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Nothing personal

Former Thamesdown Council Leader Tony Mayer suggests that in recent published correspondence I have made “rather personal attacks” on him (SA 26 Oct).

As it is not my wish to offend Tony personally but rather to challenge his myopic view of the EU political body and its relevance to the UK, I quickly checked back on what I had written in response to Tony’s letters. In the four items of correspondence I have sent to the SA which mention Tony, I can find no trace of a personal insult unless Tony really believes that suggesting aspects of his arguments are ‘silly’ qualifies as a ‘hate crime’ - in which case he should report his concerns to the police who I am assured will treat it with great seriousness and record it appropriately.

Tony is a seasoned political operator having served on the council and been Leader of his Party. It’s sad when he stoops so low and makes a claim which has absolutely zero foundation in fact. Although, come to think of it, isn’t that what he does when he claims that remaining in the EU, bound by the ruling of the ECJ and paying the political construct a lot of money, is a good idea?

Des Morgan, Caraway Drive, Swindon

The good old days

The letter by Tony Mayer (Oct 26) is again promoting his idea for a second referendum on the EU. The main question for the public to decide is whether 45 years of EU membership has made Britain a better place to live.

In the 1960s this country had 25 years of continuous boom conditions culminating in cheap houses, high wages and generous company pension schemes.

In 2018 we have had 10 years of recession. Britain is in permanent austerity with millennials facing a bleak future of high house prices and rents.

Any fair assessment of the economic situation would come to the conclusion that life was better in the 1960s and that the last 45 years of EU membership has been a disaster for the working class in Britain.

Martin Costello, Eldene, Swindon

Unhelpful Budget

The Budget by Philip Hammond Chancellor of the Exchequer has failed to tackle the major problems facing the British economy and that is the trade deficit. Britain has the worst trade deficit in the developed world even after including invisible exports of services such as banking and insurance.

Manufacturing industry is the main generator of wealth in Britain and the Budget totally ignores that sector of the economy. There is nothing in the budget to encourage exports in order to tackle the trade deficit.

Britain runs a trade deficit with the EU of a billion pounds a week. This is the most urgent problem facing Britain today. In the long term a deficit of this size is unsustainable because it adds to the National Debt which is already approaching two trillion pounds.

Steve Halden, Beaufort Green, Swindon