With Jeremy Clarkson, do I detect the smell of burning martyr?

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I have been struck by a realisation about Jeremy Clarkson’s recent foray into farming and pub ownership, and all the articles, TV programmes and press appearances this has generated (”Jeremy Clarkson says he can’t be friends with people who voted for Brexit”, Sunday 9 February).

His constant calls for sympathy about how hard it is to make money feel, to me, entirely disingenuous. Are we expected to feel sorry for a celebrity – someone whose going rate is probably a year’s salary for most people – who has discovered that an honest day’s work is bloody hard?

Welcome to the real world, Jeremy!

To be clear, I quite like him and his programmes, but the smell of burning martyr is putting me off.

Richard Clews

Address supplied

It’s green to deport migrants

I fear Diane Abbott doesn’t live in reality (“My party is playing a mug’s game by following Farage on migration”, Monday 10 February).

Along with too many others, she cannot see how the severe overpopulation of the UK is causing our declining economy and doesn’t give a damn about decimating our natural environment.

What the UK needs to do is substantially reduce its severe human overpopulation and re-engage with the natural world – otherwise, our already depleted natural environments and wildlife will continue to decline, along with our economics.

To service the needs of the occupants of the 1.7 million houses that the government hopes to build will require land roughly the area of Hampshire and Essex combined. As we don’t have the space to service their needs, most of the extra population will be reliant on imported food and goods.

Is it any wonder that our environments and wildlife are so decimated?

This is the sort of issue I would expect environmental organisations such as Greenpeace to be campaigning for.

Graham Cooper

Address supplied

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The video of illegal migrant workers being detained by police has certainly caused a stir (“Labour will never ‘out Farage’ Farage – so this performative cruelty over immigration is pointless”, Monday 10 February).

However, migrants can only work illegally if someone is employing them illegally, probably at poor rates of pay and in poor conditions.

Perhaps the next video Labour releases should be of these employers being arrested and punished. They are as much part of the problem as those immigrating.

Deborah Everett

Mossley, Tameside

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Gosh, this must be “get Nigel Farage before it’s too late” week ("Nigel Farage is the biggest reason voters would not back Reform, new poll suggests", Saturday 8 February).

I suggest your analysis is grasping at straws. Farage is the reason Reform is riding high – and they have a lot further up to go.

Maggie Owen

Hockwold, Norfolk

Does God bless Trump?

I find it very hard to understand the mindset of any US-voting Christian who backed Donald Trump (“Trump says he’s ordering attorney general to target ‘anti-Christian bias’ with ‘religious liberty’ task force”, Thursday 6 February).

Being a Christian is surely aspiring to being Christ-like in action. For reasons too many to list, I would be very surprised if Jesus would have cast his vote in that direction.

Simon Watson

Kidderminster, Worcestershire

Nuclear Britain is living in a boom time

Last week, Keir Starmer pledged to “build, baby, build” and establish more nuclear power plants in the UK (“PM unveils plans to make it easier to build new nuclear reactors”, Thursday 6 February).

Labour even changed planning rules so that more new reactors could be built. It’s all so that the country can, in the prime minister’s own words, be “one of the world leaders on nuclear”.

This is great news – he and Labour should be commended. It will create thousands of highly skilled jobs, boost economic growth, and provide more clean energy and energy security to our nation.

It is great news for the climate, too. We will soon need a source of clean energy to replace fossil fuels. The best source of clean energy we have is nuclear, which provides reliable energy that is not dependent on the weather. It also requires less land and materials.

Environmentalists, including the Green Party, should get behind nuclear power. It is the only way we can achieve our net zero goals and the only proven, low-carbon technology that can provide the reliable power we need.

Mark Dawes

London E17

Let us enjoy the silence

Why do we have to have other people’s music wherever we go? Supermarkets, pubs, restaurants, most shops and even some car parks now play music constantly.

We have no control over the noises forced upon us – and no control over the volume at which it is played.

I presume it is thought that the music has a relaxing effect on customers, making them more likely to spend more. I think the opposite is now true! There are millions of people with hearing problems who find the constant background noise disturbing.

Rod Woodworth

Address supplied

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