Joe Biden should pardon Donald Trump, it would help heal the nation

Surely, the inauguration of the new president isn’t the moment for gloating and revenge? In 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon, a move much derided at the time, but in hindsight, an action of wisdom and courage, which spared America the consequences of a lengthy impeachment and trial.

If Joe Biden did the same it would be a quantum leap in the healing of the nation. One cannot pardon the innocent, so Trump’s guilt in the Washington riot would be implicit. If the lunatic fringe of the Democratic Party still wants blood it should be reminded by saner colleagues that the noblest form of revenge is to forgive.

Rev Dr John Cameron

St Andrews

You call for a return to a Blairite vision of the NHS.  As I recall, it was Gordon Brown, as chancellor, who said very forcefully that we were going to try to meet the developed-world average of 7 per cent of GDP spent on health, which doubled what we were then spending.

Unfortunately, he paid for it in part by windfall taxes, and raiding our pension funds, thus setting in motion the end of defined benefit pensions. On balance, probably still positive. On balance.

Rachael Padman

Suffolk

Nothing shows the utter contempt felt by right-wing privileged Tories towards those considered lesser mortals than Jacob Rees Mogg's comment about fish being happy to now be British. Had the fish indeed possessed the ability they, like many of us, would be ashamed of the antics of him and his extremist colleagues.

Not content with sacrificing British industry on the altar of their self-enriching ideology of so-called sovereignty, we now have the likes of Steve Baker wanting to literally sacrifice the lives of the ordinary population by demanding the removal of the only protection we have against Covid-19 by scrapping any future lockdown. 

G Forward 

Stirling 

Shaun Lintern reported that 200 medical technicians are to be drafted in to help hard-pressed NHS staff. It's an obvious response to the current situation that I'm very surprised hasn't been called upon before now.  We have been paying all these trained personnel to do what up until now? Play war games? March up and down? 

I understand that there will be a learning curve, that there are formal processes to go through and there will be liability issues to sort out, but still… I wonder how many other medical technicians are frustratedly sitting in the services ready for the call to help? They should all be engaged now!

Tim Sidaway 

Hertfordshire

I read your letter of a 91-year-old lady with health problems hearing absolutely nothing regarding her vaccination. I would like to add to this as my father, who will be 95 next week, has also heard nothing. He lives in Gillingham in Medway, which has one of the highest numbers of people in the country to test positive for the coronavirus.

He also has a few health problems but cannot be in any bubble as everyone lives too far away. I shop for him (I live 40 minutes away) but cannot enter his house because I'm in a bubble with my mother-in-law, who has dementia.

The clinic doing the vaccinations for his area is at the top of his road – so easy to get to. Unfortunately, it appears that his surgery has not yet sent a list of over 80s and vulnerable patients to the clinic to be called. Why is this? The clinic has also been giving second vaccinations!

D Camp

Kent