We might as well arm students if we're arming teachers – why not?

Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Donald Trump has proposed bonuses for teachers who carry guns in school (Getty Images)

I have to say I’m disappointed in Donald Trump. His suggestion of arming teachers to fend off cranks seeking to murder pupils is far too feeble. Pupils could easily be killed in the time it would take the teacher to retrieve the gun from wherever it was stored.

No, the only solution is to arm all of the pupils with machine guns so they can defend themselves. It’s only fair they are given the means to do so.

There’s the added benefit that their playground war games would be so much more realistic. Much more fun than pointing fingers and shouting bang bang.

Joe Hennessy
Address supplied

Finding a job is hard work – it has been for generations

While having every sympathy with Tabitha Kennedy (Letters) in her search for a job, in response to her complaint about recruitment agencies failing to acknowledge her application, can I simply say: ’twas ever so.

As one of that other maligned generation (a “baby boomer”) I was searching for work along with four million others during Thatcher’s first major recession. At that time I received not a single acknowledgement unless I was called for interview. Even then, on a couple of occasions, you were simply told that if you weren’t contacted within a week or two, then you hadn’t got the job.

Indeed, on one occasion a personnel officer ridiculed me during the interview for having studied for a masters degree. He was a member of what the Resolution Foundation terms “the silent generation”, who was not silent on this occasion. So Kennedy, I wish you every good fortune in your job search and give you heartfelt, intergenerational support.

Dr James Radcliffe
Newcastle under Lyme

I totally agree with Tabitha Kennedy (Letters) about the lack of courtesy shown by employers who do not acknowledge receipt of job applications. In addition to the poor manners shown by such behaviour there is the added stress of waiting for a reply which never arrives.

At least you know where you are if you get a rejection, and can carry on with the thankless task of further applications. But the anticipation of an invitation to attend a hoped for interview that doesn’t come is akin to mental torture which must ultimately damage the self-esteem of anyone in this hapless situation.

Patrick Cleary
Honiton

Let’s ‘take control’ of our borders by encouraging people to stay in the UK

Your broader perspective on “Brexodus” and migration in your editorial is welcome. Perhaps I can add to it. A House of Commons Library research paper dated 21 December 1999 noted that “Since 1901, more people have emigrated from the UK than immigrated. By 1997, a net exodus from the UK of 15,600,000 had occurred.”

At first I found this surprising, no doubt because of rhetoric from politicians about immigration and “taking back control” of our borders. But then I thought of emigration to Australia, New Zealand, North America and so on, not to mention the “brain drain” of the 1960s and 1970s.

By my calculations net migration into the UK since 1997 has barely replaced a third of that 15.6 million and is slowing rapidly. In order to protect the economy and our public services, perhaps taking control of our borders will mean keeping people in rather than out.

Geoffrey Downs
Bradford

It’s time the Government compensated people’s pensions

A recent article (MPs call for urgent action over erupting pensions misselling scandal, 15 February) kicked my mind back to the Equitable Life pension scandal.

I believe that there are some 800,000 non-with-profit annuitant victims of the scandal, of which I am one, who have only been given just over 20 per cent of the losses calculated by the ombudsman in her report of 2008.

I understand that the sums not yet paid amount to the odd £2.4bn and the fight still goes on with the aid of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), which has the stated objective to provide a cross-party forum in which to hold the Government to account on the issue of properly compensating Equitable Life policyholders.

The MPs who are registered with the APPG represent over one third of all MPs in the Commons. Moreover, the balance across the parties is well spread. Thus, if the Government made the full payment of the compensation due, it could simply claim that it was respecting the balanced view across all parties in the Commons.

In the words of Bob Blackman MP: “The regulator knew what was going on, as did the Government and the Treasury. They even conspired to prevent it becoming public knowledge so that people carried on investing their money.”

With yet another scandal on the cards, surely it is time that the Government set a good example by paying the full compensation.

Francis Miller
Bexhill

EU regulations

“For 40 long years the only EU regulations anyone in the UK knew and didn’t care about concerned the straightness of bananas and, to a lesser extent, the suction power of vacuums.” (The Independent). The really sad thing about this very funny comment is that it’s actually true.

Patrick Cosgrove
Shropshire