This country cannot abdicate its responsibility to Shamima Begum

I read The Independent’s editorial on Shamima Begum with interest and agreement.

It was a clear setting out of the facts, which is to be appreciated in a story so widely debated with both sympathy and hatred.

Begum was groomed at 15 in Britain, trafficked, and clearly manipulated on home soil. This country cannot abdicate its responsibility to one of its citizens; she should indeed be brought home and face justice here.

She herself would welcome this, I am sure, as a chance to elucidate her rationale and act as a proactive deterrent for other men and women contemplating such actions, to whatever radical cause.

She maybe is still to be considered a threat to British security, but reinstating her citizenship is far better than letting her languish in a Syrian detention camp. In mitigation, she has lost three children which is a tragedy for any woman.

This issue has not been resolved and will go on with further appeals. Closure will only truly be gained with her return. We need to let the justice system take up the slack of solving this ethical and moral conundrum once and for all.

Judith A Daniels

Norfolk

David Nelmes’s recent letter states that “the issue is not how we get Brexit done, but how we get it undone”.

His heart is in the right place, but his aim of rejoining the EU is directed at a target so unachievable that it could spoil a more realistic long-term strategy: resolve protocol implementation, improve relations with the EU, and negotiate a trade treaty.

Thinking politicians are cautious about embracing simplistic demands for “undoing Brexit”. This is not just for current political advantage. It’s because they understand that our pre-2016 relationship with the EU won’t be on offer. Instead, they foresee a hostile public reaction and a nation divided once more when confronted with the details of joining the euro, assuming responsibility for common debts and a tighter voting regime with limited opt-outs.

Reversing Brexit will take time, care, and a steady strategy. It will also require careful reflection on the future use of the referendum as a device for gaining national consent

Steven Fogel

London

You know when you wake in the early hours and feel unsure whether you’re still having a scary dream or actually awake? Well, that was me on Thursday morning!

It was then that I saw that ex-PM Liz Truss has been deemed the perfect candidate by the South West Norfolk Conservative Association to stand in the next general election.

Liz must surely be relieved; and, like the rest of us, just a teensy bit amazed? Clearly wrecking the nation’s economy with her chums, making us the laughing stock of the world and ending up being booted out of office after a few weeks of gobsmacking incompetence isn’t something the local Tory association felt was relevant.

What does this decision tell us about the mindset of the Tory grassroots? Are they ignorant of her tenure as PM? Or cravenly adopting her bumptious defiance and denial of reality?

Clearly, some will look upon this decision with benign approval while the rest of us will shake our heads in bewilderment and wonder if, finally, “the lunatics have taken over the asylum”.

Steve Mackinder

Denver

With reference to the shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables, I wonder if it might encourage people to grow their own if they can?

When I was a child my father grew most of our salad and vegetable items in the garden and greenhouse. The stuff you can buy in the supermarkets now bears no resemblance to the delicious tomatoes, peas, lettuces, and more, that we used to enjoy. Fresh groceries from supermarkets have no flavour at all and are often poor quality.

Produce from a garden or allotment does need some effort in growing and washing clean, but it is very much worth the effort. It would be better for our environment too if people became less dependent on supermarket shelves.

Penny Little

Oxfordshire