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The truth in song

In reply to the letter from John Stooke (Aug 11) may I suggest that he listens to that wonderful song by ABBA called “I have a dream”.

It describes how every young person has a dream of one day having a home and a family.

Independence for Britain helps to bring that dream a little bit closer to reality.

Once we have control of our borders and our economy we can ensure that every young person gets a decent home.

The young generation needs to make a good start in life. Young people are our future and we should help them in every way that we can.

Independence for Britain means that the words of that beautiful ABBA song can come true.

TERRY HAYWARD, Burnham Road, Swindon

We’re the real deal

Poor Mr K Kane - his letter about how bad, he thinks, the EU is was immediately after a letter which destroyed his arguments.

Then for some reason he does some bizarre trolling of the Green Party. He calls us “pseudo-environmentalists” and I cannot understand why.

I am a Green Party member and I have worked in horticulture all my working life - surely that is environmental.

My wife and I have reduced our car ownership to one and have halved our meat consumption - surely that is environmental.

I chair Hreod Burna Urban Forest, another party member is treasurer, we are creating a Little wildlife haven in the midst of Gorse Hill/Pinehurst - surely that must be environmental enough for K Kane. Surely that must make me an environmentalist and not a pseudo-environmentalist.

Our south Swindon candidate in the last two general elections and prospective candidate for the next was prominent in the campaign to save Clouts Wood south of Wroughton, she allows, nay encourages, her neighbours to put their compostables in her compost bins to save it going to landfill and volunteers to recycle rubbish after local events. Is she a pseudo- environmentalist, K Kane?

The Green Party MEP Molly Scott Cato is a professor of environmental economics, an expert environmentalist, not in the least “Pseudo”.

So there you have it Mr Kane, Green Party activists are active environmentalists and our elected representative an expert environmentalist. There is nothing “pseudo” about us nor do we troll others.

STEVE THOMPSON, Norman Road, Swindon

The elite are on the right

DES Morgan writes, “Peter would have us believe the elite (in Venezuela) is right wing and capitalist”. Well yes, it is.

Des replies to my letter on the gains made for ordinary people in Venezuela by referring to the suffering of the people and by ignoring the role of the right wing opposition in creating that suffering.

I focussed on the gains because our media and politicians have systematically ignored and lied about this from the outset as they have tried to set the scene for a bloody coup. They are desperate to defend the conservative argument that working people must make all the sacrifices to restore the profits of the rich. Chavez challenged this.

Des’ claim that “anyone who challenges Maduro’s authority is arrested” is again false. The case well-publicised by the world’s media was Leopold Lopez who was under house arrest following his role in violent incidents and his calls for a military coup.

He violated a court order and was re-arrested for calling on the army to disobey the order to protect polling stations. Note; opponents violently attacked unprotected polling stations to scare people out of voting.

Unfortunately Maduro, and indeed Chavez allowed far too much power to remain in the hands of the rich elite. This was even the case after Chavez was displaced by a right wing putsch in 2002, which by the way killed around 60 Chavez supporters.

While the rich crowed about their takeover, and the Labour Parliamentarians here under Blair (referred to by Des) at best remained silent about the coup, hundreds of thousands of working people poured out of the barrios and forced the return of Chavez.

The rich elite have attempted all means of economic and political sabotage ever since.

PETER SMITH, Woodside Avenue, Swindon

We are in great danger

OH dear. Rising drug crime. Rising stabbings. Rising people trafficking. Rising sex abuse gangs. Rising gun crime. Rising muggings.

I could carry on but would be accused of racism. When will anyone admit this is either the direct affect of Tony Blair’s open door policy or the deliberately lax laws on racism that seems some races are above the law?

We are now more at risk of being robbed, beaten, raped, stabbed and abused anywhere in the country by people who would never have been allowed here 20 years ago. Disgraceful.

Thanks to the EU too.

ROGER LACK, Swindon

Time for tea?

IS IT me, or do others find it strange that the majority of tea shops around the county close at tea time?

Tourists must find it very perplexing.

VAL PROCTER, Church Road, Hilmarton

Christmas is coming

ANYONE else noticed that it’s got a bit chillier lately? It really feels like summer is over.

Which means Christmas cards will be on sale in shops soon.

R JOHNSON, Stratton St Margaret