Barbara Solomons News Today

SIR – There appears to be a worrying pattern in the way demonstrations and civic disturbances are being policed, especially by the Met. In the first instance there seems to be a hands-off policy: remember the early environmental protests, where officers handed out water and stood chatting with demonstrators as roads were brought to a standstill. Only after public outrage and political pressure did police tactics change. This hands-off strategy is now being applied to Free Palestine and an...

Marks & Spencer has reduced the length of its trousers after older customers complained that they were too long.

SIR – As a direct consequence of decisions taken by out-of-touch executives to remove much-loved radio presenters (without consulting those who pay for the service), BBC Radio 2 has lost 1.3 million listeners, it was reported in October. Only an organisation as breathtakingly arrogant as the BBC could now expect hard-pressed taxpayers to pay even more for a greatly diminished offering (report, December 4). Thank goodness for commercial radio stations led by executives who take the time an...

SIR – Much of the narrative around tax cuts suggests that they are “given to the rich”. The Conservatives must change this narrative. To grow the economy, we need to improve productivity, and at the moment the incentives are not strong enough. Why work harder when you know that the state will just take more? William Burgess Peterborough