Politicians should have better things to do than comment on Will Smith

Tom Peck puts his finger on it, about the Will Smith affair, in asking: “Who cares?”

Talent in the performing arts gets its own rewards from the paying public without the tedious and vacuous farragoes of awards ceremonies. Of course, the film industry needs publicity for its products, but celebrities who live by publicity must know that they are fair game for tasteless comedians at awards ceremonies.

But why should politicians feel that they also have to get in on the act, when they have much more serious issues to ponder and comment on in this troubled world?

Gavin Turner

Gunton

Will Smith’s actions, live on TV, have robbed the black community of a success story and role model.

His act of violence, followed by the worst type of violent, verbal abuse (as far as he knew it, still live on TV, in front of a huge number of children) will have hurt and damaged the black community.

Violence by states and individuals seems to be on the rise. A strong message needs to be sent. He should be stripped of the Oscar and barred from all future events. That action is nothing really. Normal people would be prosecuted.

Bringing up God in his tearful speech was disgusting. Do famous and rich people have no shame?

Defending one’s family? It was not a violent attack on his wife. A verbal reply would have sufficed. That was an opportunity to highlight a seriously distressing condition. Justice please.

Paul Stratos

Address supplied

I was absolutely dumbfounded having just watched the deplorable behaviour of Will Smith at the Oscars.

Worse still, he was allowed to remain in the auditorium after the incident and then given a standing ovation for winning an Oscar.

This makes the event a complete farce and really does say so much about showbiz royalty and what they think they can get away with. King Will indeed.

Paul Morrison

Glasgow

I am very heartened to learn that Dominic Raab is at last taking up the cudgel against the pernicious menace of wokery.

Could he not go further, though, and set up a government hotline offering comfort and support to those that have already been affected; or maybe a series of government infomercials explaining what to do if you believe your children or loved ones are at risk of succumbing to the blandishments of the ruthlessly caring?

Nick Donnelly

Dorset

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Michael Harrison reports that £4,000 worth of vaccines were thrown away at the end of just one day in September 2021 at a school where he was administering vaccines to young people. He was told by a supervisor that this was fairly common practice.

Meanwhile, the “vaccine tsar”, now education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi uses the apparent success of the vaccine “rollout” as his credentials for injecting “passion” into the recovery plan for children whose education has been impaired by his knighted predecessor’s handling of the pandemic in schools.

Perhaps his “success” with vaccinating the nation would have been even greater if he had planned logistically and rigorously to avoid the reported level of waste, the financial loss of which might have been channelled in the direction of the underfunded programme for school recovery.

Graham Powell

Cirencester