Readers weigh in on Trump, Sussexes and cabs

Capitol Hill
Readers discuss Trump waffling on, Labour’s SEND reforms and ‘petty jobsworths’ (Picture: Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments

'Would have been easier to rewrite Trump's entire state of the union address' than fact check it

Coming from a parallel world of alternative facts, President Donald Trump’s state of the union address required the fact-checking you gave it (Metro, Thu). Wouldn’t it have been easier to sanitise and rewrite/rebroadcast the entire speech so that readers/listeners
got a realistic picture of the true state of the union? Ashis Banerjee, London

Are ‘screens’ the reason SEND is needed?

More government money for SEND is all well and good (MetroTalk, Thu) but it’s still just treating the symptoms rather than going after the root of the problem.

Our children are growing up in front of screens that are warping their brains, messing up their senses and wrecking their emotional stability. When are we going to do something about that? Hayley A, South Shields

Should men take the booth seat?

You report that women on dates see it as a ‘red flag’ if the man takes the booth seat, forcing her to take the chair (Metro, Wed). The reason he does this is so he can see the whole bar. You get told this by elders when you first start going in pubs. Firstly, so you can see if there’s any trouble to keep the girl safe and secondly, so your back isn’t to the bar, where other lads could be stood winking at her and trying to get her attention. It’s not a new thing. Rik, Manchester

Pub taxi is a good idea, says reader

Country pub landlord buys black cab to give his customers free lifts home
This reader says the landlord should be able to drive the charity taxi (Picture: Supplied)

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Ashford council has told a pub landlord he can no longer give punters who live close-by a lift home in a black cab because he needs a taxi licence. Paul Hartfield of the Flying Horse in Smarden, Kent, doesn’t charge but customers are encouraged to make a donation to charity.

Not long ago, the government was asking people to car share to work etc. Is this pub taxi thing not as good, if not better, an idea? Popeye, Wigan

This reader dislikes ‘petty rules’

Why can’t the petty jobsworths at Ashford council just issue him a licence and leave it at that? I don’t know what
I detest more – petty rules or the nasty little nobodies who rigidly enforce them. Mark Taha, London

What do Harry and Megan represent and offer?

I don’t understand what value Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bring to the table. They appear at events but really are just two people with an opinion.

Their current ‘royal visit’ to Jordan is achieving what exactly? They say it’s too ‘dangerous’ for them come to the UK but it’s safe enough to go to Ukraine and now the Middle East? I just don’t get what they represent or offer. Tony M, Romney Marsh

Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit to Jordan
This reader questions why it’s not ‘safe’ for Harry and Megan to visit the UK (Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Should older people just listen to Radio 3?

Steve, who is 70 (MetroTalk, Thu), complains about radio DJs using the ‘infantile’ word ‘banger’. Maybe he isn’t the target audience because I’m pretty sure they don’t use it on Radio 3. Amy, London

Radio language is just sign of the times, says reader

To Steve, banging on about bangers. Fads come and go. My mother was on the last London horse-drawn bus, soon petrol will be gone! Ron, via text

Do football commentators really need to specify players’ mode of transport?

Regarding stupid words. The worst must be radio football commentators all now adopting the US term ‘foot race’. Do they think I was picturing the winger on a bike and the defender on a scooter? Neil Francis, Birmingham

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