2017 could be the end of the European Union

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Police patrol the Christmas markets in Berlin (Getty)

The European tour of the Berlin truck attack suspect shows how Europe has lost its reason. While Europe's leaders, civil rights activists and liberals all worry about protecting our civil liberties and being politically correct, Europe faces a permanent threat.

In this case the suspect arrived from Tunisia, not a country at war, allowed to stay in Italy, went to Germany, and then despite being on security services and police radar instead of being deported immediately was allowed to carry out an attack in Berlin and then travel freely through France and back to Italy. Madness!

In the meantime thousands are dying in the Mediterranean due to misguided immigration policies which are encouraging hundreds of thousands of people from other continents as well as the Balkan states to enter Western Europe without papers or legal rights expecting a better life and granted nationality and passports. We even collect them and bring them ashore. No other nations of the world do this. And we wonder why right wing parties are gaining ground. 2017 could see the collapse of the EU.

Peter Fieldman
Paris

Donald Trump is causing chaos already: what will happen after he has been sworn in?

When Donald Trump was first elected many thought that due to his bellicose attitude, complete lack of political experience and total ignorance of diplomatic nuances there was, amongst many other previously unthinkable possibilities, a very real prospect of him causing World War III during his term of office.

It now appears that he might very well succeed in that even before he is actually in the White House.

Harvey Sanders
Paddington, Australia

Was it really right for the Queen to defer her trip?

I cannot decide whether the letter from John Eoin Douglas of Edinburgh ("The Queen is right, stay at home if you have a cold") is an attempt at satire, or not.

The likelihood of her infecting fellow travellers to Kings Lynn seems remote unless, of course, she and her husband were travelling in a normal train with other travellers. I think that was unlikely and that either a section of the Royal Train or a secure carriage would have formed part of the original travel plans.

Having a heavy cold, she was sensible to take a day to recover. However, it would appear that there were no trains to Kings Lynn on Thursday, so they had to travel to Sandringham by helicopter instead! And what did that cost? I assume that Mr Douglas regards it as "money well spent". I don’t.

Richard Fagence
Windsor

Don't forget those on state pensions

I don't know how old Andrew Grice is but would be interested to know how he thinks he would survive on my state pension of £140 a week; this is my reward for working and paying taxes for 43 years. The UK state pension is already among the lowest in Europe as Andrew Grice undoubtedly knows and to propose reducing it is inhuman.

The social care crisis could be easily and painlessly averted by redirecting some of the billions of pounds sent to countries that do not want it and where it currently languishes unused in their bank accounts. When are people like Andrew Grice going to get over their guilt about the UK's colonial past and start putting the British taxpayers first?

L Bignell
Surrey

A suitable voice for Farage

Regarding the voicing of Nigel Farage when on TV I would suggest either Kermit the Frog or even Miss Piggy would be appropriate.

David Neale
Birmingham

Thank you, Mark Steel, for your article regarding the disgusting behaviour of Nigel Farage and his supporters.

Helen Maclenan
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