McCain's vote in favour of Obamacare was political point-scoring against Trump

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John McCain voted against repealing Obamacare (Rex)

Suprise, Senator John McCain stymies Donald Trump’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (generally known as Obamacare). In my opinion it appears that this “nay” vote seems to have a link with the disparaging comments Trump made about McCain’s period as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict when standing against him in the Republican primary contest in 2016.

Patrick Cleary
​Honiton

We shouldn’t treat prisoners like animals

So violence in our prisons is soaring. How politically expedient it is to lock more and more people up for longer and longer. How easy it is to leave convicted criminals in their cells for hours on end with nothing to do. I’m not sure why the Secretary of State for Justice even bothers to turn up for work – the job is already done: lock ’em up and throw away the key.

What, though, of future victims of crime? Has no-one ever considered this? Does this Government really believe that, if they continue to treat prisoners like animals, then people will come out of prison as reformed characters if they aren’t supported inside prison?

Let’s lock less people up and work creatively with the majority of criminals – in a non-custodial setting – to ensure that they become members of society instead of disenfranchised outcasts.

Adrian Wilson
Powys

Fear for our ageing population

Behind your light-hearted article about the best countries in the world to grow old in is the very serious issue that the UK is simply not prepared for our ageing population.

One in three babies born today in the UK will live to see their 100th birthday. Given our ageing society, we must take urgent action to ensure that the UK is somewhere where people can experience a good quality of later life.

Earlier this month Michael Marmot, director of the Institute of Healthy Equity at University College London, said he was “deeply concerned” at the levelling off of the century-long upward trend in life expectancy. Ensuring people have access to good quality health and social care is, of course, essential, but we must also help people to plan and prepare for this stage in their lives, enable them to remain in good-quality work for longer, to live in homes that support independence and to make meaningful contributions to their communities.

Government has a key role to play here, but as a society we all need to start thinking and acting differently – not just for the benefit of today’s older people but for our children as they age, and for generations to come.

Phil Richards
London EC1V

Immigration targets lead to Brexit

Sir Vince Cable is absolutely right to say that Theresa May’s immigration target is arbitrary and led to Brexit.

If tomorrow every EU migrant left the UK the NHS and social care would collapse. The Government’s charge on businesses for recruiting non EU staff simply adds costs rather than addressing the root cause. The “party of business” has become so obsessed with immigration to fend off the tabloids who have fuelled anti-migrant sentiment that they are prepared to throw our economy under the bus. Unless the immigration targets are dropped our children and grandchildren will pay the economic price for decades to come.

Chris Key
Address supplied

Milk production is inhumane

The Advertising Standard Agency (ASA) ruling in favour of a vegan advertisement that branded British milk production as inhumane is a bit like saying that human rights campaigners are permitted to say torture is painful.

On dairy farms, cows are artificially inseminated and forced to give birth, only to have their beloved babies torn away from them so the milk that nature intended for them can instead be consumed by humans. Both mother cows and their calves are emotionally traumatised when forcibly separated from one another. The mother cows bellow in desperation, and their calves bawl in distress. They cry out for each other for days – in vain.

Humans are the only species on the planet to drink another animal’s milk and the only species to drink it past infancy. Anyone ready to be weaned can opt for one of the many vegan milks – made from soya beans, almonds, oats, rice, or coconuts – which are readily available at virtually every supermarket, health-food store, or corner shop, offering all the taste but none of the cruelty (or cholesterol) of cows’ milk.

Mimi Bekhechi
London N1

We should introduce eco friendly petrol

The ban on petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 will have no immediate impact. The reality is that the decarbonisation of transport will require a combination of solutions. The Government should start with the roll-out of E10, a readily available greener fuel containing 10 per cent bioethanol. This would offer an immediate solution to improving air quality. It requires no new infrastructure, is compatible with almost all petrol cars today and provides a practical, simple, low cost solution to addressing worsening air quality. E10 also provides a greener option for the petrol needed for hybrid vehicles that a growing number of consumers are opting for today, as consumer confidence in pure electric vehicles remains low.

Yet again, we are missing a golden opportunity to take action today to deliver on our climate and air quality goals, and of course to support farming and those jobs in the UK already employed in this industry.

Rather than kicking this issue down the road to 2040 or beyond, the Government must act now.

Mark Chesworth
Hull