Dear Editor,

In response to Jim Sokol’s letter and his “last word on the topic” (over 500 actually)… I don’t “detest” Trump or maintain that Farage is a Fascist but I do question their behaviour and stance on a number of issues.

His second stroll down memory lane: JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Clinton, Cameron, Osborne etcetera gets us nowhere. I would like to see politicians in power who seek to get people working together…not descending into factionalism. Neither of the main parties, nor Reform, were honest enough to say at the last election that to achieve the necessary improvements they were proposing, taxes would need to increase.

Result…the mess we are in now. We need to face up to reality. But I would still rather be living in the UK than in the USA for reasons too numerous to mention.

Yours sincerely,

Sandra Jones

Old Cleeve

Dear Editor,

I was speaking to a lady passing by as she has been so worried about the government’s reforms to PIP.

She was telling me about her disabilities, a youngish lady who used to work and run for miles.

She wishes she could have this lifestyle back but is unable due to illness.

I am very concerned how the government can at a click of their fingers try and take welfare away from sick people who need it.

Not only have people had health care taken away from them but now the government wants to take a second lifeline from sick people’s welfare payments.

Come on Labour government, pack it up and leave the elderly, disabled communities alone and stop and think, don’t pick on the workers, either.

Think of Britain and the British people, the amount of money the government wastes on the wrong things, just like Somerset Council.

This is why the county and country is in a hell of a mess.

The council and government get paid too much, what for, messing up?

Let them have a reduction in wages and see how they like it.

I speak truths.

Linda Sparks

Williton

Dear Editor,

There have been some interesting letters in the WSFP lately.

But the one letter I have actually kept was from a Reverend gentleman last year regarding the anniversary of the D-Day landings, titled “The Hand of God”.

In it he described the time when Britain was on the verge of defeat as the allied troops were trapped between the channel and the invading army.

Then King George 6th sent out an urgent message to the Nation calling for a special day of National Prayer for Divine Intervention, this resulted in millions of people attending churches to pray.

The following day a violent storm occurred, but the day after a great calm descended on the Channel allowing 335,000 soldiers to be rescued by the little ships.

He quoted the comment that was made by a Bishop of Chelmsford…“it does not require an exceptionally religious mind to detect in all this...the Hand of God”.

I’m left wondering where is the guiding light for 2025?

Sincerely,

M P Smith

Chapel Cleeve

Dear Editor,

Pakistan’s monsoon season always brings heavy rain, but this year’s storms have been unusually intense. Rare cloudbursts - sudden downpours dumping over 100mm of rain in just one hour - have triggered flash floods in the northwest, sweeping through mountain villages and causing widespread destruction.

Local communities are used to monsoon rains, but the intensity and speed of these cloudbursts caught people off guard - destroying homes and sweeping away entire villages. Tens of thousands of people are affected.

At ShelterBox, we specialise in emergency shelter and have responded to flooding in Pakistan before. We have a team in the country with another team arriving in Islamabad in the coming days to work with Islamic Relief Pakistan (IRP) on how best to support people displaced.

We’re getting ready to respond with emergency shelter, which families urgently need. We have shelter and other essential items available in Pakistan and Dubai so we’re ready to respond in these moments, given how vulnerable the country is to climate change as extreme weather becomes more frequent and more intense.

It’s peak monsoon season and more heavy rain is expected. We’ll be looking at shelter repair kits, which include items like tarpaulins and rope, so people can make temporary repairs to damaged homes. People also need items like water filters, water carriers, and mosquito nets, especially with the increased risk of disease after flooding.

To support, or find out more, visit shelterbox.org

Haroon Altaf

Regional Director at ShelterBox

Dear Editor,

A new survey commissioned by the NSPCC has found that four out of five parents in England believe that it is unacceptable to use physical punishment on a child.

Our survey found that there was strong support (59 per cent) for the law to be changed and bring an end to children receiving physical punishment.

We believe that this shows that current legislation around physical punishment is out of step with public attitudes.

Under the current law the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ allows parents to argue that it is reasonable to use physical force against their children.

The NSPCC is calling on the government to use the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to end physical punishment against children in England for good.

More than 60 countries around the world, including Wales and Scotland, have already put measures in place to protect children from harm, but the current law means that children in England are not protected in law from physical assault. This needs to change.

Sincerely,

Emma Motherwell

NSPCC local campaigns manager

South West & Channel Islands