MR ARWEL Thomas, the Second World War veteran,
who decided late in life to contribute to a newspaper's
readers' page, made more sense than almost any
letter writer I have read in Postbag.
What a shame that Mr Thomas has not contributed
previously to the Chronicle's Postbag, as his well
written and soundly argued letter was so refreshing
for its lucidity and sagacity much needed attributes
for some correspondents to emulate.
I share Mr Thomas' worries that in a so-called
democracy we have been subjected by the leaders of
this country's democratic institutions to curb
individuals and organisations inherent right to free
speech.
Debate in these islands has become a word that has
little meaning in reality. Just listen to a "debate" on
radio or television which usually descends into a
slanging match within seconds. Nobody will listen to
the other point of view, let alone ask relevant
questions about the veracity of arguments.
Polarisation is usually so entrenched that even the
tiniest element must be seized upon and the debate
interrupted, thus preventing any flow of information
and time to consider what has been said.
Whilst not a great fan of the European Union, recent
business trips to Brussels and Bonn made me realise
how stupid the British have become. Debates were
conducted so courteously everybody listened to what
you had to say without interruption, then asked
searching questions about the content that enabled
them to draw conclusions on the basis of what had
been said.
I look forward to more astute and intelligent
contributions to Postbag from Mr Thomas.
John Wood
Park Avenue
Abergavenny