Forget Corbyn, David Lammy has what it takes to steer the Labour Party in the right direction

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Sunday 14 April 2019 17:15 BST
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Labour MP David Lammy says comparison of Tory Brexiteers to Nazis 'wasn’t strong enough'

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David Lammy is a breath of fresh air when it comes to politicians from the Labour Party.

Unlike others who go through tortuous contortions with multiple references to party conference motions in answer to straight forward questions, this man simply says what he believes without equivocation.

If others (regardless of party) were to follow his lead, the level of national debate would be greatly improved and that would help us all get past the current impasse.

All eyes are on candidates to lead the Conservative Party, but surely David Lammy must be a serious contender for a change in Labour, a change that must come soon if the party is to remain relevant.

John Simpson
Ross on Wye, Herefordshire

I have a suggestion for a fair and simple voting system if we get a Final Say. Every voter will be allowed to distribute three crosses or ticks on the voting paper.

They can put all three crosses against a single option; or put two against one option and one against another; or a single mark against three different options if they are uncertain. The crosses for each option will be totalled to give what should be a clear and fair result.

Oh, and most importantly, unless 60 per cent of the crosses go to one particular option, there would be no clear mandate for change and we stay as we are.

Helen Watson
Goring Heath, Oxfordshire

The transmoggrification of Britain

One wonders how Annunziata Rees Mogg – or is it just “Mogg” now to reduce the perception of hauteur? – could possibly execute any duties as a (presumptive) MEP without a nanny.

This privileged pair are completely out of touch with the “man on the top deck of the Clapham Omnibus” (which was once a descriptor of the common man/woman), for whom “having a nanny” is just a relic of the bad old days of a silver-spoon society.

I can guarantee that neither the pompous Jacob nor the outraged Annunziata will, if they respectively keep or win their seats in the UK or European assemblies, transmoggrify Britain other than the amusing inclusion of (a shortened version of) their name in the verb. Which means to “transform in a surprising or magical manner”.

Simon Carrel
Maidenhead

Brooklyn’s measles crisis

Regarding the article: “How Brooklyn became the epicentre of a measles crisis”, it didn’t – it became the centre.

Epicentre is not just a fancy word for centre.

The epicentre of an earthquake, which may occur at a depth of several kilometres, is the point immediately above it on the surface of the earth. Measles outbreaks tend to occur on the surface of the earth anyway.

Rachael Padman
Newmarket, Suffolk

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Water wars in Sudan

On 4 April, Bel Trew published a piece regarding South Sudan’s water crisis. Though women hold the responsibility to fetch water supplies despite the long and dangerous journeys, Trew addresses its detrimental effects.

These efforts to fetch water compromise their time, health, and safety due to the dangerous situations they are vulnerable to in their travels. Consequently, women are victims of not only animal attacks, but attacks of assault, rape, and abduction.

Providing people with access to clean water worldwide, in general, would not only decrease water-related disease deaths and increase workforce productivity, but it would also empower women to pursue more beyond water collection and traditional roles, such as possibly taking on jobs to provide more household income.

Melissa Bobila
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