Our readers from across the county give their weekly take on the biggest issues impacting Kent and beyond.

Some letters refer to past correspondence which can be found by clicking here.

Our country is sinking slowly

Recently I've noticed a number of high profile Brexit supporters publicly venting their displeasure: firstly, Sir James Dyson, lamented this government's lack of investment in the science & technology sector.

Presumably it didn't cross his mind that once something as leviathan as Brexit was placed in their laps the Tories would struggle to deal with anything else. Next up I read about, Sir Rocco Forte, stating the UK is in decline (it is) and he might move to Italy. Well, lucky him having an Italian passport allowing him to live, work, retire, study even, across all the EU members. I think he will do well if he leaves. Almost the next day, Sir Jim Ratcliffe enters the moaning stakes by berating the government for excess taxation on North Sea profits.

This brought back memories of the inimitable Dad’s Army series on TV: "There is a war on you know!" At least the owner of Ineos can comfort himself that by living in Monaco he has avoided all Brexit vicissitudes.

Then the maestro of Brexit himself, Nigel Farage, stuns us all by saying:" Brexit has failed." Wow, the first time I've ever agreed with the ex-UKIP leader! Sadly, the only thing we now have to look forward to is sniggering at these and other Brexit big beasts periodically grumbling as the UK goes down like a slow puncture!

Robert Boston

Brexit has been betrayed by the Tories

When, in 1936, condemning the appeasers dominating parliament, Churchill declared them “Decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.”, a charge which applies equally to the current government which has proved itself to be weak, vacillating and incompetent.

They have betrayed Brexit, pursued exactly the wrong economic policies to achieve growth, allowed a minority of activists to effectively take over the education system, undermining free speech, presided over the collapse of the NHS and only showed certainty in their idiotic unquestioning acceptance of the dubious claims of the climate alarmists.

All these policies could be radically changed by a determined administration, but disastrously, proposals put forward by the opposition would, if implemented, change this country in ways which could not be undone. It has long been clear that the Labour party is dominated by those who wish to ignore the result of the 2016 referendum, and return this county to rule by unelected foreign bureaucrats, and, if given the chance, will amend the electoral system in order to achieve their ends.

To give the vote to 17 and 17 year olds, who lack life experience, and have been subjected to indoctrination by so-called progressives in schools, while granting the vote to EU citizens, who will inevitably support a rejoin agenda, plus allowing as many as a million immigrants a year to settle in this country, will distort the electorate totally in favour of the Remainers.

While policies changes could, by a determined government be reversed, the gerrymandering of the electoral system could not, without removing the vote from those to whom it would have been granted, and an unacceptable expulsion of people allowed to settle in the UK.

The Conservatives have betrayed their natural supporters, and reneged on almost all of the promises made at the general election, and since, and will only have themselves to blame if they become a permanent minority in Parliament. They may regard the Prime Minister as a ’steady as she goes’ saviour, but in reality, he represents a philosophy of ‘keep calm as we sink beneath the waves’.

Colin Bullen

Tip closures make no sense

So, the county council is proposing to close recycling centres.

Reason for closures they are under used. The pandemic closed the country down for two years, with no one going anywhere. Now some kind of normality should be upon us, the ratepayers can't get near the sites without making an appointment online. The outcome of this policy is piles of fly tipping, which the owner of the land on which it is tipped is supposed to clear up.

Michael Bacon

Too many people rely on the state

I find it utterly unacceptable when I read that there are five million economically inactive adults in the UK. It begs the question why?

It seems morally reprehensible that all these people are mainly living off the backs of those who go to work and pay their taxes. No doubt there are many who through illnesses cannot work but at the same time, there are many whom are just skivers and are using non-descript medical problems and other excuses.

These are the sort of people who should either find a job or the government should stop their benefits. We have farmers who are crying out for people to pick the fruit and vegetables, which will eventually rot in the ground if the farmers cannot get the staff they require.

My wife worked in the fields and orchards most of her life, and yes it is hard work, no doubt about it. But it’s rewarding and beneficial to work in the open air and sunlight and at the same time keeps you fit. I suspect that’s what the shiftless don’t want and would rather the state kept them in the style they have been accustomed to.

Mr S. C. Anning

Make water bosses swim in sewage

In a recent broadcast of Question Time, (radio presenter) Nick Ferrari said the best way to ensure the bosses of water companies who fail to take action to halt the discharge of raw sewage into our waterways, would be to jail them for five years.

