David Tennant is right – shame on all those relying on culture wars

In the past I have rarely commented on the debate surrounding trans people, essentially because in my opinion it is not an issue at all. Now, it seems that some of the people behind this bizarre, fruitless campaign (against trans women in particular) have turned their ire towards actor David Tennant.

Trans people have always been with us, they did not just appear when we arrived at a new millennium.

I can remember hearing about the community when I was at an all boys’ school in the seventies. No-one cared, even my parents who were born in the 1920s did not feel threatened or affronted by their existence.

My understanding is that the first openly transgender woman was Christine Jorgensen who eventually underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1952. The Fifties were hardly an era famous for tolerance and understanding, yet in some quarters it appears to be worse now for the trans community.

It is very bad form, at the very least, to campaign against a minority who already have so little representation. But unfortunately politicians and celebrities alike have jumped on a bandwagon created mainly by right-wing agitators.

Full support for David Tennant and shame on all those such as Kemi Badenoch relying on culture wars to sow division between us.

Robert Boston

Kent

It was a pleasure to read today’s editorial in The Independent about the Tory betting scandal. In a climate where entitlement, greed and recklessness have become acceptable as routine behaviour for members of this government, it is vital to highlight that this lack of integrity is not OK, not trivial and not acceptable. 

Throughout the last 14 years of astounding Tory contempt for the democratic process some have become inured to the shocking antics of personal advancement shown by, almost exclusively, Tory politicians, advisors and cronies. To me, this has been the most egregious threat to our social, political and civic codes and to democracy itself.

Amidst a catalogue of ever more shocking self promoting scandals there has been a common theme – the perpetrators have no respect for others and seek only personal or party gain. Their failure to deliver serious government which models high public standards and integrity and which acts as an example to everyone else is deeply disturbing.

This goes beyond differences in political ideology and shows how close we have been brought to widespread corruption. All those connected to the Tory party, including those who behaved well but said nothing, should hang their heads in shame. Their behaviour has attempted to normalise selfishness and greed and this has damaged the reputation of democratic politics in a way which will linger for years in the minds of many.

There are signs that Labour realises how important this is and intends to show honesty, high standards and respect. The new government will have many serious problems and much to correct, but nothing is more important than restoring integrity to politics. We need to see that all politicians are not the same.

David Lowndes

Southampton

Soon the British public will have the chance to remove the stench of the Tories – and the excess self-serving greed and corruption – from our body politic.

Whether this becomes an existential moment for the oldest political party in Europe remains to be seen but 4 July threatens to be the UK’s greatest transfer of power from right to left since Balfour’s Tory government was crushed in 1906.

Before getting too excited at this prospect we must acknowledge that the challenges facing an incoming Labour government remain truly daunting; with a broken economy, decimated public services, continuing estrangement from Europe and an electorate both impatient to see improvement and deeply sceptical about promises made.

In this context the honeymoon period may prove extremely short lived, and any faltering steps heavily punished whatever the size of the opposition.

Paul Dolan

Cheshire

With regard to our current housing crisis, I think the key problem with this issue is that all political parties are currently coming at the problem from the wrong direction. Imposing targets for new builds ignores the problem of who is actually going to build all this new housing stock.

I left the building trade in the mid Eighties because the wages were so poor. I came back into it in the mid 2000s when a lot of work was available. The wages were slightly better, but as a time-served tradesman I still think this country and various governments do not value the traditional skills that we will need well into the future, wherever AI leads.

After working at various sites over the last 20 years it has become obvious to me that there is going to be a huge skills shortage in the next ten years. Most of my peers and I are in our late fifties or early sixties. The number of younger people coming into the trade has diminished, and in my opinion that is due to the building trade being seen as a dumping ground of last resort.

So come 4 July, whoever wins, please invest in our youth and provide proper training and well-paid jobs in construction.

John Archibald

Northumberland

I disagree with Piers Chalinor’s recent letter on pensioners paying for child support. Child support is not paid to everyone regardless of need, and beyond a threshold is claimed back entirely through tax.

There needs to be a frank conversation held in this country about the state pension and how it is to be financed going forward. One possible solution is to boost the number of people paying into it.

An idea, such as it is, of removing the two-child benefit cap, would make it slightly more realistic for families to have more than two children. This is something which will be necessary if the young working population are to continue paying for those who have failed to prepare adequately for their retirement and need to rely on the state.

The five imagined children to five different fathers mentioned by Mr Chalinor could well be five extra taxpayers contributing towards the overburdened state, and frankly their parentage has nothing to do with it. If pensioners wish to be paid for in their dotage with a gold-plated triple lock I do not see why it should be so unpalatable for them to give back towards the next generation of taxpayers.

Matthew Parkes

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