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Bruce Street confusion

On Monday October 14th we had to go across Bruce Street bridges going towards Cheney Manor at 12.30pm.

The traffic lights went on, we got halfway around and they just went off.

No warning, which is very dangerous because we could have been halfway across a lane and it was very busy. Why oh why turn the lights off?

Bruce Street roundabout is a nightmare. It worked okay with the old layout before they spent millions on something that never worked.

When we came back at 3pm, low and behold the lights were off, on and then off again, traffic everywhere.

It was a standstill up Rodbourne Road. The school was coming out so why do they lights not stay on? For goodness sake Swindon Borough Council, get this mess sorted out.

Mrs Townsend, Redcliffe Street, Rodbourne

Voter ID an outrage

I am appalled by the suggestion that we should henceforth be expected to provide voter ID at forthcoming elections.

Recent research, including some carried out locally, indicates, as expected, that voter fraud is this country is almost non-existent.

So why should citizens be deprived of the vote for want of a passport or driving licence?

There is an explanation, of course, but I would prefer to think that not even this government would descend to such depths.

Margaret Anderson, Avenue Road, Swindon

Sympathy for Trump

As an American, living in Swindon. A committed Democrat with little time for Trump. With regard the situation in Turkey, I must show him some sympathy.

He has withdrawn troops from the area, why should U.S, taxpayers pay for them to be there?

If he puts them in he will be accused of being an imperialist.

Furthermore, why are so many refugees crossing the Atlantic from West Africa, braving the Columbian rain forests and the horrors of the Mexican desert to live under his tyranny?

Delphine Canters, Broad Town

Huge postwar debt paid

Many thanks to Howard March and Peter Smith on all your contributions to the letters page and the replies you both obviously enjoy to write.

But and that’s a massive BUT after WW1 there was massive debt owed by all the countries involved in that horror of horrors.

The worst thing imaginable is the loss of all those lives, millions of them.

The money side of it was put in limbo and never repaid to the lender nor the receiver at the height of the Great Depression and has still not been paid nor received to this date.

Moving on to WW2, yes we borrowed and leased millions in materials.

But another big BUT is in 1946 the USA made loans to every single country involved in WW2, namely a lot of the countries in the EU today.

This was called the Marshall Plan and basically paid to rebuild not just the UK but the whole of Europe.

Where do you think the money came from? The bank of cloud cuckoo land?

Nazi Germany’s war debt for causing this second horror after the war was some £3.7 trillion. Was it ever paid? No it was not.

The USA costs for funding the war to all the allied countries was over £4 trillion and yes we did repay the USA, but we also repaid loans to Canada.

Did you know that little fact? We, that’s the UK borrowed millions upon millions from Canada and again repaid that debt.

Because you have a dislike for the USA that’s your problem.

Me, again I would rather have them on my side than against me. As for me talking for 17.4, well obviously minus one.

I do apologise Peter to include you in that calculation roll on the 31st

John L Crook, Haydon Wick, Swindon

Subordination not trade

There is a naivete about John Oliver’s belief that the US Government can’t wait to do the UK favours (SA, October 18).

US Governments always operate in the interests of US based big business. Any trade agreement will be based on that.

“Top of the US list of demands in any such arrangement would be much greater access for cheap American farm products, imports that would undercut farmers … and enrage … food safety lobbies because of US output of products such as hormone-treated beef and chlorine-treated poultry. US companies are also pressing for much greater access to UK public services, including the NHS,…” (FT March 2017)

John is right that American soldiers died alongside UK troops in WW2, but it isn’t entirely obvious why this means the UK should be even further subordinated by US governments.

Will Mr Oliver next be arguing for UK subordination to Russia’s Vladimir Putin because the old Soviet Union lost incomparably more soldiers and civilians in defeating Hitler’s armies in that war?

Peter Smith, Woodside Avenue, Swindon