Sir – I had to write about your article about the Confederate flag dated July 30, 2015.
Before people start to condemn another country’s flag they should get some facts right about our own flag the Union Jack.
The Union Jack was flown on ships leaving Bristol docks before 1787 to trade in Slavery in Britain, it was not until 1833 that a man called William Wilberforce had brought in the Anti Slavery Act in Parliament, so my question to all the people who have complained about the Confederate flag as racist, should we ban the Union Jack?
There were other flags used by the confederate states but the flag used today did not come in use until November 28, 1861, when the flag was given to Robert E Lee, and became known as a battle flag, it had nothing to do with racism.
 It was taken over by groups like the Ku Klux Klan who have tainted the image of the Confederate flag, like certain groups have used the flag of St George.
 I have spent over 20 years working in country and western clubs and the patrons of these clubs understand its a battle flag, nothing to do with racism whatsoever.
MR JOHN WHITE
Evesham


Tory ‘mockery’ over foxhunting vote
Sir – Just to demonstrate their power and influence within the UK Parliament, the 56 Scottish Nationalist MPs scuppered the recent attempt to relax the rules on foxhunting, by stating that they would vote with Labour and the 30 or so Conservative MPs who were also opposed to the changes wanted by the majority of their Conservative colleagues – which included Bromsgrove’s MP, Sajid Javid.
This is even though a ‘YouGov’ survey confirmed that most people in England still support the ban, proving that these MPs are out of touch with public opinion.
So Conservative MPs claiming that this justifies the case for only English MPs being allowed to vote on matters just affecting England, just demonstrates their contempt for the views of English voters – Conservative minister, Tracy Crouch, who is a member of the organisation ‘Blue Fox – Conservatives Against Fox Hunting’, saying that the MPs voting to relax the ban “make a mockery of public opinion on foxhunting.”
If foxes are a problem, there are more effective and humane methods of dealing with them – animals also experience fear and pain.
The ban forbid the hunting of wild mammals, such as foxes, with dogs, but does not cover the use of dogs for flushing out unidentified wild mammals; or forbid drag hunting – where dogs are trained to follow an artificial scent.
If it had got passed it would have been legal to kill foxes for pest control and for them to be flushed out by a full pack of dogs – diseased or injured foxes would also have been allowed to be used for research and observation purposes.
So as the countryside gets swallowed up by new housing developments, foxes will scavenge there and have to be dealt with; but this won’t involve people on horseback blowing horns, following a pack of dogs chasing a fox.
MALCOLM GUEST
Bromsgrove

Save the hounds, ban hunting altogether
Sir – I was interested to read the two letters for and against foxhunting in recent editions of the Worcester News.
Jack Bennett (“Hounds at risk with total hunting ban”, July 23) states that, if hunting is stopped altogether, people will have to witness “no less than 13,000 of these lovely hounds put to death”.
So, basically, what he is saying is that the hunting folk love their dogs so much that they would be quite happy to slaughter them all when they can no longer be used for killing wild animals!
Of course, the sad situation, as exposed in a national newspaper recently, is that hunts kill thousands of their hounds every year anyway, if they fail to make the grade for hunting or can no longer hunt effectively because of age or injury.
Fiona Shaw-Rudd (“The romance of hunting has long gone”, July 28) states that huntpersons “can have just as much fun drag hunting”.
Draghunting is no doubt better for wildlife than the pursuit to the death of a live animal, but hounds that prove unsuitable for the purpose would still be put to death by the hunts.
Therefore the only decent solution, in order to end the annual slaughter of hounds, as well as protecting wildlife, is strong legislation that would not allow the hunts to operate at all.
GEORGE RICHARDSON
Malvern

Stop discriminating against our language
Sir – Have the employment laws changed? When jobs are advertised here in the UK, I thought they could not discriminate against age or gender but it does however appear to be ok to discriminate against language.
 I recently saw a notice in a shop window in Lowesmoor Worcester asking for Rumanian  and Lithuanian-speaking applicants.
MRS JENIFER SHORE
Worcester

Could you leave the reptiles alone please?
Sir – I am upset to see photographs and adverts in the papers about exotic animals and reptiles at local events.
Reptiles unlike mammals and birds are not parentally educated.
They are born expecting a life in the wild for which they have evolved to cope with. Captivity is stressful for all exotic animals, especially when travelling to events in a mobile zoo.
Although the animals/reptiles may be captive bred this does not mean they are domesticated.
There are 70 known zoonotic illnesses linked with captive exotic animals, including salmonella.
 Please don’t visit events with exotic animals for their and your sake.
For more information please go to: apa.org.uk
PAULINE BURGESS
Malvern


Why plans for cable car just won’t work
Sir – So, Malvern for All Ltd believe that a building designed by Troyte Griffiths will revive the flagging fortunes of their cable car project.
However, the newly proposed design will not affect the many reasons for not going ahead with the project.
Let us take the often cited suggestion that the cable car would transform the economy of Great Malvern. We believe it could have an adverse effect.
By the time families have paid to ride in the cable car, followed by drinks, food and gifts on the Beacon there will be little money left to spend in the town.
Tourists can shop anywhere, but the main reasons visitors come to Malvern is to walk in the hills and enjoy the peace and tranquillity.
RICHARD EDWARDS
Chair, Voice of the Malvern Hills, Malvern