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. Join the debate by emailing letters@thekmgroup.co.uk

Where is road repair money being spent?

It’s par for the course that if you have broken parking or traffic regulations, then you only have yourself to blame. Regardless of whether you can afford it or not, the price of the fine will double if not paid within 28 days.

But try to get compensation from Kent or Medway Councils for damage to your car, because they have not carried out sufficient maintenance to our roads. One law for them and one for you.

We are told that the millions of pounds that are generated through parking and traffic fines are supposedly used to repair the roads which, under normal circumstances, would be acceptable.

But one only has to look at the disgusting state of the roads to see that is not the case. So where is the money being misspent, as it obviously is not on what is intended?

On top of that, councils also receive money from the ratepayers so there really is no need for there being a delay in repairing badly maintained roads.

As I understand it, there are moves by the government to fine councils if they do not repair potholes. I would welcome this initiative because otherwise councils are taking fines under the false pretence that the money is going back into the roads, which it obviously is not.

Sid Anning

We must get our act together in changing world

Welcome to the ‘New World, not ‘1984’ or ‘Brave New World’.

Today’s geopolitical situation displays a ‘New World’ dominated by USA (which wishes to create an American Empire), Russia (which wishes to re-establish the ‘Russian Empire’), China (which wishes to establish a new empire based on its ideology), Iran (which wishes the world should follow its interpretation of Muslim ideology) and the ‘Arab States’ (which wish to become part of the new geopolitical world order).

Should people care? Whilst most ‘democratic’ countries are looking at coping with ‘internal affairs’ the world is changing, do the people of ‘real’ democratic countries not realise their ‘minor’ internal issues would not be issues in the ‘new world order’?

Democracies, particularly Europe, appear too concerned about internal issues to realise these will have no relevance if the ‘new order’ takes place.

It is time for Europe to ‘get its act together’ and become a ‘force’ in the new world order or we will all be subjugated.

After the Second World Wat, the people of the world hoped there would be peace and economic co-operation and for a number of years this happened. But, history should have taught us that there will always be those who want more and are willing to take it, even at the expense of their own people.

The planet itself is changing because of our behaviour. How long before we become extinct and all this geopolitical rubbish becomes little more than a ‘blip’ in our planet’s history?

Brian Butler

Myths around socialism suit rich and powerful

The problem with Bob Britnell’s letter (March 20) is he doesn’t understand what socialism is because there are various confused ‘definitions’.

This confusion suits the rich and powerful who don’t want people to know the truth.

For Marx and Engels, socialism or communism (both words meant the same thing to them) was a new way of working and living.

There is no top-down control by a leader or ruling class. The people decide what happens democratically.

There is also therefore no state apparatus controlling what people do. The means of production and distribution (industries, factories, natural resources, transport systems, etc) belong to the society and people democratically decide how they are used.

Such collective ownership also means everything being produced by working people would belong to the socialist society. And that means everyone has free access to what they need because you don’t have to buy what’s already yours! Buying, selling and money would no longer exist. No more bills, mortgages, rent, debts, taxes, etc.

It may seem impossible but only because we have grown up under capitalism and everyone has been daily conditioned and inculcated to accept how it works.

Max Hess

Hitler remark not very ‘right wing’

I’ve followed with interest the recent demolition of Bob Britnell’s idea that Nazi Germany was ‘left wing’. Nevertheless, this issue is more complicated than Bob Britnell’s critics seem to think.

Twenty-four years ago, in the former East Germany, I came across a book (in German, of course) entitled ‘Adolf Hitler - Monologues in the Führer Headquarters, 1941-1944’.

There are many paragraphs in this book that would surprise any reader, but here, recorded on January 10, 1942, is a remark from one of the most thought-provoking: ‘British wealth is based not on trade relationships, but on the capitalist exploitation of 350 million slaves’.

This doesn’t sound very ‘right wing’ to me.

David Topple

Asylum seeker driving lessons a positive step

I wanted to react to the article about the driving lessons for care leavers aged 18 to 25.

The law regards young people who have come to this country as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and have spent a similar amount of time in care as care leavers.

Kent County Council looks after roughly 2,000 care leavers, of which about half are asylum-seeking young people. Care leavers can get support with up to £300 in driving lessons, which gives you about 10 hours; not a lot, as most parents would admit.

