A healthy environment is the best argument for staying inside the EU

In my opinion, one of the challenges of leaving the EU is European leadership on environmental issues. The EU is a rich source of environmental legislations and laws. The membership of the EU has had an immense impact on standards, governance and enforcement structures in the UK and particularly on climate change policy, wild flora and fauna, nature conservation, migratory birds and marine pollution.

These challenges transcend national and political boundaries and there is a shared interest in complying with the Birds and Habitats Directives, the Bern and Bonn conventions and the Convention on Biological Diversity, among others. The environment must be a locus for cooperation, trans-boundary connectivity, economic growth, development and sustainability.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob​
London, NW2

Thank you for your excellent and considered editorial. It reminded us that there is a recent precedent – this same monarch dissolved the Whitlam government in Australia in similar circumstances when there was no majority support for the budget.

Sue Toland
Bath

Can I say how delighted I was to be able to read my Independent on Christmas Day. Other newspapers may decide to take the day off, but the world doesn’t stop turning and people don’t stop forming opinions just because it’s Christmas. In fact, because most have more time over the Christmas break to read, it could be argued that the Christmas Day edition of a newspaper is one of the most important in the year.

As the country becomes more politically-engaged with even the Queen making comment to our divided nation, I salute you for offering such an informative, reasoned newspaper every day of the year.

The compliments of the season to you all.

Linda Johnson
Beverley

As we go over the cliff edge into the catastrophe of the sloppy shorthand of a hard Brexit, while having our Christmas cake and eating it, couldn’t we cherry pick less lazy labels for the new year?

Dr John Doherty
Stratford-upon-Avon

In the article on Christmas Day Jon Stone suggests that Ukip’s voters have long since fled to other parties.

I wonder if any party that is serious about leading us to a safe and secure future would welcome ex-supporters of the motor-mouthed leaders of that organisation?

Of course it is not required to reveal previous political allegiances, and perhaps we should hope that they have experienced a revelation and can now make political decisions based on the wider view.

However, we all know which party the majority of ex-Ukip supporters and MEPs will head for and we shouldn’t be surprised when they are made welcome.

Steve Edmondson​
Haslingfield​

Malcolm Bride suggests that criticising whoever was responsible for the Gatwick drone(s) for selfishness is unjustified on the grounds that air travel is largely unnecessary. But who decides whose flights are essential? I heard one frustrated air traveller say he had missed his father’s memorial service while another group said they had missed a family wedding.

Even if travellers were simply “on holiday”, we do not know the time constraints, financial sacrifices or emotional attachments involved. So let us remember the bigger picture of human connections and the misery of connections missed.

By all means, let us reduce our carbon emissions. Let us each reduce our personal carbon footprint. But nobody is justified in putting lives at risk or causing indiscriminate misery and suffering in the pursuit of those aims. Of course, we do not yet know why whoever did it, did it. It may not have been to achieve a reduction in unnecessary flights. Either way, in response to Mr Bride’s question, asking who is really being selfish, it was undoubtedly whoever was flying that drone.

Beryl Wall
London, W4