More than anything, Brexit is a terrible distraction

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It is time to acknowledge the fact that Europe is not about prisons or walls but about human rights, freedoms and dignities (AFP/Getty)

I wholeheartedly concur with the gist of your editorial that Brexit has become a tragic diversion of resources from the nation’s genuine grievances, namely knife stabbings, domestic violence, homicides, homelessness, poverty, child sex abuse, etc.

It is disheartening that this government is doing everything to reignite the dark forces of nationalism, colonial nostalgia, unpalatable policies regarding social welfare, the NHS, education, anti-establishment distrust and the yawning chasm between the rich and the poor, that have led to Brexit.

I am not sure how Brexit will unfold and whether Britain can regain its clout on the global stage. However, it is time to acknowledge the fact that Europe is not about prisons or walls but about human rights, freedoms and dignities, and the sooner May and the rest realise this, the better.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob
London, NW2

Paddy could teach us a thing or two

Paddy Ashdown was a shining example of what a politician should be. He will be greatly missed.

When he was the guest on Desert Island Discs he said: “In 1974 we saw the dissolution of Britain’s way of government.”

How true that still is. And how sad that those uniquely able to ameliorate the situation cannot or, more likely, will not see it.

Susan Alexander
Frampton Cotterell

Praise for the Daily Edition app

Amid the chaos both domestically and internationally over the last 12 months, one of the few bright lights has been the coverage of events by The Independent.

I was at first disappointed when the paper copy ended, but have come to appreciate the electronic version, which is proving to be easy to use, reliable and above all advert free.

There is always plenty to read each day (even though I never look at the sport pages, sorry!) providing what is probably the least biased reporting in the UK.

Especially interesting recently has been the daily Editor’s Letter page. It has provided a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the product and the individuals working to provide our daily news.

Steve Edmondson​
Haslingfield

Show some remorse for colonialism

I so agree with Marian Borthwick’s letter and, of course, Robert Fisk, about the teaching of history in our schools, but I’d go back further and call for teaching the reality of colonialism. I have heard so many people on Any Answers (Radio 4) say words to the effect that “We used to have an empire, for heaven’s sake” as a reason to leave Europe – as if that empire had come at no cost to any other nation and was something of which we should be unreservedly proud. The truth is, we plundered, we divided, we dismantled industries that competed with our own and we imported grain leaving famine in our wake.

Going back even earlier, the fact that England was so wealthy during Elizabethan times because of state-licensed piracy and invasion should also be acknowledged. Perhaps this small country would then begin to understand how it managed to punch so far above its weight for so long, and get a sense of perspective, along with a healthy dose of remorse.

Beryl Wall
London, W4 2JX

Cutting down on Christmas

In my family (admittedly all now adult) we set a £5 limit on Christmas presents. Much more fun, much easier to shop for, easier to wrap and a lot less wasteful. It is surprising what useful or consumable gifts one can get within that limit. To make it clear, we are not called Scrooge, and have no limits on gifts for birthdays or any other time of the year when anyone feels like it.

Ian Turnbull
Dalston

When it comes to incidents like the Gatwick drone, the police could be cannier

The apparently inept handling of the Gatwick drones incident is another illustration of senior police officers erring on the side of caution, regardless of costs involved, when faced with allegedly major incidents.

This easy option is often adopted when calls are made regarding suspected bombs. Streets are often unnecessarily sealed off and buildings evacuated on the orders of senior officers at massive inconvenience to the public.

There is an urgent need for each police force to establish a cadre of specialist officers trained to expertly assess such situations. They can be called away from their day to day to deal with incidents such as suspect bombs.

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The more they are deployed, the more their confidence and expertise will increase to nip in the bud such time consuming incidents. And the significant amount of time saved which police usually squander on overreaction to such incidents will far outweigh any training costs.

John Kenny
Address Supplied