Letters - Wednesday, August 28, 2021

We have in the UK at the moment a crisis developing in the uptake of vaccination within certain age/ethnic groups.

This is probably due to dubious misconceived information freely circulated on social media sites. Perhaps this results in a rather selfish attitude by individuals to feel they have a right to refuse vaccinations and at the same time mix with the general population putting themselves and the general public at risk.

Even those who are fully vaccinated are not always observing Government advice as to the wearing of masks in crowded areas such as public transport.

In the early years of my lifetime (I am 76), we still had contagious wards in hospitals full of patients with polio, meningitis, bacterial resistant pneumonia etc. Tuberculosis sanatoria were filled with sick and dying patients. Leper colonies existed.

Fortunately, because of the development of vaccines and antibiotics, smallpox was wiped from the Earth and diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, leprosy and many other contagious diseases have been essentially eliminated.

In those days, we had parents and other citizens who recognised their duty to obtain these preventive medications

for themselves and their children.

Let us hope that reason prevails today, and we do not fall for the ridiculous suggestions by those who claim a right to choose.

David Algar

via email

AFGHANISTAN

Lesson is never to interfere again

According to some reports the last British flight out of Kabul airport might be leaving on Tuesday. That may be extended, but it is dependent on when the US pulls out its forces from Afghanistan as well.

Put simply the British military cannot operate independently from the Pentagon and would leave immediately after the US.

Apparently the Americans left Bagram without even informing their British counterparts and that shows the real nature of the much vaunted special relationship the grim truth is that in all reality Britain may not be able to evacuate all its citizens and the Afghans who helped the army as interpreters, leaving them to the mercies of the Taliban.

What a disgrace.

The lessons of Afghanistan is that we must never again interfere in other countries and hopefully this lesson must be learnt.

Royston Jones

Anchorsholme

AFGHANISTAN

‘Follow my leader’ brought us here

This self-inflicted fiasco in Afghanistan is of our own doing because the simple truth of the matter is that we shouldn’t be there in the first place.

Whilst the bearded barbarians were at the gates of Kabul, where was our hardworking Defence Secretary?

He was only busy sunning himself on the beach in Crete and refusing to take any phone calls.

It was only the adverse media coverage that he was subjected to that persuaded him to come home and what of our great leader?

Well, it was reported in the newspapers that he was in the process of packing his suitcase to take a “well-earned break” in Cornwall so here again we have a government reacting to events after they have happened which is fast becoming a continuous theme of this lot.

With regards to the Taliban I don’t know what century the mindsets of these people are in with their middle ages philosophy but to see them on television every night driving their converted pickup trucks with a large calibre gun welded onto the back and the gunner hanging on for dear life with the rest of the bearded ones sat astride thousands of small motorbikes, it all looks like a cross between Mad Max and Whacky Race and if it wasn’t so serious, it would be laughable.

How we first got into this situation years ago was a case of “follow my leader” which in this case was America and our so-called “special relationship” with them which is about as one-sided as you can get and when they say jump, we say “how high?” and as for Tony Blair sounding off recently.

It’s calling the kettle black, when at the first chance he got he jumped into bed with President Bush.

The hypocrisy of these people is beyond belief.

M Tipper

via email

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