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A weak defence

Terry Reynolds in response to John Stooke wrote a letter which seeks to defend the vile, pro-rich, anti-worker polices of Donald Trump, but does so only by saying other presidents did bad things too, a weak defence at best.

And he follows what is for him a now well-trodden path and tries to confuse the issues by throwing out inaccurate or irrelevant questions. Why were there no demonstrations against the Saudi rulers? There were. Why no objections to the polices of Obama and Clinton? There were.

Actually Mr Reynold’s questions are more specific; he asks if John Stooke demonstrated, which seems to me neither here nor there. But in any case Trump is unusual in the way he has cobbled together a political coalition whose core comprises those sections of American society still seething at the advances of the civil rights movement, women’s movement and so on and hates every social advance won in the US. He got three million less votes than the unpopular Hillary Clinton.

The other strand of Mr Reynolds letter I want to comment on is his lack of understanding of the oppression of Palestinians.

He comments, ludicrously, that if Mr Stooke carries a Palestinian flag (obvious to most this is an act of solidarity for a people who were driven from their homes by vile acts of terrorism by Zionist militias), it must mean he wants to live in Palestine. What a bizarre conclusion. Mr Reynolds’ message to Palestinians is they must surrender even as the continuing and systematic discrimination against Palestinians who are still able to live in Israel is further entrenched by last week’s passing of the “Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People law”.

Peter Smith, Woodside Avenue, Swindon

Showing solidarity

In response to Mr Reynolds’ latest outburst towards John Stooke, SA letters ‘The Wrong Protest’ July 23, Terry says if Mr Stooke’s love of Palestine is so great he carries the Palestine flag and not the UK one, is he going to move there?

Just to inform Terry, I very often wear a Palestine badge so should I move there too Terry?

Mr Reynolds seems to have overlooked or maybe forgot that just a few weeks ago a couple of hundred people or so marched though London to Whitehall carrying the flag of Israel in protest against claims at the time of anti-semitism in the Labour Party. Shouldn’t those people be waving the UK flag? And if their love of Israel is so great shouldn’t they move there, Terry?

Is Terry a hypocrite in as much that it is OK for people to display the Israeli flag but not the Palestine one? It’s freedom of expression and democracy in action, the one that give you the right to write to the SA to show your support for the state of Israel just as much as it gives myself and Mr Stooke the right to show our solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Mark Webb, Old Town, Swindon

No need to apologise

Why should Mr Lack feel he needs to apologise to these religious people? I agree 100% with what he says.

We will never get through to these people, but I do believe that more and more people are thinking along the same lines that we are thinking.

Why should we say sorry, because they are frequently rude to us because our beliefs do not tally with theirs?

Does ‘free thinking’ come to mind?

Janet Woodham, Scotby Avenue, Swindon

Forgotten ‘stadium’

SEVENTY consecutive seasons of league speedway racing at the Abbey Stadium is an admirable achievement for the Robins and to the Promotions credit they chose last Monday’s meeting against Leicester to celebrate 69 years to the day of the very first meeting.

It is however also worth noting that 2018 is the 90th anniversary of speedway racing in the UK. The first officially recognised meeting being held at High Beech, Epping Forest on 19th February 1928.

Today many people in Swindon are unaware that on the 4th August the town can also observe 90 years to the day, of the first ‘dirt track’ meeting taking place at the Swindon Autodrome, a hastily constructed stadium located in a field at the back of the Duke of Edinburgh pub, Gorse Hill.

The stadium, built by Swindon Sports Club Ltd, had the full support of the North Wilts Motorcycle Club and many of their members, already familiar with the similar sport of grass track racing, were happy to race along with others from far and wide, in the eight meetings held in 1928.

Although the venue was never used for team racing, it was re-named the Swindon Speedway Stadium in 1930, but sad to say, after what was a very brief affair with the sport, it fell out of use the same year.

Tiverton Road was subsequently built on the site and disappointingly today there is no evidence or acknowledgement that a speedway track ever existed in the area.

Kevin Leakey, Salisbury Street, Swindon

Fake religious news

I never comment on people’s religious views. However I feel I must reply to one of Jeff Adams comments in his letter “the evidence is clear”.

He states that “ His (Jesus) disciples were fishermen; men like miners who see through fakes pretty fast.” May I remind him that the greatest fake of our time was part of a flotilla of fisherfolk that cruised up the Thames to protest against the EU. They didn’t see through Farage!

Steve Thompson, Norman Road, Swindon

Too late for our town

RE the state of Swindon town centre - it’s too late! Blame the Council?

The population of Swindon and district is not large enough to support two shopping conurbations the size of the Outlet Village.

Brian Bradbury-Pratt, Parsonage Court, Highworth