Jeremy Corbyn shouldn't be condemned without context

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Corbyn has been criticised for laying in a wreath in a ceremony that he said he attended but wasn’t an integral part of (Ambassade de Palestine en Tunisie/Facebook)

The terrorist killing of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics was an appalling atrocity, and I would hate to think of Jeremy Corbyn honouring the perpetrators. From what I know of him, I suspect he was not doing this in the wreath-laying ceremony at Tunis in 2014, but rather commemorating the victims of the Israeli bombardment there. His critics have every right to question his actions, but before prejudging him they should answer the questions: “Do you condemn Tony Blair for giving a eulogy at the funeral of Ariel Sharon in 2014? Do you condemn Blair and any other British politicians attending that funeral for honouring a man who had enabled the slaughter of so many Palestinian refugees in Lebanon in 1982?”

If their answers are “no”, they should withhold condemnation of Corbyn.

Iain Lindsay
Oxford

So Benjamin Netanyahu has joined the right-wing media in denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as the “enemy of Jews”, while saying nothing when a senior Conservative politician and potential future Conservative leader (and by default prime minister, should Theresa May be deposed during this parliament) cosies up to Steve Bannon, an avowed supporter of neo-Nazi movements across the globe.

I have no doubt that if Jeremy Corbyn ever becomes British prime minister, he will not give the Israeli state the easy ride it has enjoyed to date from successive UK governments in the wake of outrages such as the use of snipers with live ammunition to target protesters in Gaza, just as he will not stay silent while the British military and political support help facilitate the mass murder of schoolchildren in Saudi-led bombing raids in Yemen.

Ian Dist
Waltham Cross

Benjamin Netanyahu leads a government which has slaughtered innocent civilians, oversees an illegal and unjust occupation, has just passed a law enshrining Arabs as second-class citizens and which cosies up to Hungary’s far-right Orban, who runs antisemitic election campaigns.

We don’t need advice from him.

Dave Woolley
Nantwich

Terrorism has no religion

The parliament crash should surprise no one. All cosmopolitan cities are at the vanguard of combating terrorism in a world riven by violence, religious persecution, repression, human rights violations and strife. Such acts should not fan the flames of hatred towards Muslims. We have witnessed recently a spike of hate crimes targeting Muslim women at a time when we should project a strong domestic front to counterbalance radicalisation. As we have seen last Saturday in Jordan, terrorism has no religion, ethnicity or creed. The vast majority of its victims are Muslims. In summary, our common foe is transnational in nature and hence our coordinated response should be.

Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London NW2

Losing faith in our leaders

I read Chuka Umunna’s article in the 14 August edition and can only say I wholeheartedly agree with him. Over the last few weeks, one thing has become crystal clear: both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn excel at shooting themselves in the foot.

How we will ever get a good deal from the EU with these two leaders is beyond me. I want to be optimistic, but at some point reality has to intervene and I feel my hopes are being further and further dashed as we approach March next year.

Steve Mumby
Bournemouth

It is all very well for Chuka Umunna to discuss the extremes in both major political parties. He himself has identified the far greater problem and that is the fear of deselection. This lack of courage by his likeminded MP colleagues on this issue, on both the Labour and Conservative sides, is for me the far greater tragedy befalling the UK.

If you all – from Dominic Grieve on the one hand to Chuka Umunna on the other – resigned and put yourselves up for re-election on an independent ticket, there would be so many (if what I read is to be believed) that the result would in effect be a general election. Yes, an MP might lose his or her seat – but at least it will be lost with dignity.

For my part, I would welcome Boris Johnson leading the Tories. He has waited so long for the greatness which will surely overwhelm him but it will potentially destroy the nasty side of the Tory party for good.

All this would also have an inevitable knock-on Brexit effect, of course. Tom Peck, in the same Independent edition, argues very cogently that an election would complicate the Brexit issue still further. That argument is on the premise that the voters are tribal. I’m not so sure that is true.

Either way, the voters would be choosing their familiar constituency person, especially over the Brexit issue, not a political party. If the ultimate result were to marginalise and thereby cleanse the extreme parts of both Tory and Labour, then the centre-ground politicians will have done the UK a great service. The now cleansed parties can always be rejoined afterwards.

Think on it, Mr Umunna: we desperately need some firm action.

Christopher Yaxley
Shrewsbury

Ban Bannon​

Tore Rasmussen “is among Generation Identity activists to be blocked from entering the UK because their presence is not conducive to the public good,” writes Lizzie Dearden.

Can we not use the same “not conducive to the public good” argument to block UK entry to the unpalatable Steve Bannon? I’m not generally in favour of banning people from entering the UK (heavens: we’ve entertained Ceausescu and Trump) and prefer those more obnoxious individuals to be heard with an accompanying debate as to why their views may be unacceptable. However, I find myself willing to make an exception for Bannon, a most unpleasant and destructive individual with an agenda against which we should all be on our guard. “First they came for the socialists”: we know how that ends.

We should also be deeply concerned that Johnson, Farage and Gove are meeting with him. Are any of those meetings a matter of public record? If so, what exactly was discussed? If not, why not?

Beryl Wall
London W4

What happened to our great nation?

My fiancée is South African, of British ancestry, with a daughter and grandchildren living in the UK. But when she applied for a visa to visit me and her family, it was denied on the basis that the Home Office did not believe she would return to South Africa at the end of her visit as she does not have much money. And she has been told that any future application would be treated in the same way unless her financial situation changes.

This latest rejection – after an initial rejection to marry – not only keeps us apart but means she cannot even come to see her family. It would seem that you are only welcome in Britain now if you are rich and powerful.

I am 72, British born and bred, and have always been proud to be British. This changed two years ago when a third of the population denied that we were Europeans, and this situation exacerbates that alienation. A great nation that had a great welcoming heart has become a little island with a mean little mind. It would seem that to be with the woman I love I will be forced to leave the land of my birth!

Robin Cooper
Ipswich

Homelessness can’t be tackled this way

On its own, £100m will not solve rough sleeping. Prevention is better than cure!

Investment in advice services to prevent homelessness, and support services, such as for drugs, alcohol and mental/physical ill-health, would be far more cost-effective. Stopping benefit cuts and universal credit, ending Right to Buy, building truly affordable homes, the renovation and compulsory purchase of empty properties and taking over empty office buildings all would be workable policies.

Truly supporting those placed in temporary accommodation could help them sustain tenancies – surely it’s worth more than £100m!

Gary Martin
London E17

A solution for the sea

If rooks can be rewarded for picking up litter, I wonder if they, or maybe seagulls, are clever enough to be trained to collect plastic from beaches, or from the sea itself? And if so, would they pass this learned behaviour on to their offspring to give us a self-sustaining solution for removing much of the plastic in the seas?

Patrick Cosgrove
Shropshire