Readers' letters - March 22

I don’t know whether it is just me, but are there any others who are sick and tired of our mass media and senior politicians determining that the Russians are unequivocally guilty of everything under the sun? For until there is definitive and unequivocal evidence of any misdoings, in the English courts at least, no judge could make a judgement of guilt based on hearsay and could-bes. The recent case of the poisoning in Salisbury is a case in point where, because the victim was a double agent, the Russians did it, although there still is no indisputable evidence that proves this fact. Let’s wait is my thinking for the indisputable evidence to be “released”.I believe Jeremy Corbyn is right here, unlike the likes of Boris Johnson and the Defence Secretary, together with 30 Labour MPs and Conservative MPs, who seem to have a crystal ball to see everything or Aladdin’s magic lamp to rub to know everything.Dr David HillCEOWorld Innovation Foundation

Driverless car deathtrapsWould I be happy travelling in a driverless car? More importantly – would I be happy sharing the roads with one?After a women, (pushing a bicycle), was killed by one in Arizona, USA, their use has been ‘banned’.So what does driverless cars mean for pedestrians and cyclists in the UK?Rail workers on Merseyside are striking over fears of safety and loss of jobs because of driver-only trains. Can pedestrians, cyclists, horse-riders, and disabled road-users etc, strike over a fear of safety and loss of life, posed by driverless cars?Because of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, (it claimed the lives of 71 people), thousands of tower block tenants are fearing they’re living in “death traps”.Each and every year, since the end of the Second World War, (when cars started to invade our roads: the Morris Minor made its appearance at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1948), well over 100 cyclists have been killed. Since 1948, some 10,000 cyclists have been killed on UK roads, and many thousands more have suffered debilitating injuries and suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If anyone is living in a death trap, it’s surely cyclists! And, to be fair, if all tower blocks are going to be ‘re-clad’, shouldn’t all drivers that are caught speeding and using mobile phones be banned from driving also?Shouldn’t equal rights dictate that this is the way forward BEFORE we allow driverless cars to invade our roads?Allan RamsayRadcliffeSystem’s not workingThe childcare system in England isn’t working for families.We all want a childcare system that is affordable and easy to use, so parents can access the nursery hours they need and have the choice to go back to work, and one that delivers the best possible start for children.But right now, hundreds of thousands of parents aren’t getting the help they should be. It’s a battle for mums, dads, and caregivers to get the support they’re entitled to.The costs are too high, and simply figuring out the support that’s on offer is a nightmare.It’s time to push for a childcare system that gives parents choices and children the chance to build a better future. That’s why I’m supporting Save the Children’s campaign and calling on the government to make childcare work for everyone. Please sign the petition at https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/what-we-do/uk-work/early-years.Marian JonesRainhillAnnouncers’ vowel play

Have you noticed how, for some time now, the radio and television announcers’ diction has degenerated into the adoption of a very slack homogenous “uh” as the pronunciation of initial vowel sounds in such words as “uhlympics”, “uhfficial” and “uhmmediate”?Michael RobinsonAddress supplied