Letters - August 28, 2019

Supermarkets have the influence to spearhead the way forward to a greener way of shopping. My granddaughter is 11 and is the future generation of shoppers. She is already aware and knowledgeable on green issues. She actively prompts myself and her mum on greener ways. If supermarkets are forward-thinking and start making bigger adjustments, they can safeguard their own futures, financially and environmentally! I would like to see true integrity and not weak gestures.Most of us may not even realise an everyday commodity like tea bags contain plastic to seal the bags, but some tea companies use a folding process, rather than use plastic seals.Supermarkets could make it known which tea bags are plastic-free and phase the other ones out. Plastic strapping and plastic around double-packed items, such as two packets of digestive biscuits, can be changed quite easily if the buyers tell the suppliers what the public want.More loose, fresh produce counters, with staff who can wrap items in plastic-free packaging and put the service back into serving customers, would be a good way forward instead of leading supermarkets replacing these counters with pre-packed produce.And obviously all vegetables and fruits should be loose. By the way, as a member of Joe Public, I hear what other customers are saying on the shop floor, so this isn’t just me having a rant!For the environment’s and everyone’s sake, I sincerely hope positive changes are about to take place.J Ferguson via email

POLITICSThe last British Prime Minister?The Boris Bounce is punctured and deflated. At present, Boris Johnson’s working majority after losing the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election is just one MP. He became the fastest new Prime Minister ever to lose a by-election in British political history! And UKIP was pushed into last place by the Official Monster Raving Loony Party!Brexit has been blocked and thwarted as much by infighting between the differing factions of extreme Brexitism, as it has by Remainers, if not more so.A Brexit Party spokesman has actually stated categorically, “While we have a government led by someone nobody has ever trusted in his entire career, why should we trust the Tories? Why should anyone in the country trust the Tories?” And Nigel Farage refuses to consider any electoral pact with the Tories, while the controversial Brexit ‘mastermind’ Dominic Cummings, appointed by Boris Johnson, is involved because Farage says he holds “huge personal enmity towards true believers in Brexit”.Yet while this farce plays out, a leaked Whitehall document reveals the possibility of widespread consumer panic, possible food shortages, rising crime and economic chaos within the first fortnight of a no deal Brexit, all understandably feeding into deep-seated concerns. Already about 50 per cent of Britain is stockpiling food, medicines and clothes as the country reputedly heads for a no deal.Now Boris Johnson proposes to spend £100m on propaganda in a probably vain attempt to diffuse these no deal fears, despite the road hauliers’ organisations telling him that the contingency planning set up for last March’s no deal crisis has been allowed to lapse. The £100m propaganda is on top of billions allocated to repair the self-inflicted no deal Brexit damage whilst our economy weakens, four million live in poverty, Jaguar, Honda and Vauxhall are moving jobs from the UK, NHS patients are not getting advanced cancer treatment and there is a rise in knife crime. The obscenely distorted priorities of the present Government ignore the serious needs of the people of this country and its economy.Dominic Cummings, the Brexit strategist, has admitted frankly “voters are right to think Tory MPs largely do not care about poorer people or the NHS”. These self-centred fanatics are quite happy to see the UK break up. There is even talk of Welsh independence and a referendum on a united Ireland. The DUP wants to cling to the UK yet their support for extreme Brexit looks set to break it up!Deep distrust of the Johnson Government is forcing the other UK communities to look to their own salvation. He could well be the last ever British Prime Minister!

Andrew Milroy via email

TRAFFICNightmare parking in South Shoresouth shore is a nightmare. The way visitors to our town complely ignore parking regulations - cars parked on footpaths, ignoring residential parking areas, and business charging people park on their frontages despite having no insurance to do this. It is as far as I know illegal to park on pavements. The traffic wardens must be run ragged. We all know the main culprits, they need to learn the law. David Moorevia email