Labour must not ‘sit on the fence’ on defence, readers argue in a lively debate covering defence spending, Belfast violence, and immigration hypocrisy.
Defence and health need cross-party support
John Healey has been a sound defence secretary and therefore his resignation is a tragedy (Metro, Fri). He quit in protest over a 0.08 per cent boost in defence spending – describing it as ‘well short of what is required’. Re-armament is not a choice – how we pay for it is the political decision, and it requires cuts or tax rises. Both are unpalatable but the fact is that we have no choice – tax rises are inevitable. We should already be paying more for our NHS but Labour decided to tax employers by increasing their national insurance contributions and the minimum wage. Now the government has avoided making the tough decision and delayed defence spending yet again. No wonder successive US presidents have become exasperated with us failing to step up. Defence and health need to have cross-party support. A consensus on funding both is a critical national priority.
Roger Morris, Mitcham
Disgust at mob violence in Belfast
Looking at the mob violence in the city of my birth, Belfast, I feel total disgust. But it isn’t just the racist backlash itself, which can fairly be described as a modern-day pogrom, but the fact a disturbing number of people are defending or excusing it! Tommy Robinson, Nigel Farage, Rupert Lowe and Elon Musk may be careful to not directly incite the violence but make no mistake, they have an influence on the normalisation of this thuggery.
Nathan Hazlett, Sunderland
Rioters depend on immigrant workers
When the rioters in Belfast trip over a brick or burn themselves with their own Molotov cocktails, they will find themselves in A&E and depending on the very immigrant workers they seek to expel. I wonder how many of them would consider training as nurses.
Nicholas Taylor, Hove
Trump, Musk and Vance are immigrants
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones – something several prominent Americans should bear in mind, before opening their mouths on UK immigration. Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think either Donald Trump, JD Vance or Elon Musk are ‘native’ Americans. Like the vast majority of Americans, they themselves are second, third, fourth, fifth generation immigrants that migrated, voluntarily or forcibly, from Europe and Africa.
George, Tyne & Wear
AI CVs, vetting and threats
So, AI job assistants will draft CVs (Metro, Thu), which in turn be vetted by AI agents, for jobs that have been or could well be replaced by AI. This sounds like a jolly good idea.
Ashis Banerjee, London
Is 2026 better than 1996?
On whether 1996 is, as some say, the best year ever, JWA Caley (Metro, Thu) says 2026 is better but chooses some odd statistics to support this – among them, fewer people smoking or dying in road and air accidents. With evolution, some things get better and some things get worse. It would be interesting to read his opinion in 2056 and how it might compare with this year. I’ll be 90, so will just be glad to still be alive. And that’s all that matters, really.
Nick, Jersey
Where is summer?
In the (similar) words of our own British songwriter Raye, Baby / Where the hell is my summer (woo hoo) / What’s taking it so long (woo hoo) / To find me?
Maggie, Harrow
