Wednesday's letters including 'John Lewis would be welcome'

I have only lived in Worcester for two-and-a-half years, having moved from Gloucester.

Worcester is a great city to live in, the centre is great with so many independent shops along with a good choice of chain shops. Along with some great restaurants and the development of Cathedral Plaza Worcester is on the up!

I personally feel that the addition of a John Lewis Home Store and all the other shops planned would be a welcome addition to Worcester. It will bring more visitors to Worcester and improve the economy.

If Worcester City Council doesn’t move forward and approve Worcester Woods then it is making a big mistake. I don’t think it will have a lot of impact on the city centre shops as the shops are totally different and can compliment each other. Cheltenham is a good example of having out of town retail parks and not affecting the town centre.

The alternative is more people choosing not to shop in Worcester and going to places like Cheltenham to go shopping especially when the new John Lewis store opens!

Steve Beston

Worcester

Obama is a man to trust

SIR – GB Dipper’s letter of April 29, which attempted to disparage US President Obama’s opinion that the UK should remain in the EU, served only to demonstrate the inappropriateness of comparing our two countries. We are a small island anchored off the northwest coast of continental Europe while the USA is almost a continent in its own right. There’s another clue in the name of the latter: a United STATES wherein complaint about “Washington” is of the same character as complaint here about “Brussels”.

Moreover, compare this supporter of our remaining in the EU with supporters of Brexit, which, as well as scary USA presidential candidate Donald Trump, include Russia’s Vladimir Putin, ISIS (both of whom wish to see a weaker, less stable, Europe and a weaker UK) and a bumbling self-publicist and would-be comic called Boris Johnson.

I know whose advice I would rather listen to.

David Barlow

Worcester

We can save Great Britain

SIR – For many, June 23 will be the most democratic vote ever to be cast since the 1970s.

Simply because it is your vote, which has nothing at all to do with any politician, of any party.

Some 40+ years ago my parents’ generation and my generation were misled by Ted Heath over the vote over a trading relationship with the EU. Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson, Jack Straw and many more continued to mislead us, as do the present politicians. We the people have millions of votes to save this once great Britain, that has been squandered, given away to Europe’s unelected commissioners, who now make our laws.

Yes of course there are good things I am told by the remainers, which come from Europe, but they are seriously overshadowed by the unfair restraints placed upon our industries, businesses, laws, which at this moment Cameron has not got round to wresting from Brussels.

We the people are good enough to say how we run this country. Sadly our politicians are just not good enough to carry out the job.

Brian Hunt

Worcester

Re-negotiate with doctors

SIR – I am concerned about the hard line position from the government, and in particular, Jeremy Hunt, during the non-negotiations regarding the junior doctors’ new contracts. His seeming stubbornness to extend an olive branch and re-establish negotiations has resulted in junior doctors having to take this unprecedented strike action. I personally hold Jeremy Hunt responsible for any harm that befalls anyone due to this strike action.

I have huge amounts of respect for the brilliant, dedicated, passionate and caring (not to mention already dangerously overworked and underappreciated by politicians) junior doctors. A major part of training to be a doctor is medical ethics. I am certain that not one single junior doctor has made the decision to take strike action without many hours of soul searching and deliberation. I can only conclude that, in their professional judgment, and in the face of extreme provocation, they have to take this strike action in order to safeguard the lives of many more patients in the future.

I would like our local MPs to push for fresh negotiations to stop any further strike action and explain to Jeremy Hunt why he needs to be open to compromise. I would also like them to do everything within their power to tell Jeremy Hunt to stop being so stubborn and get back to the negotiating table.

Tom Pollard

Worcester

Hedgehogs

SIR – As a supporter of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, I thought I would write to let you know about Hedgehog Awareness Week, which runs until May 7.

This year efforts are focussed on strimmers and cutting machines – every year there are many terrible injuries and deaths caused by garden machinery. BHPS is asking people to check areas carefully before using any machinery. With hedgehog numbers in decline, getting involved is more important now than ever.

Terry Green

Droitwich