There is hope for Zimbabwe if democracy prevails

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Soldiers man their position with a military vehicle outside the office of President Robert Mugabe in Harare (AP)

Many of us seriously believed that we would never see any resolution to the desperately sad plight of Zimbabwe.

Now at long last it looks certain that old Robert Mugabe’s goose is finally cooked. Hopefully we shall also see his wife’s permanent absence, and the rounding up of their cronies for years of plundering the treasury, violence and mismanagement.

In no way do I condone any wanton violence against these individuals, they should be held accountable in a court of law – a pleasure they did not afford their opponents I must say!

The armed forces need to go after the money, ask for assistance from outside, prioritise health and food production and then set out a sensible timescale for elections.

There must not be a fallback to the old chestnut of “Africans are not ready for democracy!”

This could be the beginning of the end, let us hope it is not out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Robert Boston
Kent

Son of Greggs

Many have been upset by Greggs featuring a sausage roll in the crib scene in their Christmas advert. Perhaps it is a timely reminder that many folk leave Jesus out of their Christmas celebrations, and put something in their lives in place of the son of God.

J Longstaff
E Sussex

Housing crisis

At a stroke of a pen, the Government has reduced the debt burden by £70bn by reclassifying housing associations as private not public bodies. While it seems a sensible idea, I am concerned it will lead to the debt being recovered, with more interest on top.

They get the ability to borrow money, from, er the banks we bailed out. Funny eh!? Not!

Much better to have an infrastructure fund, meaning more gets spent solving the housing crisis, or is that too simple?

Or, why not simply provide money to housing associations and councils to build more homes, as Government said it would? Cost effective and saves on temporary accommodation costs.

Gary Martin
London, E17

Look no further than your driveway

May I tell Simon Calder that, last weekend, I travelled from London to Edinburgh for about £80.

I didn’t have to “know where to look”. I didn’t have to book way in advance. I left when it suited me and had a seat throughout my journey. I arrived, relaxed and ready for a pleasant evening and was able to start back the next day with an early start to suit myself.

I went by car.

D Leddy
Surrey