Challenging views, championing causes

Thank you, Cllr John Cummings. A fair question—why hasn’t Kevin Pyne volunteered for TTC and SHDC, given that he seems to have far more spare time than most of us? Instead, he chooses to criticise, often repeating the same points, despite the incredible efforts of those who volunteer their time for free. It is also unacceptable to make incorrect statements in the public domain. Mr Pyne, slow down, check your facts, and listen to research—such as the findings from Nottingham Trent University, which highlight that positivity and laughter improve health and may even extend life.

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." — 1 Corinthians 13:1

I had to laugh at Geoffrey Brooking’s letter praising Labour, knowing that promised homes have not been built, energy bills are set to rise sharply, and water bills (SWW) will increase by 23 per cent by 2030.

A headline on February 19 read: "Three out of four elderly will be cold this winter." Thank you, Carolyn Voaden MP, for standing up for our elderly and now fighting for our hard-working, 24/7 farmers.

Meanwhile, we seem happy to spend money taken from our elderly on a new runway at Heathrow so that more people can fly off on expensive holidays with money no one has! Rachel Reeves claimed, "We are losing business to Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam"—but does she think long-haul travellers will land at Schiphol and then find another way to the UK?

I also heard the Chancellor on Radio 4 discussing Labour’s proposed rail infrastructure. She could not answer key questions from the interviewer and failed to confirm whether ticket prices would drop significantly. If I had £1 for every time the phrase "black hole" was used, I’d be a rich lady!

I was saddened to read Dr Denham’s letter about ongoing anti-Semitic protests in Totnes, even outside God’s house. Have people forgotten that Jesus, God’s Son, was a Jew? Instead of protesting, why not go inside, kneel, and quietly pray for the heartbroken family of the baby and toddler brutally murdered and held for 15 months by Hamas?

Many congratulations to Principal Tina Graham, the staff, and students at Kingsbridge Community College for achieving an Attainment 8 score higher than both the Devon and England average. Their leadership in partnering with Way A-head to deliver a transformative workshop for Year 10 students is commendable.

A big thank you and congratulations to our Methodist churches—Chillington, Hope Cove, and Kingsbridge—and friends, including The Alvington Singers, for raising over £5,000 for your 2024 charity, The Leprosy Mission (TLM).

Finally, in response to John Wilkinson’s Christian Comment—yes, walking in the fresh air and knowing God’s peace is indeed good for us. Despite my painful arthritic foot, I still walk every day—I was out at 6:45 am on Thursday to buy my Gazette!

Ruth Brooking

Kingsbridge

The West must stand firm against Putin

J.D. Vance’s recent speech to European leaders - criticising ‘allies’ to their faces while applauding dictators - was appalling. Donald Trump’s pre-emptive concessions on Ukraine’s negotiating positions are a betrayal of a key ally. If Putin retains Crimea and the Donbas, he has effectively won - and no country, including the UK, will be safe from future Russian aggression. Can we even consider the U.S. a reliable NATO ally now?

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has openly backed Germany’s far-right AfD and UK extremist Tommy Robinson. His recent Nazi salutes - denied but not credibly - only reinforce his blatant support for neo-Nazi groups. His growing influence over global politics, despite never being elected, is deeply concerning.

Trump’s reported plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza to build luxury resorts is a plan for neo-colonialism and ethnic cleansing, especially given Palestine’s offshore gas reserves. It’s most likely not a serious proposal but an attempt to distract from Musk’s backdoor destruction of US democratic institutions.

In the UK, Reform UK figures like Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, and Rupert Lowe openly praise Trump and Musk, calling Trump a ‘strong leader’ (despite him conceding Ukraine’s interests) and celebrating Musk’s influence over the U.S. government (even though he has not been elected and is acting illegally). Their bootlicking is disgraceful and fundamentally against Britain’s interests. Winston Churchill must be turning in his grave.

While countries like Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Denmark push back against this authoritarian shift, Reform UK stands as an appeaser - reminiscent of the Mitfords, the Duke of Windsor, and other wealthy prominent figures who supported Hitler in the 1930s and praised his strength and charisma. They deserve nothing but contempt for their anti-British and anti-democratic sympathies.

Farage, Tice, Lowe, Trump, Musk, and Vance all enable Putin. That is disgusting!

Peter Scott,

South Brent

Devon

Proportional representation: not all positives

Leaflets handed to me recently exhorting the benefits to be had by adopting a proportional representation (P.R) system of voting present an unbalanced comparison between it and our existing system.

The bold, sweeping but unsupported claims in support of P.R. paint an almost dystopian picture of the rest of Europe. However, this is hardly the case in Germany where currently there is a 'rumbling infrastructure' crisis including unreliable rail services and potholes in roads (BBC Radio 4 Feb 12). Is Germany alone in experiencing such problems?

Unless supporters of P.R. can provide an honest balanced appraisal of it how are we to make a considered objective decision?

John Grocock

Totnes