Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Starmer in another solar system?
I’ve never been a fan of our prime minister but listening to Sir Keir Starmer’s interview with BBC Radio 4 marking his first disastrous year in power left me feeling ashamed of this country.
Starmer stated that he liked Donald Trump, respected what he was doing and that the two of them shared the same family values!
One has to ask just what planet our dear leader is on. And what our friends in the EU plus Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the Commonwealth will make of that, I dread to think.Bob Readman, Sevenoaks
‘US democracy in its last phase’ says reader
Starmer says of Trump, ‘I think I do understand what anchors the president, what he really cares about.’
We all know the answer to that, prime minister – Trump is a selfish, narcissistic, greedy, egomaniac. Look at his posturing over Greenland and Canada and realise that US democracy is in its last phase. Henry Page, London
Does the government listen?
Labour watered down its welfare reform bill to quell a backbench rebellion, having already undone plans to remove the winter fuel allowance from all but the least well-off pensioners. Why so much fuss about government U-turns and climbdowns?
Isn’t it a good thing we finally have one that listens to people? Pedro, Hammersmith
Who would you prefer?
Things could be a lot worse in this country – we could have Jeremy Corbyn or George Galloway as prime minister. Just imagine that. Richard Farrar, London
Reader responds to Palestine action being labelled ‘terrorists’
So, the UK has decided that protest group Palestine Action are ‘terrorists’.
Other people who were ‘terrorists’ according to the British government at the time, include Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and the Suffragettes.
I’d much rather be on their side than on the side of our snivelling shower of politicians any day. Mo, Bradford
Food banks to being ‘fed bullets, what has gone wrong with the humanity?’ asks reader
What kind of world we are living in? In some parts of it, there are food banks where the less fortunate are given free food. There are also free kitchens where anybody get a meal.
But in some parts of the world – in Gaza, it seems – the hungry are fed with bullets, What has gone wrong with the humanity? Pritam, London
Classroom chaos
A teacher was banned from the classroom for being drunk in class, swearing and turning the lesson into a mini-rave (Metro, Fri).
Of course her actions were wrong but maybe she was going through a depressive episode. Ese, Birmingham
Everyone deserves kindness
Well done, Metro, for the lovely piece about trans couple Hannah and Jake (Metro, Wed). No matter who we are, we all need to be shown kindness, tolerance and understanding. Your article did just that. Bernadette, Watford
Attention! Calling Steve!
Steve Coogan spoke about him bringing back Alan Partridge for a new podcast series (Metro, Fri). What we all want to see is middle-aged Paul and Pauline Calf and Fat Bob. Molly Gilligan, London
Royal family is ‘all talk and no action’ says reader
Andrew Edwards (MetroTalk, Fri) says the Royal Family’s green credentials have been ‘ruined’ by giving up the Royal Train and Yacht (MetroTalk, Thu).
I would say rather they never had any. With them, it has always been all talk and no action – banging on about the environment but keeping up a life with an exorbitant carbon footprint is not environmentalism.
Not that any of them would claim to be abandoning the Royal Train for environmental reasons. Rather, they are claiming to be doing it for value for money. Well, that claim has no grounding in fact, either.
According to Republic, the UK spends 100 times as much on the royals as Ireland does on its president, despite having only 13 times the population size.
True, the king rules Australia, Canada and assorted smaller countries but those countries should pay their fair share. So let’s see ‘No Kings!’ follow ‘MeToo’ and ‘Black Lives Matter’ across the Atlantic onto the lips of equality-supporting Brits. Charles EL Gilman, Mitcham
Running a red?
Russell Stevens (MetroTalk, Thu) jokes that ‘pavement’ was missing from Metro’s cycling-themed wordsearch. You also missed out ‘traffic lights’. John Coyne, Leeds
