The US should follow South Korea’s lead at the Winter Olympics

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Mike Pence sits in front of Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong at the Winter Olympics (AFP/Getty)

Kipling’s poem starts with the concern “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet...” and continues to the optimistic hope for progress: “When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!”

We saw that North and South have met at the Winter Olympics with the Korean delegates shaking hands. The East and West is another matter, with US VP Pence ignoring the North Korean team.

The world is a sphere – there are no corners to hide in. Make the first step and say hello.

Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia

Act now before it’s too late

Those who are choosing to ignore the warnings that Brexit is going to be a disaster remind me very much of those who ignored the ice warnings on the Titanic.

People were conned into Brexit with such empty promises as the £350m for the NHS and “take back control” – now reality is beginning to sink in. Just like those who said the Titanic was unsinkable came face to face with the fact that it was actually sinking.

In this case it’s not too late to avoid the iceberg.

Susan Gavaghan
Liverpool

The Government is a shambles

So much for the Tory Party’s claim to be the party of government and economic prudence. Every day there is more news of schools lacking funds, the NHS lacking funds and now local authorities unable to pay for some of its services. The pound is devalued and the trade deficit widens. The party of government cannot even decide what it wants from Brexit almost a year after it instigated Article 50.

The business community want to know in which direction we are going and await an answer, as we all do. And who suffers as a result of this incompetence? The very people who are the least able to cope.

When the Tories are thrown out of government, as they rightly will be, another party will need to repair the economy and society somehow. The Tory Party and this Government are a disgrace.

Maurizio Moore
Brentwood, Essex

McDonnell is too generous to shareholders

John McDonnell’s communitarian approach to some of the former nationalised services has much to commend it but, if anything, is too generous to shareholders.

Labour’s proposal to compensate shareholders with government bonds doesn’t appear to take into account the huge amount paid to directors and shareholders in mind-boggling salaries and dividends since they were privatised.

Privatisation of natural public monopolies operated in the common interest effectively turned customers into cash milch cows for a few people who had the interest, ability and funds to buy shares.

The proposed ‘stakeholder-isation’ of these services will restore some justice to the situation, but many may feel the companies are getting off lightly.

Geoff Naylor
Winchester

The Brexit journey has not been thought out

If you want to ‘engage with’ a major change in arrangements (such as Brexit), there is only one coherent sequence in which to do so. First, you negotiate/agree the long-term/final arrangements. Then (and only then), you negotiate the interim/transitional arrangements.

The clue is in the first five letters of those two expressions: INTERim and TRANSitional. For example, no one would expect a satnav to find the best travel arrangements for a journey until it has been told from where you want to start and to where you want to finish!

Well, for Brexit, we know from where we have to start (ie we’re currently in the EU), but the UK political executive hasn’t a clue as to where (they believe) UK citizens want to finish! Perhaps a basic course in the use of Google Maps would be constructive!

Tim Knight
Bristol

The economic benefits of BST

The petition for standard time in Finland may make little effective difference to their quite extreme variance in daylight levels. In northern Europe the situation is quite different and, having lived in the Middle East and South Africa, the variance there is so small that no change is necessary, or applied.

For the UK it is clear that BST has distinct benefits and, were we to eliminate it, it is probable that many people with suffer from SAD than is presently the case. We should keep BST as it gives us more useful time when we need it. Visitors from more southern countries express enjoyment of our long summer evenings, increasing their spend, while we enjoy a better work/life balance and outdoor activities. Early morning light in summer is plentiful, and more would largely be wasted while we sleep.

Michael Mann
Shrewsbury

Another Lib Dem coalition? I think not

In regards to Richard Ferraro’s letter hoping for Labour and Conservative Remainers to ditch their parties and join forces with the Lib Dems, it might sound good on paper but I fear the memories of what happened last time when Lib Dem fever took hold of Britain still rankles. I’m open to being proved wrong!

David Murphy
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