To combat death, war and disease, our global priorities must change in 2018

Thank you for your contributions throughout the past year. Your letters have offered valued insight, critique and comedy. Please continue to send your letters in 2018 to letters@independent.co.uk

The war in Syria has caused untold death and destruction (AFP/Getty Images)

The wars in Syria and Yemen are without a doubt the greatest humanitarian tragedies of our time. The heart-rending images of children washed up on European shoes or travelling treacherous journeys in pursuit of security and safety, while languishing in the grip of hunger, exclusion, malnutrition, food insecurity and disease. Such diseases include hygiene and water borne illnesses, such as diarrhoea and polio, and vaccine preventable diseases such as diphtheria, shingles and measles.

We should not be fooled into believing that the yoke of wars and the plight of children will end overnight. As Pope Francis put it: "duplicity is the currency of today. They say one thing and do another."

What is needed is a drastic shift towards an international system that is impregnated with love, compassion and fraternity; not a one that is overwhelmingly reliant on greed and the sale of weapons.

Dr Munjed Farid al Qutob
London NW2

New Year's Resolutions

The state of humanity isn’t in a good shape. With the election of Donald Trump, things haven’t been any better.

I really hope Mueller will make 2018 a lesson for Trump and his circles will be running for cover throughout the year and afterwards.

I hope Mueller will turn the works upside down for them until they lose their arrogance and come down to earth.

I hope extremism will be tackled effectively and decisive by studying root causes. Extremism isn’t, as it has been portrayed by the media, as a Muslim problem. It is human problem which has affected all humanity.

And finally I hope world leaders will come to grips and start acting with some level of honesty and support justice, feed the poor and spread peace, not only with those whom they like but with all humanity.

Happy New Year to all humanity.

Abubakar N Kasim
Toronto, Canada

If I lived in Scotland, I'd vote for independence now

Hello 2018, Labour is still divided as ever between the Blairities and Corbynistas. The faltering Tories have reached Peak Ruth with their No to 2nd referendum one trick pony.

The SNP Scottish Government's Budget was a masterstroke, progressive and fair, investing in public services, those earning over £33,000 will pay a little more while those earning less will get a tax cut. A textbook example of how to make a Budget.

But the shadow of Brexit looms, despite the fact the No side during indyref told Scotland a No vote would secure EU membership. I believe independence is the perfect answer to Brexit, Scotland joining Europe and Single Market, the largest economic block in the world, while a hapless, has-been, nostalgic, right-wing Brexit UK is on the road to irrelevance and isolation. If I lived in Scotland I’d be voting yes next time.

Chris Davies
Denbigh

The Tory argument against Basic Income is baseless

Former Conservative minister Nick Boles has argued against the idea of a universal basic income and asserts that: "Mankind is hard-wired to work," and that "We should not be trying to create a world in which most people do not feel the need to work." If mankind is hard-wired to work then presumably we will not feel the need not to work.

Ian Robertson
Milton Keynes

Our national heroes deserve to be recognised

Sean O’Grady ends his commentary on the Honours List with a great question, the answer to which can only be yes. The level of hypocrisy and insensitivity in the non-naming of any of the people who helped in Manchester, in Borough Market, on Westminster Bridge and most notably in Grenfell Tower. Is staggering. If Theresa May and her government had been seeking a way of showing how stunningly out of touch they are, I don’t think they could have done better.

Steve Mumby
Bournemouth

I am not paying for drunk tanks

I don’t agree with Shappi Khorsandi that we should all pay for drunk tanks. Surely this is sending a message that it is alright to drink far too much. Happy to have them but if you use them you pay for them. I don’t think that is too much to ask.

Bridget Alexander
Maidenhead