Let’s assume that the £20,000 spent last year has all gone to the asylum-seeking young people. That means that roughly 50 of the 1,000 have received support with their lessons. That is 5% of the total of the care leavers who are asylum seekers.

As mentioned in the article, the ones able to claim this support have been successful in their asylum claim, are legally in this country and can enjoy all the benefits that British people have, including paying taxes and National Insurance contributions when they start work.

I think we can all agree that having a driving licence contributes massively to becoming an independent adult; it allows people to commute to places of work or study often easier than by public transport.

Driving in itself can become a career (taxi, delivery vans, truck drivers) so it opens up a lot more possibilities for young people to get into work.

This is, I believe, preferable to claiming benefits. Once they have a car they will pay taxes, so contributing further to society.

Marian Smith

Time to end catapult cruelty

It seems that hardly a week goes by now where I don't see an article about catapults.

One week it'll be about idiots using them to kill and maim birds and other wildlife and domestic pets, another week it'll be a report on these weapons being fired at vehicles going under motorway bridges with potential for causing serious injury and death, or ball bearings being fired at buses causing some streets to become no-go areas and buses having to be re-routed.

There are also many posts on social media sites, some with pictures and video footage, of catapults being fired at birds, wildlife, cars, buses and people's homes.

On February 28, KentOnline published the sickening footage of a 'psychotic' teen posing with a seagull killed with catapults in Ashford and on March 14 reported that the RSPCA was launching an investigation after a group of boys attacked and killed another gull in Northfleet; the animal rescue officer said it would have experienced “horrendous injuries before dying”.

Recently you reported on the catapult attack on Maidstone Museum which smashed two windows. Then I read about the criminal damage caused by catapult ammunition to Woodpecker's preschool in Cranbrook, costing over £500 to repair, with the statement that there have been 'multiple incidents of criminal damage as a result of catapults in the past weeks and months' in the area.

This is horrific and it's time this was dealt with and stopped.

Please sign and share the government petition 'to make the sale of catapults/ammunition and carrying catapults in public illegal'. It needs to reach 100,000 signatures by May 27 before Parliament will debate it.

Linda Weeks

Why do I need a card to vote?

As a postal voter, I have just received a so-called 'postal poll card' in respect of the upcoming Kent County Council elections.

I've never really thought about this before but what exactly is the purpose of these cards? Obviously, for those voting in the traditional way at the polling station, poll cards can help the polling station clerk to identify the voter and their electoral registration number and the voter can also, if they so wish, show their card to the party political 'tellers' outside after having voted.

However, in my case, my postal vote will arrive on the doorstep in a few days with my electoral registration number already printed on it, so I do not require a poll card to identify myself in order to vote; indeed, the postal voting process involves no communication or interaction with any other human being.

I have therefore reached the conclusion that postal poll cards serve absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever and mine will be consigned to the recycling as soon as I have finished this letter.

Peter Halfpenny

Not all celebrities are role models

I've lost count of the number of celebrities who decry being famous, citing the focus of too much attention from the public and the media.

It's performing artists in the fields of music and movies who capture the most interest.

But sportsmen and sportswomen also get their fair share of the limelight.

It's all part and parcel of being a recognised face and in the public domain, though things have worsened since the arrival of the internet, where those in the public eye have become subject to vile abuse from trolls.

And yet, many celebrities are adopted as role models by children and adolescents. This can have a positive influence on their development, as it serves to shape their beliefs and aspirations.

However, there are scores of celebs whose lives are irresponsible and shouldn't be valued or imitated.

The more famous the person, the greater is the proportion of their fans and their responsibility not to undermine or blemish their prestige by failing to reflect the fans’ expectations of them.

Michael Smith

Crocodile tears over church abuse

In his latest interview, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, puts his abysmal failure to take action against paedophile clerics and particularly the notorious serial abuser, John Smyth QC, down to the fact that he was ‘overwhelmed’ at the scale of the abuse.

We should not be fooled by the crocodile tears and hand-wringing of Welby and others in the Church who allowed Smyth and other paedophiles to continue with their abuse of children for decades. Had they acted as they should have done when the activities of the sexual abusers in their midst first came to their attention, hundreds of youngsters would have been spared the abuse they suffered.

Welby et al were far more concerned with preserving the reputation of their organisation than they were with preventing sexual abuse.

Any tears are for themselves, not for the young girls and boys whose lives were ruined as a result of their abysmal failure to do the right thing.

Bob Readman