There can be no two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that those who opposed Israeli settlements were declaring ‘war’ (Getty)

The race to save the two-state solution is misplaced. Two-state solution, as its troubled legacy in South Asia amply demonstrates, is unlikely to deliver peace. When India surrendered to the Muslim demand of a two-state solution, resulting in the creation of an independent sovereign state of Pakistan, its leaders thought that such an arrangement offered the only route to a stable future. But the creation of a new state of Pakistan brought neither peace nor stability. India and Pakistan have fought four wars so far, and the fifth one is going on in Kashmir right at this moment.

Two-state solutions do not resolve conflicts; they merely freeze them. It is time that the West, instead of beating the old drum, injected some fresh thinking into resolving the Israel-Palestine imbroglio.

Randhir Singh Bains, Gants Hill, Essex

We need another Brexit vote

Congratulations on your editorial on Brexit. It was spot on – but what can we do to prevent the current lemming like adherence to the “will of the people” (which is actually the will of about one third of the population)? Surely the Government has a duty to prevent such a calamity and offering a more informed vote would achieve that. Theresa May's Government appears to be incapable of developing a coherent strategy to mitigate the damage created by David Cameron's arrogance and his willingness to put party before country. How can we help them accept that we need another vote?

Alison Born, Bath

Voter ID is a con trick

The latest Tory proposals for voter ID laws to combat alleged fraudulent electoral irregularities are massive con trick. These ideas have been imported straight from the USA. The Republican Party has whipped up a storm about fraud in order to justify bringing voter ID laws.

The tactics were first used in 1980 by Paul Weyrich. He is the founder of the modern Conservative movement in America. He gave a speech to a rally in which he said: “I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people. They never have been from the beginning of our country, and they are not now. As a matter of fact our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down“

Most investigations have found virtually no evidence of vote fraud. The effect of these laws, however, has been to purge millions of black and Latino voters from the electoral rolls in important swing states. These tactics delivered the White House for George W Bush in 2000 and 2004, and have helped Donald Trump get elected this year.

Voter ID laws would only stop a handful of people from casting one vote. These votes would be inconsequential. The proposals, however, will have the wider effect of disenfranchising hundreds of thousands – possibly millions– of working class and ethnic minority voters who are less likely to vote Conservative. It's an attack on the democratic process and should be vigorously opposed.

Alan Hinnrichs, Dundee

Free markets never deliver fairness

Why be so shocked at the discrepancy between executive pay increases of 80 per cent and investment returns of 1 per cent? Have we ever seriously believed that people’s earnings depend solely on what they achieve or the hard work involved? Investment returns rest on a mishmash of factors: market sentiment, employees, customers, the weather – and sheer luck, good or bad.

Two individuals may labour just as hard, just as wisely, digging: one strikes oil, one strikes nothing. One is applauded and hugely rewarded; the other is disparaged and sleeps on the streets. Does either “deserve” what they get?

The nurse, the road sweeper, the factory worker, may all work as diligently as chief executives, celebrity footballers and pop stars – and in radically worse conditions – yet our society awards those workers an annual income that the executives, footballers and stars “earn” in a couple of days. Let’s not pretend that free markets deliver fairness and anyone’s just deserts.

Peter Cave, London W1

I remember a number of years ago it was suggested that Edinburgh residents should receive a “living allowance” similar to that enjoyed by those living in London. Given that Edinburgh is one of the most expensive places to live outside London, this seemed a sensible approach. The cost of renting a one-bedroom flat in Edinburgh is presently around £1,000 per month, whereas a five-bedroom detached house in the Scottish Borders would set the renter back a similar amount. However, the idea came to nothing.

Surely those in power can see that the wages of most hard-working people in Edinburgh does not allow them to have a decent standard of life in comparison to those in other Scottish cities. It is unfair and needs to be addressed.

Alan Barbour, Edinburgh

A case of schadenfreude?

I have just read Tom Peck's article on Wilbur Ross which he based around a word “mydenfreude'”. He implies this to be a German word, but as a German myself I have to ask: what is it supposed to mean? The “freude” part is easy enough – it means “joy” – but myden? What language is that supposed to be, or is it completely made up just for the article? Enquiring minds need to know!

G Hoppe, Address withheld

Royal rates

I wonder what is the cost of the royal expenses to the public purse for policing, travel, meals and state banquets? And is the cost value for money, when police are absent from our streets and hundreds resort to food banks in desperation? I noticed the Princess Royal enjoyed 99 free meals.

Valerie Pitt, London SE3