Young voters have no memory of this

I sincerely hope that the young persons who Jeremy Corbyn is seeking to attract sufficiently realise that the damage to the economy that his government will cause may never be rectified in their lifetime.

A return to the morbid years of nationalised industries, high taxation and strikes are almost inevitable.

Sadly, the voters Mr Corbyn is appealing to have no knowledge of the reality of life under a left-wing steersman.

Andrew Robins

Upper Boat, Pontypridd

Pisa comparisons are not useful

The 2016 BBC Wales South Korean Swap Program was a brilliant presentation of the South Korean education system.

The Pembrokeshire school children, who were taught in a South Korean school were very perceptive.

It is unfortunate that the reporter appeared to put it kindly know so little about education.

Prof Dylan Wiliam, who lectures on education throughout the world has referred to Pisa comparisons not being not useful.

He has claimed that if South Korean children did not go to their night classes, they would be amongst the lower ranked countries in the world.

What the public fail to understand is Pisa is meaningless order.

All countries in the world cannot be top ranked.

The Pisa averages scores, points, 500 Pisa Points is 50%. A country’s education system and childrens’ performance cannot be summed up in single statistic.

Howard Gunn B.Ed,M.Education

Tonteg, Pontypridd

They do it to France, they’ll do it to us

If Boris Johnson is re-elected, he will be accepting a version of TTIP, in which American corporations will be bailing in to the UK economy, either in order to force their products upon us, or as asset strippers.

Recently, General Electric bought the French nuclear power industry (Alstom) at a knock-down price, facilitated by the fake socialist Francois Hollande. Alstom, however, were facing an €8bn fine for environmental reasons, but GE assured the French that they would be taking care of it. Deal concluded, France asked for the money, but GE refused. The French could like it or lump it, and in any case, GE had better lawyers.

If American corporations can do this to the government of France, what will they be doing to our elected councils and our hospital boards?

Peter Williams.

Port Talbot

People have given up on the Great Hall

Went to a superb concert by Septura at the Great Hall, Swansea University but why were there only 51 people in a venue which holds 800?

The first reason is the lack of any promotion for the concert. It is listed at the back of the monthly Taliesin brochure, after the cinema listings, but no other publicity.

But I think many people have given up on the Great Hall because you cannot find it. When you buy tickets, you are told that there is parking beside the Great Hall. But when you arrive there is no signage and every approach to the Great Hall is blocked by black bollards. After a couple of circuits, and getting no sense from a man in a yellow coat, we found a lifting barrier right around the back, with a speakerphone to someone who raised the barrier, and a gap where one of the bollards had been lifted out, and parked in on of the 100 or so empty spaces immediately beside the Great Hall.

I wrote the the site manager after a concert last winter and he promised that it was all being sorted. In the absence of any progress, and in sorrow to see this lovely facility so under-used, I write to you in the hope that it might prompt some action.

Peter Keith-Lucas

Mayals, Swansea

Let’s ensure we never become vulnerable

Living in Hereford (home of the SAS), my anger of at Corbyn’s senseless view of our nation’s greatest pride, our military and intelligence, has left me rattled.

Corbyn’s longstanding criticism of Nato, desire to scrap our nuclear deterrent and indication to rip up the MI5 and the files it holds on him, is yet another attack on the men and women that have fought to preserve us and our children of dictatorship and captivity.

Its not so much the desire to use our muscle resource of power and intelligence, but the ability to flex it.

If only Corbyn opened his curtains and looked out to see how nature teaches us how vital protection is. The bark on a tree protects the tree’s essential living systems from temperature extremes and storms as well as from attacks by diseases, animals and insects and yet I have never heard of aggressive trees! On the same note, I’ve never heard of or seen hedgehogs fighting, however its spikes are an excellent deterrent to keep away predators.

Let’s ensure that we never become a vulnerable nation to the evil powers of terrorism and foreign attack.

Craig Haughton

Hereford

We need a happier version of Delilah

I like to think that our icon Sir Tom Jones reads the Western Mail.

That being so, I take this opportunity to make a bold suggestion to you Sir Tom.

Can you, and your agent and managing team, initiate a national Wales competition to rewrite the lyrics of your big hit Delilah, as a Welsh patriotic sporting anthem, whilst keeping the impact and powerful rhythm of the original, but using a happier theme, totally away from the commemoration of a murderous knife crime.

That way Sir Tom you could have another huge hit and spread an important new message to all young people.

I Richard

Swansea

Con trails, literally and metaphorically

SUNDAY, 1.25pm, a cold day but a picture-perfect cloudless sky, I’m on a country walk, and I look up. Here in Carmarthenshire we are directly under the air route that takes traffic to Ireland and then out over the Atlantic, a lane ironically identified on my 1970s aeronautical chart as Green One.

I count six aircraft in the sky at that moment, all heading west, five belching out poisonous con trails, one, flying much lower, is not (different layer of air temperature).

I read that world-wide there are 100,000 flights a day, with 10,000 aircraft in the air in any one-hour period – and these figures are expected to rise to 140,000 flights a day over the next 20 years.

There is much positive chatter about planting trees as carbon offsetting, yet we know that trees are increasingly succumbing to various diseases, ash dieback being the latest.

We also know that air pollution is having an adverse effect on human health, so by definition everything else on the planet, including the immune system of trees, is vulnerable.

On my Monday sunrise walk into town on a cold and frosty morning, I can’t help but smile at the endless con trails curling into the still air as central-heating boilers fire up.

And we are worry about cows belching and farting?

We truly are a doolally species, furiously penning humanity’s suicide note, with no hint of irony.

Huw Beynon

Llandeilo

All parties must work on finding a solution

It was interesting to hear Adam Price castigating Welsh Labour for its approach to social care, basically saying it was not fit for purpose.

Their usual response is to blame the Conservative Government but I can state from first hand knowledge that the shortfall in home care standards and various health considerations was prevalent under a UK Labour Government as I was in a like situation to Adam Price and had to fight for almost five years to get recognition for parents (in Wales)

This dates back almost 15 years so it seems there will hardly be a silver lining with a Labour Government.

He is exploiting a niche in social care standards and politicising it.

Until all parties sit down cross- party and arrive at a sensible financial solution across the spectrum of discontent, then those at the front line will continue to be caught up in the variability of due attention and assistance.

There have been a succession of commissions and appointed commissioners but there seems very little consistent overall improvement.

Windsor Davies

Blandford

If you vote for this, it is what you’ll get

Jeremy Corbyn: Communist, Marxist, Socialist.

Vote wisely! You’ll get what you vote for.

Alice Lockett-Ford

Llanishen, Cardiff