Letters: December 1, 2016

Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

Right to a fair trial

IN HIS letter (Why was the trial needed?) Chris Gleed asks why was Thomas Mair, who murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, put on trial?

Simply put, it’s the way the British Judiciary System works, no matter how heinous the crime committed is – and the slaughter of Jo Cox was most heinous – so anybody that is charged with a crime in the UK has the right to a fair trial and to defend themselves in a court of law.

Does Mr Gleed want to live in a country like North Korea or Eritrea where a person can find themselves in jail without trial and with little hope of a trial, or ever seeing daylight again? The murderer of Jo Cox was charged under the terrorism act, hence why the trial was at the Old Bailey and not in Yorkshire where the crime was committed.

Does Mr Gleed believe that those charged with terrorism offences should not be tried in a court of law?

I don’t for one minute think that he is talking from experience when he says that being in jail is like being on holiday. He’s just echoing the words of an editorial from the Daily Mail. With suicides rising, brutal gang fights, a recent murder and inmates locked up for 23 hours a day would he like to spend any amount of time in one of HM prisons? Probably not!

He ends his letter by saying he couldn’t respond to a previous letter because he was without a computer for a while. How about visiting a stationery store and purchasing a pen and a writing book. You never know such things may be useful next time you find yourself without a computer.

MARTIN WEBB

Old Town

Swindon

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Bus changes disaster

THE recent change in the Wroughton No. 9 bus service has been a complete disaster for the people of Wroughton.

We have lost a service which used to cover the whole village and now we have the ridiculous situation where North Wroughton has lost their 20-minute service and now have only the hourly No. 49 Devizes bus, which previously would not pick anyone up after Wroughton High Street.

In the rest of the village, most of the picking up points mean that travellers have to wait in the rain opposite covered bus stops. It can only be a matter of time before someone is knocked down after waiting under cover and having to rush across the road when a bus approaches.

The covered bus stop in Kelsboro Avenue is no longer used. Travellers having to stand in the rain in Wharf Road and the promised 15-minute service has been anything but and a wait of half-an-hour or more is not unusual.

But why the change? Wichelstowe, which I understand will become a South Swindon parish, is already covered by a Thamesdown No 15 service which runs to Hayden Wick every 20 minutes via Swindon and all stops to Asda Walmart.

With the combined bus services, this means they have buses every five to 10 minutes to Swindon. It is time this harebrained scheme is scrapped and our original service is returned forthwith.

FRANK SKULL

Summerhouse Rd

Wroughton

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Council tax ignominy

WHAT is going on in this town? A councillor who represents the people, and should lead by example, should serve the people in truth.

He has not paid his council tax. Try that one and then The Cant Pay We Take It Away brigade would be at your doorstep faster than the rush in your local at the drinking up bell on a Saturday night during a happy hour. Quicker than your dog at his dinner after a frosty morning walk. Faster than David Cameron’s resignation. That beats the previous two aforementioned. Your car or furniture would be under threat, not to mention court expenses and bailiffs fees.

Another point – why the hidden identity? We all know in this age of modern technology the truth will eventually come out, not to mention the age old instinct regarding gossip in the human genes, Swindon being no exception.

Another point a friend of mine suggested in my local tonight. His name is Dave but wishes it to go no further. He said the council are forcing cuts on all and sundry. Perhaps they should have started with the grass during the summer months. Brilliant, but not mine.

Finally, last but not least. Perhaps David Renard should change his name to David ‘Foxy’ Reynard before the democratic will of the Swindon public make him suffer the same disgraceful fate of the unspeakable chasing the uneatable. Bedtime for Bonzo namely I .Christmas tree and decorations next week , all agreed .God Bless,

BILL WILLIAMS

Merlin Way

Covingham,

Swindon.

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Remembering Castro

FOUR reasons why people must remember Fidel Castro, former President of Cuba, who died at 90 on November 26.

1. Liberation. At the age of 29 Fidel went to the Sierra Maestro mountain to liberate his country from a dictator named Batista and the exploitation of the US imperialism. In 1959 Fidel, Che, Celia Sanchez and other revolutionaries overthrew that dictator. He also helped the ignorant people of Africa. From Angola, former Zaire to South Africa from the apartheid white regime and colonial Belgium, and Portugal. In Latin America, Fidel’s revolution opened the way to socialists like the late Chavez of Venezuela, Lula Da Silva of Brazil, Correa of Ecuador and Evo Morales of Bolivia.

