Our readers from across the county give their weekly take on the biggest issues impacting Kent and beyond.

Some letters refer to past correspondence which can be found by clicking here. Join the debate by emailing letters@thekmgroup.co.uk

Justice must be done over Post Office scandal

I watched Mr Bates vs The Post Office and cannot recall such a feeling of intense anger at a programme.

It made me feel as if I were one of the postmasters being wrongly accused of theft, whilst being a pillar of society, hardworking, honest and diligent.

I am pleased that the police are now investigating possible fraud and perjury.

How did the Post Office CEO at that time, Paula Vennells, deserve to be honoured with a CBE for services to the Post Office?

I have been so naive in believing that Britain was a fair and just place to live in.

I held the belief that people entering Parliament did so because they were genuine in their desire to help people and to bring about positive change. Instead, so many MPs (not all) have seen this as an opportunity to use their position of influence for personal gain.

Why is someone given an honour just for doing their job? The average pay of a CEO is now reported to be 57 times more than the workforce.

People at the top are not as bright and as talented as they would like us to believe. They depend heavily on those just beneath them, the ones that do most of the work.

Reading Barrack Obama’s book The Promised Land he was appalled by how the bankers that caused the banking crisis took no responsibility for their actions and continued to pay themselves huge bonuses. Is there any hope of restoring values of decency, honesty and fairness?

Graham Sutherland

The Post Office Horizon scandal meant that innocent parties were convicted or bankrupted.

Innocent victims were sent to prison, some were bankrupted and a number committed suicide. Subsequently, the CEO of the Post Office was given a CBE “for services to the Post Office” and a £400,000 bonus upon her resignation.

To call the Horizon scandal ‘a miscarriage of justice’ is a gross understatement.

That so many could be improperly convicted (and in separate cases) is also a blot on the judicial system and reflects badly on the government, which owns the Post Office and has a Minister for Postal Affairs.

No one from the Post Office has been punished. The victims have not been properly compensated for their losses and suffering and, over a decade later, the issue is still being kicked down the road until everyone has died or has forgotten about it.

Derek Wisdom

Mistaken view of migrant crossings

Tony Monk (letters last week) seems to be under some misapprehension about small boat crossings of the Channel.

Firstly, it is actions which are illegal, not people. There are many ways in which people can immigrate to the UK. There are processes for each of these: some are based on formal applications, and others - like those for people crossing the Channel - are based on an internationally recognised and lawful right to seek asylum. Crossing the Channel is not in itself either illegal or proof of illegal intent.

Until asylum seekers' applications have been processed, no one is in any position to judge whether their attempt to enter the UK was illegal or not. If they are not genuine asylum claimants then their attempt was illegal, and if our government was actually capable of acting effectively, they would be deported. At which point, of course, they won’t be immigrants, illegal or otherwise.

Finally, the idea that French and British authorities are “actively” assisting in illegal crossings is risible. If Mr Monks can’t distinguish between ensuring the safety of people in danger at sea (an obligation under maritime law) and people smuggling (an illegal activity) perhaps he isn’t best placed to accuse anyone of a dereliction of duty.

Dave Wilson

Tips for a year of safe driving

With the new year upon us, perhaps I can offer a few new year's resolutions for motorists:

1. I will use my indicators in advance of carrying out a manoeuvre, they are to let other drivers know what my intentions are, after all, they can see what I am doing at the point I do it, using the indicator then is pointless.

2. At road junctions or roundabouts I will not straddle both lanes, thus preventing motorists behind me getting to the junction alongside me because they want to go in a different direction to me.

3. At roundabouts, I will watch the junction next ahead around the roundabout and not just the oncoming traffic one. That way I can avoid tearing onto the roundabout at high speed and almost ramming a vehicle joining the next arm of the roundabout at a normal speed.

4. I will not tailgate the vehicle in front. Even if I am the best, most alert driver in the world I cannot anticipate every eventuality, especially the car in front coming to a sudden unexpected stop.

