Readers' letters - August 11

The list of Tories attacking Boris Johnson for his comments on the burka are clearly hoping that their audience hasn’t read his article. He defends the right to wear it.This is all an argument over Brexit and the Tory leadership, not the burka. Boris is a threat to the leadership of Theresa May and the Civil Service-led policy of undermining Brexit. She set up a Brexit Department, only to work to subvert and ignore it, cynically despising the vote and the voters. All the senior Tories complaining about Boris are Remainers, and many of them themselves have had harsh things to say about women being forced to wear the veil. Many of their previously expressed sentiments on the issue fully reflect what Boris really said in his article. This is opportunistic hubris aimed at undermining the democratic vote to leave the EU. In December 2016, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said: “Show your face. The full coverage is not permissible, and should be banned.” The countries in the EU which ban the niqab and the burka are France, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Belgium. Boris wants tolerance, freedom and to leave the EU. The Establishment wants us to remain and be governed by a Union that is treating us like a defeated enemy and seeking our harm.Keith PunshonAddress supplied

Keep your children safeThroughout the summer holidays, I would like to make your readers aware of the risks our children face as they potentially spend more time online – and offer some tips on how to keep them safe.Sadly, we know many children are seeing inappropriate content online. It’s a deeply disturbing fact that children can stumble across pornography, and the ease with which children can live-stream themselves online is something all parents should be aware of. Children with phones and tablets are effectively taking a TV crew into their bedroom. We know this can leave them open to grooming and abuse and can have an effect on their emotional health and wellbeing. Back in 2015, in a Barnardo’s report some of our practitioners told us that referrals for internet-related child sexual abuse support services ranged up to 75 per cent of their work. Barnardo’s has called for greater oversight of the internet industry, including a real need for an independent regulator. We are also calling on government for better information and education for parents, social workers and teachers when it comes to online safety.In a bid to tackle online abuse and the devastating impact it can have, we would urge parents to try and understand the online world their child is using. Learn about the games and apps they use and make sure that parental controls, privacy setting and online filters are being used. Internet Matters has some great parental guide. If your child seems worried about something, talk to them. It’s vital that parents keep talking to their children about their online games and take a look together at what they are doing, who they are talking to online and what they’re talking about.You can report inappropriate behaviour or material to an organisation like CEOP and we would urge anyone looking for advice to go to www.barnardos.org.uk. It’s worth remembering that the internet can also be a fantastic place for children to develop, to grow and achieve safely. Lynn PerryBarnardo’s Regional Director - North WestWe can tackle this if we leave

We produced nearly all our own medical supplies before we joined the EU but now the NHS spends millions obtaining them from the EU. It is a disgrace that this is allowed to happen.Take another example – the car industry. Before we joined the EU, a foreign car was a rarity. Now British manufacturers’ share of our own market has fallen to a mere 15 per cent. I was recently delivering leaflets in a local cul-de-sac. The five houses had eight cars on their drives and seven of these were German-made. There is no doubt in my mind that the market is fixed to the benefit of German manufacturers.I say we can tackle the situation if we first leave the EU. Remainers seem to have no answer at all.Tony Galbraithvia email