Readers' letters

It was joyous to read that the United Nations disarmament talks concluded in Geneva on Friday with an overwhelming majority of nations signalling their intention to launch negotiations next year for a global ban on nuclear weapons.

One hundred and seven nations, including those in Africa, Latin America, South East Asia, the Pacific, and several in Europe, united together to convene a conference next year to outlaw nuclear weapons. The United Kingdom however continues to boycott talks. The international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons has pledged to continue pressurising the government to attend.

Pressure is to be applied by the International Campaign to abolish nuclear weapons. . The campaign has been working for seven decades to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction. Now it appears that recommendations of the working group, the UN General Assembly, will adopt a resolution this autumn to establish a mandate for negotiations on a ban on nuclear weapons in 2017. The group adopted its final report by vote. The report recommends that a conference be held next year to negotiate “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.

It is inspiring to everyone who denounces the development of nuclear weapons. The Government’s dogged determination to renew Trident, when so many nations have committed to the global struggle to end the development of these destructive missiles and leave forever the mad house that created them in the first place is lamentable. Following the breakthrough however, it is disappointing that Britain stands outside the agreement and continues to boycott negotiations. Inevitably this denies us of the chance of supporting one of the world’s most important humanitarian causes.

Nuclear weapons remain the only weapons of mass destruction not yet prohibited under international law, despite their inhumane and indiscriminate nature.

The proposed ban would address this legal anomaly.

Marjorie Nye

via email

olympics

Gongs should not go to our sport heroes

I’m not a sports fan but I have kept a eye on events in Rio, who would have thought sailing could be so riveting?

No, me neither but now it’s on the news, where are the next gongs going?

Dame Jess, Sir Mo, I say no.

Yes, it’s great what has been achieved but showering sports people with these rewards is not right at this time.

They deserve to be handed to people who are working on a cure for cancer or a breakthrough for fighting Alzheimer’s.

Jayne Grayson

via email

politics

Theresa’s stalling on Brexit

On June 24, 2016, the majority voted Brexit, but we are still in the EU, why?

We should be out now and all wages paid to UK MEPs stopped straight away, forget article 50 or whatever. Mother Theresa is stalling deliberately. When the Berlin wall came down, all Eastern Bloc European countries were free from the Soviet Union instantly.

S Ellis

address supplied