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Restore your tops!
of heat wave London and the rest of the country are experiencing (Subway, Tuesday) may bring joy to some, but people overlook the fact that it is much easier to adjust to winter. This is for the simple reason that you can add as many layers of clothing as you want to protect you from the cold, but there is a limit to what you can take off.
Or is there? I’m referring to the grim sight of men who think it’s perfectly acceptable in a major world capital to parade shirtless through the streets, displaying their bulging, tattooed bellies for the world at large. An unpleasant sight. Jules Stewart, London
What does the flag of Saint George mean?
We are constantly seeing plastic patriots walking around decked out in St. George flags (which I consider disrespectful to both flag and country).
Who is making them and, more importantly, who is paying for these flags to be made and distributed? Who is paying for cherry pickers and drivers to deface areas by putting up flags that the vast majority consider an eyesore?
It is time these activities are investigated to find out who is behind and profiting from this scourge.
The old saying “Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels” is so apt today. A Lloyd, Liverpool
Tourist tax will ‘prevent the working class from traveling outside their designated areas’
This seems to be the work the government is set to destroy the hospitality industry by allowing regional authorities to impose a £300 tourist tax on UK holidays.
Of course, not only will jobs be put at risk, but it will prevent the working class from traveling outside their designated areas.
It seems the notion of ’15 minute cities’ – where everything you need is within a quarter of an hour’s walk – is closer than ever to the Labor Party. J Hall, Beckenham
Is the population still growing?
Your report on the ‘decline’ in net migration (Subway, Friday) implies that we are wrong to think that immigration remains a problem.
Net immigration last year was 171,000 – the lowest this century and down from 944,000 in 2023. But the bottom line is that the population is still growing.
Saying ‘net migration falls’ is misleading, like saying ‘inflation fell last month to 2.8%’. People know that prices are still rising, just at a slower rate.
Likewise, people know that the population is still growing, just at a slower rate.
Your article says the figures ‘suggest a gap between people’s perception and reality’. The ‘reality’ is that 171,000 more people arrived than left. And everyone has to live somewhere. Julian, Orpington
Demonizing minorities is ‘a tactic as old as time’
We must not buy into the cynical narrative of demonizing and punishing immigrants and other minorities.
For politicians who bully others for personal gain, all this prevents the working class from traveling outside their constituencies. The
So why are we given headline statistics without context? There are more than 120 million people worldwide displaced by war and persecution. Less than 0.09% of them came to the UK last year.
And why are we allowing government hostility to drive out needed workers health and care who pays taxes to fund public services and pensions? Increasingly hostile legislation punishes brave survivors who just want to be safe, work hard and support their families.
Let’s reject the divisive, distracting narrative and demand better from our media and leaders. Rebecca, Glasgow
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