2. Social Justice. In Cuba people are taken care of by the state. There is no homeless person, no patients who cannot pay their prescriptions, no hungry children who go to bed without food and no university fees. I live in Swindon and I lived in London, Oxford and Bristol, and there are thousands of homeless and hungry people. And students with graduate degrees without jobs and in debts. The totalitarian British government –?Labour or Tory?–?ignores these people as lazy, alcoholics and drug addicts. It’s the best way to shut down discourses to find solutions for these people and deny responsibility.

3. Human Dignity. Before the UN Assembly in 1975, Fidel made a powerful speech on Angola. In it, he said, Cuba was not in the war for oil, patrol or natural resources. Cuba was only engaging its international duty which was helping the oppressed and ignorant people of my continent of Africa, to liberate it from colonial white South Africa, Portugal and the US.

4. Self-Assurance. There have been only a few leaders in the history of mankind with solid self-assurance. Fidel was one of them, along with Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Che Guevara, Yasir Arafat, Presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso. “Hasta la victoria siempre” as Che used to say. Viva Fidel!

AXMED BAHJAD

Ermin Street

Swindon

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Cracking good show

Could I ask you not to print my address please as my daughter is a special police constable and my husband a retired CID officer. I also worked in a school close to where I live.

I HAVE had the pleasure of reviewing many shows for this paper. Sometimes, because of time constraints and lack of space not everything I would like to say is added to a review.

I ATTENDED the Kentwood Christmas Cracker at the Wyvern on Sunday. Unfortunately because of where I was sat, and no programs, I couldn’t see the names clearly of a couple of Sheila’s wonderful guests.

After a phone call to Sheila Harrod I managed to get the correct spelling of their names.

Kimberley Mok blew us all away with her piano playing at the tender age of 13, with not a musical score in site. This young lady undoubtedly has a talent that will take her far in the world of classical music. What an exceptional young lady she is.

Then there was the stunning trombone playing of Ian Bateman. Not quite as young as Kimberley, but a talent never the less. The jazz piece played with Sheila’s band was a joy to behold.

As I said in the review, I always enjoy Kentwood Christmas Cracker and this was no exception. Well done all.

ROS HOLLANDS

Name and address supplied

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Wallet worry over

ON Friday November 18 I lost my black zipper wallet in the Mid-Counties Co-op car park in Old Town Swindon.

Fortunately for me it was found by a gentleman who kindly handed my zipper wallet into the Gablecross Police Station Swindon. I am extremely grateful to this gentleman for his honesty and integrity as there was a considerable amount of money in the zipper wallet.

I was also grateful for the assistance of a young lady customer services employee who helped me to try and find my lost zipper wallet and also to Ross from Mid-Counties Co-op Old Town Swindon, who kindly telephoned me to inform me that my zipper wallet had been found and was awaiting collection at Gable Cross Police Station Swindon. Thank you!

R G PRESTON

Wroughton

Swindon

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Festive choral joy

WHAT a very enjoyable evening we witnessed at the Wyvern theatre on Sunday. Much credit must be praised on all those who took part in a very festive evening of music by the Aldbourne band and Kentwood choir.

Well done to Sheila Harrod who led the choir in her usual enthusiastic style. I was so impressed by those members who were presented with certificates for long service, one in particular 45 years. It shows the dedication of this fine choir who are a credit to the town of Swindon, the army cadets, the piano soloist and trombone soloist and all who I have missed, special praise for a great evening enjoyed by all.

CLIVE ALEXANDER

Aldbourne

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Austerity no answer

STEVE Halden continues his unique economics correspondence course, through the pages of the Adver, by arguing for deflation.

Actually he is arguing for slump on the basis that if the economy lurches to a halt then imports will slow down. He suggests Don Reeve check his “old (economics) textbooks” for arguments in favour of austerity.

In a sense Steve does at least do us the service of highlighting how a dominant strand of establishment economics has grown adept at ignoring all empirical evidence.

Never mind if the policy of austerity has never worked, if it says it in a text book, and I’m sure Steve isn’t inventing this text book, then we must support it whatever damage it does to the lives of millions, (billions when its global consequences are included), of ordinary people.

When it all goes horribly pear shaped it will be reality that got it wrong as the theory is infallible. And we can always blame immigrants for the outcome.

PETER SMITH

Woodside Avenue, Swindon