formal academic work for two weeks, funded from the public purse.

nurses, considered ‘angels’ in the past, are public servants and deserve funding and support.

Agency nurses and recruitment from abroad are not the solution. Agency nurses are expensive and often on a ward only temporarily, so they don’t know their way around. Foreign nursing qualifications are not transferable and there are cultural and language complications.

Pride in service, as well as encouraging the value of a vocation, would enhance the wonderful career path i have enjoyed. PETER KEMP, Norwich, Norfolk.

Population explosion

TV’S Our Planet has highlighted that all the problems the earth faces are caused by humans. Without us there

would be no extinction of species, no habitat destruction and no pollution.

as long as our population continues to increase, all other species will suffer.

anyone who believes that the world can support the increase in humankind without doing irreparable damage is fooling themselves.

For the good of the planet, the human population must be reduced. if we don’t do it ourselves, nature will do it for us. JOHN SMITH, Warrington, Cheshire.

Naked ambition

WE HAD a half-naked chorus line at the House of Commons to accompany the puffed up cast of prima donnas who continue to stall the referendum result.

it was interesting that it was another minority group of climate change fanatics who turned the circus into a farce.

The protesters proved MPs have lost public respect and their intransigence in opposing the referendum result is purely down to self-interest.

it was appropriate climate change was highlighted. The EU model of production in multi- source manufacture inevitably impacts on air quality. How many miles are involved in building a family car when the parts to build a Mini engine cross the Channel three times?

it’s hardly a model of environmental management and fuel efficiency.

FRANK McMANUS, Leeds.