Readers' letters - November 28

I don’t know why people constantly try to portray Prime Minister Theresa May as being in an unstable and weak position.Compared to her counterparts in Europe, she’s not in that bad a situation at all.The Prime Minister has been able to form a workable alliance with another party (the DUP) and can therefore govern effectively, albeit with a tight majority.So far the votes on Brexit have been going through, despite predictions of total disaster.If you want to look for unstable situations, you need look no further than Germany, where Angela Merkel has failed to form a Government. She now faces fresh elections which may see the anti-Euro AFD gain more seats.Then, let’s see what happens to the untested Emmanuel Macron in France.Let’s see if he succeeds with his labour reforms which are bitterly opposed by the left.Then, look at the Netherlands, which took 208 days to form a four-party coalition.Maybe Theresa May is relatively strong and stable after all?Tim HunterAddress supplied

Put on your seasonal smile

As the festive season approaches, we’re asking readers to help us raise money for some very special children during their Christmas celebrations this year. The Children’s Trust is asking you to put on your seasonal smile, don your festive socks and frocks and show some Christmas spirit by getting involved in Festive Friday, a national dress-up day, on December 8.Haven’t got anything festive? The downloadable Festive Friday toolkit complete with DIY selfie props is the perfect accompaniment for your Christmas party and those festive party photos, in return for a suggested donation of £2. Each pack includes classic Christmas pudding glasses, Santa’s hat and beard, a trendy holly bowtie and some naughty and nice signs to stir things up a bit! Money raised will help to support children with brain injury from across the UK. Sign up today at www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/festivefriday. Thank you. Hannah VinceFundraiser at The Children’s TrustAsking for trouble...Will they ever learn that leaving money and valuables in unoccupied buildings such as shops, churches, and community establishments is asking for trouble?Even though they are manned during the day, when closing the place, take your possessions and any other bits and pieces you can carry. That goes for vans and cars. In this day and age, someone somewhere will relieve you of your hard-earned possessions. Think on.EB WarrisBy email

Be fair to cyclists

To improve life for drivers, Philip Hammond has frozen fuel duty. To improve life for women, the 5% VAT, ‘tampon tax’ has been scrapped. And to help rail commuters, the Chancellor has extended discounted railcards to 30-year-olds. It could save ‘poor’ rail commuters hundreds of pounds a year.But what’s in the budget for the millions of poor people that are forced to walk or cycle everywhere? University students must be the biggest group using bicycles due to transport poverty.To be fair, shouldn’t VAT be scrapped on all bicycles and related products, especially those needed to protect life, e.g. head-cams and lights?Allan RamsayBy email