5. I will ensure that at night I am driving on dipped headlight, not on main beam, unless there are no other road users around, newer headlights are dazzling enough for older drivers, SUVs even worse owing to their height above ground, dazzled drivers are an accident risk.

Lastly, I will remember that just because it's my ‘right of way’ and any accident is the other driver's fault doesn't mean I won't get injured, my car written off and my insurance premium upped.

Bob Britnell

Narrow view of oil activists

Collin Bullen is right to suggest that Just Stop Oil’s campaign name is somewhat simplistic.

However, he is mistaken if he thinks that means the campaign itself is simplistic, or that the group has an inadequate grasp of the issues. Rather, their campaign name is merely a reflection of the fact that mass media works on “snappy” titles.

Were Mr Bullen to investigate the Just Stop Oil campaign in detail, he would discover that the group is specifically requesting that no more licences be granted for new fossil fuel exploration and extraction projects. Far from being “extremist”, their ask is entirely consistent with what world-leading climatologists, the UN and even the International Energy Agency are saying must happen for the world to stand any chance of keeping global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.

Were such a moratorium on licencing new projects agreed, the UK would still have existing production and fossil fuel reserves to call upon for nearly a decade to ease us through a transition to green energy. The good news is that much of the technology that Mr Bullen hopes might emerge to help us in the future is already available. Our problem is a lack of political will.

Mr Bullen rightly fears the breakdown of civilised society and death of millions but this won’t be the result of stopping new fossil fuel projects. Climate crisis is the reality from which people are already dying.

Kate Chesterman

Colin Bullen paints a picture of Just Stop Oil which is very different from reality. Although it is not quite as far from reality as his assertion that we want to destroy civilisation.

Our government and its reckless pursuit of new oil and gas are the ones who will destroy our civilization. It is very clear that if we want to stay within 1.5 degrees of warming a substantial amount our already known reserves of oil and gas must stay in the ground according all reliable science as shown in the IPPC report. That is why the JSO demands that the government ceases all new oil, when you are in a hole you have to stop digging. We then demand that we reduce our use of fossil fuels incrementally such that the already huge impact of climate change is mitigated as much as possible, thus preserving life not threatening it.

Sad to relate the our leaders show no signs of having any desire to undertake the actions necessary to protect life, quite the opposite they are hurtling us towards oblivion, this makes them complicit in untold human suffering already.

JSO activists, who are very different from Mr Bullen’s uninformed description. For myself, I am a Quaker, a retired civil engineer who did 41 years at the heavy end of construction. I worked hard, brought up a family and can now see that my children have a vastly different future than I imagined.

Phil Laurie

Asking questions over our climate

It was interesting to note that two separate articles written by Chris Britcher had one thing in common, namely climate change.

The first concentrated on the impact on the Kent landscape of an increasingly large number of fields, previously used for farming, now converted into clean energy production with thousands of solar panels. In his second article, ‘The highs and lows of our year’ it was pretty obvious that the topsy-turvy nature of the weather he described was down to climate change.

Against this background, I would add that King Charles, at the start of the Parliamentary session in November, announced that our government will introduce new legislation which will allow energy companies to bid for new licences to drill for oil and gas next year. This was part of a number of U-turns on its climate targets, including pushing back the ban on purchasing new petrol cars from 2030 to 2035 and delaying the target of eliminating gas boilers.

Apparently, ministers hope to “max out” these reserves in the North Sea in the region which has been plundered since the 1960s. Public confidence in the government and the politicians who run it is at an all-time low. This is fully justified when they make a decision to prolong fossil fuel burning as the whole planet faces an existential threat.

John Cooper

Build new road to stop port chaos

Once again, Kent has had to bear the brunt of endless traffic and gridlocked roads due to Op Stack/Brock Zero.

Due to last-minute striking in France, Dover was faced with end-to-end vehicles, causing havoc for the entire town. Junction 11 of the M20 was closed off, diverting traffic through Cheriton/Folkestone, causing further bedlam.

