Why should young voters see any benefit from remaining in the European Union?

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A young voter leaves a polling station after casting her vote during the 2014 referendum on Scotland's independence

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Am I missing something? Most EU referendum commentators claim that young citizens are likely to vote to remain members, and former Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is directly appealing for them to register in order to be eligible. However, I remain mystified why any youngster would wish to have this view with the annual migrant level we are currently experiencing.

We now know that one million overseas jobseekers are entering the UK every three years, many from poorer countries who can comfortably undercut British young people. Furthermore, the supply and demand of housing required, will continue to see prices rise out of the reach of our young people - the majority will never in their lifetime be able to afford their own home if this level of immigration continues, which seems very unlikely.

Free movement of citizens is sacrosanct to EU membership. We can only counter this by voting to leave on June 23.

Anthony James Sokol
Banbury

Governments of all persuasions have, for many years, blamed the EU for almost any policy they think might be unpopular with the electorate, and this is certainly making it more difficult for some EU referendum campaigners.

You might think that people would learn from their mistakes, but how exactly will all the politicians who are now systematically rubbishing forecasts from even the most respected economic institutions go about making and presenting their budgets, fiscal policies and so on, after the referendum? I don't think they can count on all of us having bad memories.

Hanne Stinson
Woking

The referendum debate is dominated by the Remain camp appealing to greed – we are “better off” in – and the Leave camp appealing to frustration – we will feel freer if we leave. The greed argument will not defeat the frustration felt by the Leave camp.

This frustration at the rules imposed by the EU has not been well addressed. The rules made by the EU are a very small portion of all the rules we are subjected to.

We can have a limited say, by voting, in the rules made by the EU as we can in the other geographical bodies, local, regional and national governments, but lots of rules we have no say in at all. The rules of national governments, political unions and trading blocs that we are not part of; and the rules made by employers, suppliers, financial institutions, educational establishments, religious organisations, and so on.

You can argue that you are free to deal with such organisations, or not, but in practice you are stuck with the available choice.

I have not suffered much frustration at the rules made by the EU. I am more frustrated by the uncaring and ill-thought through rules of the UK Government and corporations. At least the EU makes some effort to counter these, with more clout than the UK Government.

I have filled in my postal vote to Remain because the UK population is 1 per cent of the world population and the EU could give us a say in world affairs that we would not otherwise have.

What I would really have liked to vote for is an obligation on the Government to participate in the EU as a means to an end, rather than as an unwelcome irritation.

Jon Hawksley
London, EC1R

Corruption is endemic in a lot of the EU countries Why is no one brave enough to speak out about this?

In Spain, France, Italy and Greece, the population seem to take pride in the avoidance of paying tax and in the widespread use of black money. And when they get into difficulties they hold out their hands to be bailed out, and the EU does it again and again and again.

Do we really want to remain in a partnership with countries like that? Personally, no. I am voting to leave.

M Maguire
Claygate

Blair should remain silent on the Middle East

Isn’t there something rather pathetic in Tony Blair’s current pre-emptive defence of his role in the Iraq catastrophe, all in advance of the condemnation anticipated in the Chilcot report? What happened was a gigantic error of judgement with devastating losses in lives, never mind the resultant chaos all over the Middle East.

One might have hoped that Blair, like a defendant in a court case, would have been silent while the jury considered its verdict. Instead, with miraculous availability, he seems to be everywhere – explaining, rationalising, with not a hint of anguish or contrition at the enormous loss of innocent lives and the still incalculable consequences.

He is, of course, entitled to his day in court. Until then, a dignified buttoning of the lip would, I suggest, be wise for him and welcome to us.

Donald Zec
London

Morality is not the preserve of the religious

Please can Janet Street-Porter explain why not believing in God is shallow and materialistic. I am an atheist and find these comments to be offensive. People are very welcome to believe whatever they want, but for her to insult without logic or reason is unacceptable.

Morals are not based on religious ideals. People from many and various different backgrounds can and do help to promote tolerance. This sort of intolerance of different opinions and beliefs is unacceptable, unnecessary and dangerous.

