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Support your country

By portraying himself as a pathetic victim of Brexit, Fred Quinn gives a clear demonstration of the power of EU propaganda and indoctrination, “Where is my future?” (Adver, December 8).

Mr Quinn claims when he leaves university as a graduate with a degree in engineering in June 2019, he will have an uncertain future because the UK will be out of the EU.

Regardless of whether we are in or out of the EU everyone has an uncertain future. I have yet to meet anyone with a crystal ball which is 100 per cent accurate.

The EU is accused of brainwashing British children by providing schools with books and other teaching materials which promote its own ideology and agenda.

To reinforce and ensure continuation of this indoctrination the EU has Jean Monnet professors strategically placed in universities.

It is claimed this system undermines UK education by eroding academic independence and using propaganda to prevent free thinking. Mr Quinn’s inability to see his own future without EU domination appears to prove the point.

I suggest he takes a look at the reports of James Dyson launching a new university to bridge the engineering skills gap. The Swindon Advertiser reported on this in the article “Sir James Dyson and Jo Johnson MP break ground for new undergraduate village at Dyson” (Adver, November 30). Mr Dyson looks to double his engineering workforce to 6,000 by 2020.

The EU’s share of the world’s economy is shrinking and is predicted to continue to do so. The UK needs to be free to trade with the expanding world markets and not have its economy determined and controlled by the negative influences of unelected Brussels bureaucrats.

We may be heading towards 2018 but it seems as if there are members of the establishment who would prefer to take us in the direction of 1984.

Higher education should be about learning to think for yourself. I suggest Mr Quinn considers whether he is relying on information provided by closeted and biased EU political fanatics who are determined to sabotage Brexit.

Mr Quinn claims when he qualifies his preference is to work in this country. Information from the “real world” implies once qualified his skills will be very much in demand on his own doorstep.

I suggest he should show more confidence in and support for his own country.

K KANE, Wharf Road, Wroughton, Swindon

Benefits of service

Peter Smith correctly stated that some who served their National Service thought it a waste of time! We all would have wished we had not been called up – our wages certainly overshadowed the £1 30s a week we received in uniform – but we were called up and most made the best out of it.

My letter referred to discipline and training. Many a child thought schooling a waste of time but when they passed their exams at the time they left they would certainly have some pride in their achievement.

National Service training was character building. Two members of my platoon were good examples – one, he never did any exercise after leaving school and he showed it. On a first afternoon for sport the pitches were frozen so we all had a three-mile cross country run. He failed to finish and had to be carried back by NCOs. As the weeks went by he lost his fat and put on muscle and by passing out parade he was as fit as the other members of the platoon.

The second recruit was an only child and really spoilt – he could not even make his own bed. To save him being charged we took it in turns to help him clean his bed space and make up his bed, until he was able to do it himself. Also, one of us checked his rifle before inspection – this is the teamwork that the army was trying to install in us and the NCOs were aware of our actions.

Gradually he lost his loneliness and became self assured and was one of the boys. At the passing out parade, parents, wives and girlfriends were amazed and proud at seeing the way that their loved ones had changed, for the better I might add.

Yes Peter, even those who thought it a waste of time would have no doubt appreciated the comradeship of their recruit training.

JH OLIVER, Brooklands Avenue, Swindon

Raking it in on parking

With reference to the Swindon council regarding allegedly increasing its already extortionate parking charges, may I make a more sensible suggestion?

Why don’t they bring in the demolition experts to raze our once proud Swindon town centre, before turning it into a desert of financial liability, not far away, as it stands at the moment?

I have a very grave suspicion that the Grand Poo Baas are more interested in their ridiculous salaries and inflated pensions denied to us common people who pay their wages. Bring in the Bedouin and their camels to walk Regent Street without the sand. Mind you, there is always the fountain in the town centre for the camels, if it is working.

Finally, may I make a sensible suggestion? That you all stop lining your pockets at public expense. You cannot take it with you when your time comes. Start playing the game with the people who pay your wages – not a hard task if you are a genuine caring human being.

BILL WILLIAMS, Merlin Way, Covingham, Swindon

God’s gift to traffic

Swindon Council seems to have an agenda that it does not wish to share with the inhabitants of Eastern Swindon. This would appear to be monumental changes to all the roads in Lower Stratton.

Although we have been assured by Councillor Barrie Jennings that Ermin Street will not be now closed, it would appear that at a council consultation it was suggested and proposed to permanently close Ermin Street junction to the White Hart Roundabout.

None of this is being publicised by our council. We have a potentially outlandish scheme being proposed for road layouts that can only be described as inadequate, putting it very mildly. If it is as inadequate as the roundabout which has been installed at Greenbridge it is a potential disaster.

We have in Swindon a roundabout of nationwide fame. It’s called the Magic Roundabout and it works really well.

It’s a multifaceted idea and allows traffic to flow well even at the most congested times of traffic flow. Because of its designs it doesn’t have bottlenecks.

I believe in the old saying, “If it’s not broke don’t fix it” but no, an awful lot of our councillors think they are God’s gift to traffic planing.

And moreover they do not learn from their mistakes.

We have to rein in this council with its grandiose ideas and monumental costs.

Let’s have something which is needed here. It’s called Common Sense. Let’s think it through before making these decisions. And councillors, talk to us, we live here and we have to put up with your mistakes.

DAVID COLLINS, Blake Crescent, Swindon

Appeasing the liars

Our government has announced the terms of a deal to quit the EU.

No matter what the terms of that deal are, it does not and can never give the referendum result legitimacy as it cannot change the fact that the result was based upon industrial scale deceit and dishonesty by the leave campaign. In fact, all the government is doing with this deal is appeasing those who lied.

Furthermore, the deal itself has no legitimacy either, as the current government has no democratic mandate after losing its majority and therefore the election six months ago today, and remains in power only as a result of bribing the DUP with £1.5billion of our money.

ADAM POOLE, Savill Crescent, Wroughton