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Lovely place to shop

THE staff of Pinehurst One Stop shop, as well as the staff at the hairdressers and the chip shop, have always been so kind and caring. Nothing was too much trouble.

Hopefully these vital parts of the community will soon be back with all the caring staff on hand to do what they do best. They have been lovely places to shop.

LM Dawes, Tydeman Street

Setting facts straight

John Stooke offers an interesting perspective on the reasons he supported the anti Donald Trump rally in London (SA 17 July). I share his distaste of Mr Trump’s public persona but almost every US president in the 20th and 21st Century has been prone to the same behaviour.

Remember, Bush and Obama endorsed rendition, removed children from their parents and built a physical border between the USA and Mexico. To gain the substantial Irish-American vote Bill Clinton offered succour to the IRA while he had his dalliances with various young and impressionable young interns. As for Richard Nixon, what can you say?

John suggests that I thought that Brexit would play out much better than it has to-date. He is wrong. I always knew that Brexit would depend on the goodwill of two sides who wish to achieve a mutually beneficial deal. That is the way of all negotiation.

However, it has been clear from the moment the referendum result was made known, that elements within this country and the EU political body would work tirelessly to frustrate any attempt to achieve a good outcome.

Having studied the travails of the past two years it no longer surprises me that the EU has failed to conclude Free Trade Agreements with any of the major trading nations of the world. Mr Trump’s protectionism is mirrored by the EU’s and the failure of the EU to achieve a FTA with the UK should be source of amazement to the British public – after all, the Government has been very consistent in its mantra of wanting a close and mutually beneficial trading relationship.

No one voting to leave the EU political wanted an end to a trading relationship with Europe and John knows that in the absence of a FTA the UK and the EU will still trade, only it will be under WTO rules (exactly as the USA, Australia, China and many other countries do already).

Finally, John engages in pure speculation which he proposes as fact. Which standards and protocols developed and agreed since the 80s did Mr Trump tell Mrs May she would have to “slash and burn”?

Des Morgan, Caraway Drive, Swindon

Help The Ramblers

Chris Hinton’s recent letter (SA, 11 July) rightly draws attention to the fact that not all footpaths used by the public are recorded as public rights of way, and that future public access to these paths is at risk if no action is taken before 2026.

A lot of work needs to be done to rectify this situation. The Ramblers is currently undertaking research to identify these paths but we need more volunteers to help us. If Chris Hinton or any of your other readers would like to help they can contact me by email at footpaths@ne.wiltsswindonramblers.org.uk.

Peter Gallagher, Footpaths and Walking Environment Officer, Ramblers Swindon and North East Wiltshire Group

Break with party whip

An open letter to Robert Buckland, MP:

It appears to me that Parliament is leading by example - that cheating is the way to go!

Vote Leave has cheated, as shown by the Electoral Commission, yet appears to be getting away with a slap on the wrist. This investigation has taken so long, that the dire consequences of Brexit now seem to be all but inevitable.

It seems to me that democracy is all but dead, Parliament is frozen in the Brexit headlights and we are sleepwalking into some desperate times for most UK citizens.

What seemed to be far-fetched scenarios in J J Patrick’s spine-chilling book Alternative War last summer, are now becoming daily headlines.

It seems to me that because the Tories don’t have any serious opposition, Tory party loyalties are more important to most MPs than their constituents. As my MP, I must urge you to break with any party whip or other obligations, and do the right thing for Swindon, not the Tories or the vote-riggers

Otherwise I have no MP and, as I said, democracy is dead.

Simon Canfer, Buckingham Road, Swindon

No name until charged

The judgement in the Cliff Richard case should be welcomed by all.

By finding in favour of Sir Cliff, the judge has confirmed the basis on which British law is founded – that a person is “innocent until proven guilty”; and entitled to some privacy, no matter how famous they may be.

Neither the public, nor the press (and all other media), have a right to know who may be under suspicion for any possible offence. Too often ordinary people have had their careers and lives ruined because of an accusation - Sir Cliff was never arrested or charged with any crime.

Nobody should be named publicly until they are at least arrested; and preferably not until they have been charged.

Malcolm Morrison, Prospect Hill, Swindon

Let businesses decide

I am of the opinion that big business should be negotiating on trade, they know what the cost is when buying and selling to other countries.

Deadlines seem to have been set, but for years we were unable to get Brussels to hear what we had to say. Now they are all ears, we have become like a dog chasing its tail.

Why not let the people who know get on with it? Everybody wants to take the reins, then doesn’t know where to drive when they’ve got them.

Roy Small, Haydon Wick