Jon Ashelford
Address withheld

A headline on May 28 read: “Jihadists can be ‘converted’ with God’s love, says Pope.” What sad nonsense.

Dr C R Byfleet
Cobbaton

First class? Not likely

Simon Calder thinks that first class will become more crowded if Virgin West Coast agrees with the Government that it should convert some first class carriages to standard. It won't.

This conversion has already happened on the Great Western routes to South Wales. After going from two-and-a-half first carriages to one-and-a-half, First Great Western (as it was then) removed almost all of the heavily discounted advance purchase fares in first class. They've never come back.

If you bought a first ticket a few days ahead, it used to be possible to go from Newport to London for under £40 one way. These days, there's rarely much of a discount on the off peak return fare of about £200, so the one way fare is usually at least twice as much as it used to be. First class remains largely empty outside rush hour.

The operator promised upgraded catering and Wi-Fi. The catering is unchanged and the Wi-Fi is there but it just doesn't work. At least they're true to their brand values.

Mark Chataway
Address withheld

Are we at war after all?

Rori Donaghy’s interesting article raises all sorts of issues beyond being accountable to parliament. The Ministry of Defence and the military establishment seems to be a state within a state. If we are officially “not at war”, then what are we at? The country is not under attack, no air raid warnings or assaults on the shores and “fighting on the beaches” near the white cliffs of Dover.

Is this another of “Fallon's Follies” from the Boys Own paper stuff? Playing Biggles again? How does the MoD inform the family if an SAS soldier is killed and we are not at war? Is some reason “fabricated”? Died on parade? Given the comments lately about possible war with Russia and Putin, it is time to reign in the MoD and Fallon and stop them “punching above their weight” before they overreach themselves.

I suppose we will know the signs when press releases start talking about plots by Islamists being thwarted by the Met or Russian soldiers “with snow on their boots” being seen at Dover.

John Edgar
Blackford

Capitalism must evolve

The final paragraph of your article on the International Monetary Fund is the most telling: “Chile’s experience (the country now eschews capital controls), and that of other countries, suggests that no fixed agenda delivers good outcomes for all countries for all times. Policymakers, and institutions like the IMF that advise them, must be guided not by faith, but by evidence of what has worked.”

The Thatcher-Reagan axis has ruined at least three generations by pursuing a rigid ideological agenda, based on the theoretical vapourings of Friedman, Hayek et al. “Austerity”, as practised by the current Tory administration, is actually the non-payment of essential bills, which is every bit and possibly more idiotic than badly implemented “tax and spend”.

A return to practical reality is long overdue. Capitalism must evolve and adapt. We need more effective government and less political obduracy.

A key component in what could come to be a revolutionary change, as presaged by the rise of left inclined politicians everywhere, is the appreciation that all the professions are much better at running their own manors than think tank wonks. China under Mao scorned the professions and neoliberal regimes have done likewise – the lessons of history.

Steve Ford
Haydon Bridge

Well appraised?

The case of Metropolitan Police sergeant Kirsten Treasure, who has been dismissed for ignoring a call to a stabbing incident and also faced allegations of making racist and homophobic remarks, raises the valid question of what comments were made by her immediate supervisors on her annual appraisals? It is surely inconceivable that she developed overnight such serious character flaws.

When I was a serving Metropolitan Police inspector and involved in writing appraisals and reading assessments made by other senior officers, I was surprised at the number of examples in which some were clearly overcritical – and some were excessively praiseworthy without any evidence to justify them.

This prompted me to submit an official suggestion to Scotland Yard's Management Services Department, proposing that all annual appraisals containing lavish praise or censure should be accompanied by evidence to support it. The idea was rejected.

Incidentally, it would be interesting to read the appraisals of former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, whose promotion took place just prior to his being place in charge of policing the Hillsborough Disaster. Perhaps the Freedom of Information Act could be used to extract this important data.

John Kenny
Acle, Norfolk

French breakfast

The first thing that I read on a Sunday morning is the Normandy Diary. John Lichfield is a marvel. When there were print editions, I never purchased a Sunday paper. Now I get them free, but what have I been missing all these years?

Paul Warren
Brampton, Cumbria