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Hope for the future

In light of the recent school massacres in Florida, amidst all the tragedy it’s very uplifting and hopeful to see intelligent, well articulated American students taking on the politicians who don’t seem to take the whole issue of gun regulation seriously.

As many of the students themselves have pointed out, many of these kids will soon be eligible to vote, and the first thing they will do is vote these politicians out of office unless they do something which will be effective.

Many of these same politicians receive large amounts of money from the NRA which is good for gun sales, but not for the safety and well-being of these school kids.

It’s high time the selling of assault rifles is either banned or severely restricted. Barack Obama introduced a law which would have prevented mentally ill people from owning or purchasing guns; President Trump, in his ‘wisdom’ ,overturned this. His solution to school massacres? Give the teachers guns. That very idea is fraught with all kinds of issues.

American schoolchildren have organized massive rallies to be held on March 24 in every state to force those in power to do something. Teenagers at their very best.

Tom Horwat, Upavon Court, Penhill, Swindon

Restore this building

At last something is happening regarding the Locarno/Corn Exchange, sadly neglected by the human race.

The building has been largely ignored for a number of years and the buddleia has made the walls precarious so this must be cut out without delay.

An architect friend of mine from London University, Sue Woolf, pointed this out to me but I already knew this so why has it taken so long? Swindon Council has prevaricated on this building and this has to change.

So the mending: capping of walls, a roof would be nice and turn the building back into a useful project for the whole of Old Town and Swindon.

We have to get on and repair it before it is too late. No more excuses please and amend the original plan. Car parks are not the most important thing in life so why not take the example of Tate Britain and turn the Locarno into part of the art gallery arrangements and have it as an addition to the plans for a new £20 million pound building?

Robert Stredder, Holdcroft Close, Blunsdon

Don’t take a right turn

I write in response to your report and picture (For Britain branch is up and running) Feb 15. Robert Baggs, Secretary Swindon branch, and Ian Baxter, Chairman Swindon branch, claim the organisation is not far-right.

The For Britain website claim they are a minor far-right organisation, as yet For Britain has not registered with the electoral commission so are unable to put up candidates in elections or ask for donations. It has the support of Tommy Robinson (a person who has had more pseudonyms than I’ve had hot dinners), the founder of the notorious EDL who in the past have got great satisfaction from creating disturbances in towns and cities across the UK, particularly where there is a large Muslim community.

Both Mr Baggs and Mr Baxter say they want to bring back free speech. I’ll point out to them free speech is alive and well in the UK; hate speech is thankfully not permitted here.

I’m proud to live in a multi-cultural town like Swindon and even prouder to take part in the International Day Against Racism held every March in the UK, where the message from the thousands participating is “We are the many”.

Martin Webb, Swindon Road, Old Town

Why should we pay?

It is pie in the sky time again at the latest council meeting.

This time it’s the LED lighting at the Greenbridge roundabout, as well as the snow domes at Rodbourne, and a £20 million museum.

Spare me the fantasies you dream up at your meetings. Could you not discuss sweeping my street or filling in all the potholes or reopening libraries, build a better bus station? What must visitors to Swindon think when they approach that bomb site?

And when you set the 2018/2019 council tax, I would like to remind you of the things you have charged me for over the past four years and not done them or used that money for other purposes.

I think you owe the council tax payers a rebate, after all if I invite a tradesman to do some work on my house and he does not do it I don’t pay him. The same applies to you - if you don’t do it, we should not pay.

Clive Bright, Upper Stratton, Swindon