A picture of dedication

To see that wonderful lady. Her Majesty our Queen, sitting alone at her husband’s funeral brought a tear to my eye. That women has spent her life dedicating her self to the British nation and to the Commonwealth.Day in and day out, doing her duty faultlessly.

The disgraceful conduct of her grandson decrying his own family on worldwide social media is unforgivable by any standards .

If you report every word your family says to the general public. Who would ever confide in you and trust you ever again? I suspect the Hollywood brigade will soon realise, that when the dust settles regarding the unproven accusations against our Royal family.That nobody is safe from an informer of personal comments in confidence, good or bad.

Bill Williams

Merlin Way

Covingham

No laughing matter

You know that you've won the debate, when the opposition makes personal attacks. Des Morgan absolutely piled into me in his letter (SA, April 17) with absolutely no cogent arguments.

Apparently I have raised "the biggest laugh" (on trade figures with the EU), I have used "isolated statistics", I have "chosen another subtext" (Northern Ireland) and I "won't accept that the majority voted to leave the EU."

In responding to Des: -

1) "the biggest laugh" - it's government figures that show an export loss to the EU, in January 2021, of 40 per cent - so, not made up and surely no laughing matter?

2) "isolated statistics" - I always quote sources in my letters and they are not isolated - but, if the Adver doesn't have room to quote all my sources, then that's hardly my fault, is it?

3) "chosen another subtext - Northern Ireland is not just a Brexit 'subtext' - I am sorry, but this is Des' most uninformed comment, betraying the fact that he does not have any understanding of the complexities of the problems in Ulster. Since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, there has been relative peace in NI, but Brexit has shattered that agreement - the crisis in Northern Ireland currently was made in Westminster. Boris Johnson's irresponsible promise of 'No Irish sea border' and denying its existence even as his government started building it, is re-opening the Pandora's box that we all hoped the Good Friday Agreement had sealed. While tensions in Northern Ireland are far more complex than any one cause Brexit is, most certainly, the spark that lit the escalating violence.

4) "won't accept that the majority voted to leave the EU" - Des, surely even you don't subscribe to this fatuous argument anymore? Nigel Farage said, in May 2016 that "there would be unstoppable demand for a re-run of the EU referendum if Remain wins by a narrow margin." (source BBC). I would argue that less than 52 per cent voting to Leave - to over 48 per cent voting to Remain (of those who actually voted) is a pretty narrow margin isn't it, especially when nearly 30 per cent of the electorate didn't even vote? (source BBC). So why no agreement to another EU referendum? Especially as the Leave campaign was based, pretty much, on a bunch of lies - there never was £350 million to give to the NHS, as that bus proclaimed.

And a footnote for Des - NI voted nearly 56 per cent to Remain and Scotland voted 62 per cent to Remain (source BBC)! Des - you are just another 'Little Englander' trying to bang the nail into the coffin of the UK (that's Great Britain and Northen Ireland, in case, you didn't know)! I am proud to be English, even more proud to be British and proud, most of all, to be European.

Brexit will never, ever, "be done" - but it will be undone, in time - of that, you can be sure!

Steve Cowdry

Saddleback Road

Shaw

Swindon