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Embarrassing insult

David Collins begins his latest Adver letter “Sorry, I didn’t know there were so many dummies in Swindon.”

Given David’s long history of letters which demonstrate a willingness to fanfare his ignorance on many issues – history, music, engineering etc – this insult is a bit embarrassing.

David labels as dummies a Question Time audience which, by all accounts, did quite a good job of highlighting the poor Tory record, not least on privatisation and underfunding of the NHS.

Where David’s letter reaches the level of slapstick is when he writes “... climate change has been going on for some five million years.”

We shouldn’t need to say this to adults but of course climate change has been going on for considerably longer than five million years. I can only imagine David seized on a number to create the illusion he had read something on the subject.

The concern today is the pressing need to do something about man-made climate change. While David is right about China’s high level of pollution (but not on the position of India and Pakistan), China disappears as a top polluter in per capita terms, while the USA stays near the top by both measures.

How this league table approach is relevant in terms of the need to tackle climate change is in any case questionable.

I hold no torch for China, which is a police dictatorship, but it now produces twice the electricity from renewable sources that the USA produces.

Peter Smith, Woodside Avenue, Swindon

Vote for employment

No Labour government has ever left office with unemployment lower than it was when it went into government.

Last time they were in office it had risen by 22 per cent and the previous time 55 per cent. The sure thing is that there is no job for a leader who wants to be neutral in the UK’s most critical topic – Brexit!

The hard left socialist proposals of Labour will significantly damage the economy – believe me. Don’t be deceived by trivial ‘freebees’ being offered.

We are all fully aware that no party has all the right answers, however the sure thing is that the only safe option for job security and economic prosperity is with the Conservatives.

Fix the cash and fix everything else. No cash – no fix! Vote for employment.

Andy Turner, Stanton St Quintin

Conspicuously absent

As you report (SA, December 2), at the election hustings convened by Keep Our NHS Public last Sunday the Tory candidates, Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson, were conspicuous by their absence.

Could they please tell us why neither of them attended: do they think the NHS is not sufficiently important or were they frightened that they would be unable to defend their government’s austerity and privatisation policies in front of dedicated NHS workers who know the reality of the damage these policies are causing?

Peter Gallagher, Folkestone Road, Swindon

Activities for over-50s

I was interested to read about the community group at Swindon and Walcot (SA, November 29).

For about a year now we have been running a similar over-50s group at Gorse Hill Baptist Church once a month on a Monday from 2-4 pm.

Currently I am the organiser of the group but have several other helpers. We plan different activities each month and have about 40 members. I felt led to start this group when I gave up organising the lunch club, which I had done for 17 years.

The first month we did this two people came and spoke to me saying that it was so nice to be with others instead of sitting looking at their walls all afternoon. Each month we have a theme and obviously our December one is Christmas.

Our next event is on Monday, December 9, where we will be doing various craft activities, flower arranging, biscuit decorating, carol singing as well as enjoying a Christmas tea.

I just thought you would like to know that there is another group in Swindon.

Val Green