His suggestion was met with loud applause from the audience.

I would also force them to take a dip in the sea contaminated by sewage. They will then be able to experience first hand, what it's like to bathe in adulterated water and it should help to focus their minds on dealing with the problem.

Michael Smith

Learn from past but look to the future

I was born before the outbreak of World War Two. A few days after my birth the King abdicated.

As a lad, I spent a lot of time talking to my mam and dad. They both worked and would share their experiences with me.

It is false to look back on the ‘good old days’ or simply to remember the problems and difficulties faced.

My memories of my younger days were of playing football in the street. No cars disturbed our games.

Important to me in those days was the Sunday School and the Chapel; to my parents was the working men’s club as the centre of their social life. These two, apparently diverse institutions, were interlocked through people who were part of the community.

I read quite a lot about the history of working people, so early in life I came to appreciate the value of working class communities and the divide within society between the bosses and the workers. A division I came later to recognise as the class war between capitalism and labour.

Was life better or worse in those days?

The major change has been in technology. But, despite the many advantages this has brought, there has been a failure in the use of technology, which has advanced more in the area of weapons and warfare.

We can now send rockets into space, able to travel to, circle round and even land on distant planets.

But we cannot guarantee that a bus will turn up on time. Many villages do not have bus services and even some of those that now exist are being removed.

Services generally are in decline and private provision becomes more costly so that, whereas many benefit from technology, there are a growing number who are facing deprivation either because they cannot afford, or are unable to use, the technology that is dominating our lives.

The war between classes is now more hidden but still dominates our lives. Our approach should be to remember the past, learn lessons from the past, but prioritise the future.

Ralph A Tebbutt

Our electoral system needs to change

I am writing to urge all MPs to be braver and bolder in protecting our democracy. It is no secret that the current first-past-the-post electoral system is deeply flawed and fails to accurately represent the diversity of our society. It is time for MPs to step up and demand a fairer, more democratic system that truly represents the will of the people.

I urge all MPs to recognise that the current system is not working for the people they were elected to represent and embrace the need for change.

Proportional representation would ensure that all votes count and that every voter has a say in the political process. It would also encourage greater political engagement and trust in the democratic process. It is time for MPs to put their own interests aside and work towards creating a system that truly represents the will of the people.

I call on all MPs to be braver and bolder in standing up for our democracy. It is time for a change, and we cannot wait any longer. Let us work together to create a fairer, more representative electoral system for all.

M. Meyer-Masterson

Take pride in religious tolerance

When I read David Grummit’s letter in you paper in reply to my comments about the coronation being a missed opportunity to make the monarchy relevant to the modern, multi-cultural Britain of today, it became apparent that he had misunderstood my argument.

It was 30 years ago that the King, as the younger Prince Charles, caused a furore, when said that when he became King, he would like to be defender of faith rather than the ‘Defender of the Faith’, meaning one Protestant faith, namely that of the Church of England.

By 2015 he had changed his position and said: “It’s always seemed to me that, while at the same time being Defender of the Faith, you can also be protector of faiths”. This change wasn’t reflected in a modified coronation oath. However, before he took it, for the first time, the Archbishop of Canterbury made reference to a change, when he said, that the church the King would vow to protect: “Will seek to foster an environment within which people of all faiths may live freely”. With this in mind the King no doubt took heart and we can take pride in a recent survey which showed that 82% of the public in Britain trusted people of different religions and among the other countries surveyed, only Sweden scored higher on tolerance.

In his haste to portray me as a puritan fun-spoiler like Oliver Cromwell, Mr Grummitt accused poor old Oliver of banning Christmas. This is a myth. Parliament banned it during the Civil War and while Oliver may have approved, he was not recorded as expressing an opinion on the matter. Also, monarchy wasn’t abruptly restored when he died, but two years later, after his son Richard had followed him as Lord Protector. It was then that General Monck deposed Richard and engineered the restoration of the old Parliament which gave an invitation to the late king’s eldest son, who gladly returned to England as King Charles II.

I still maintain that there is a good chance that changes in the position of the monarchy in recognition of the monarch’s multi-faith realm will come at that point in the future when the present Prince of Wales becomes King William V. After all, in history, the big changes in the position of monarchy in the state didn’t come with Charles II, but 29 years later with the coming of King William III in the bloodless Glorious Revolution of 1689.

John Cooper