Speaking on the news, Doug Bannister, Dover Port CEO, indicated that he had no prior warning of the strike. Even If he had, what exactly could he have done to prevent the backup of vehicles? This was no different a situation than if one of the ports vessels broke down or there were an incident at the quay. These issues would also cause issues with no way of preventing queues.

I heard that ‘Brock Zero’ had been implemented. I was not familiar with that phrase and wasn’t altogether sure what it meant.

So I then made a call to Highways to ask them exactly what ‘Brock Zero’ was and was told “Brock Zero is where we have to close the M20 between J8-9, so HGVs can be queued on there until such time as the terminals can receive them”.

My response was “So, it's Operation Stack then”?

Why are the government trying to dress up what they are doing to the roads in Kent?

Brock is a huge waste of time and public money. If a new dual-purpose, dual carriageway were implemented, all vehicles would be held away from the M20 and have all necessary amenities whilst being there.

This new road would remove the need for Brock and the chaos it brings.

Brian Marchant

Station is key to solving Eurostar problem

It is reported that some 30,000 people were stuck at St. Pancras and in Paris when Eurostar cancelled 22 trains because of a flooded tunnel at Ebbsfleet on December 30. All HS1 trains in Kent were also cancelled.

Where was the back-up plan? It should be to use Ashford International station. The Eurostar trains from mainland Europe could have been stopped at Ashford and passengers disembark there to make their way onwards by the non-HS1 lines. The passengers from London should have been re-directed via the same lines, or Thameslink, to go to Ashford to catch the cross-channel train there or go onwards to the coast to catch the ferries or a coach on the Shuttle.

Instead of this, thousands of people had to abandon their holiday plans, and, possibly, claim compensation. I note the Eurostar insurer will pay a maximum of £1,500 on claims. So, if everyone claimed, that is £45million, about half the amount of Covid-caused debt Eurostar claims is the reason it can no longer afford to stop at Ashford. Of course, not everyone will claim and many will claim less than the full amount. Eurostar can reclaim damages from HS1 whose flooded infrastructure stopped the services. HS1 in turn can probably reclaim from their insurers.

So in money terms, neither Eurostar nor its staff are affected. They have no incentive for helping their frustrated customers.

The government should insist on back-up plans – which managers should be available to make decisions, where lies the liability, and how much extra staff should be paid for emergency work.

The back-up plan for Eurostar should be to use Ashford International station. To save their insurers, HS1 might like to consider how to maintain it in good shape for emergencies, and to invest towards its permanent re-opening for cross-channel trains, as 40,000 people have requested in a change.org petition.

Charlotte Mbali

We need an official postal service

Have they thought about mail coming to Britain from other countries if the Post Office mail system is stopped? And vice versa?

Yes, mail in some large countries is sent in other ways, but some things must be sent by postal mail.

In the USA, for instance, medical items must go through the official postal service. Many of the other services are not required to deliver everything everywhere, while the Postal Service must do so, even if it is halfway up a mountain.

Another thing; other entities charge much higher rates for everything. And in the USA, they don't take as much care of the items they deal with.

So it is time for someone to reconsider the value of an official postal service, wherever one is in the world.

From an expat Kent woman living in the US.

Nina Maynard

My hopes for 2024

A new year is a time for making resolutions and herewith I set out my hopes and beliefs.

First the negatives: An end to war and an end to the production of instruments of war; an end to exploitation, poverty and discrimination; an end to food banks; an end to money.

How to achieve these things?

A recognition that all people have the same rights and should all benefit from the wealth that the earth and nature have to offer; a system of education that enables every child and young person to develop their personality to the fullest extent; a health service of which all participate and which is designed to meet all needs; an end to private medicine; a fully integrated public transport system enabling everyone to travel as they wish thus removing any need for private cars; homes for all so that no one has to fear being homeless; an economic system that enables everyone to contribute, through their work and general involvement.

A world community in which the individual is free to express themselves in any way they wish whilst at the same time being fully integrated into the life of the community.

Ralph A. Tebbutt