The Reader: London has not been divided by last year’s terrorist attacks

Tomorrow we will remember those who tragically lost their lives in the Westminster terrorist attack a year ago. Over the past year Londoners of every faith and race have come together to show enduring resilience and unity, rather than let a pathetic individual divide us.

We value our freedom highly and remain a city rich with cultural and religious diversity. The hearts and minds of this city have carried on, free of the hatred that drives those seeking to incite division through violence.

By taking positive action in our local communities and going about our daily business as usual we are ensuring that the attempts made by terrorists are in vain. A city that is united tackles terrorism together.
Mustafa Field, Faiths Forum for London

As conscious as I am of PC Palmer’s exceptional bravery last year when confronting an intruder at the gates of Parliament, I still do not understand why this brave officer was left without armed support?

I recall when queuing to enter Westminster Hall for the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, I was confronted by an armed policeman simply for being in a queue of mourners. What’s the difference?
David Alston

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Mustafa & David

Thank you for your letters. Tomorrow’s anniversary will inevitably bring sad memories but it’s right to say that despite the succession of terror attacks which followed Westminster, one of the heartening things about the past year has been the resilience and unity displayed by Londoners.

That’s not to say there aren’t concerns. The rise of far-Right extremism is one, while police believe the Westminster murders inspired the later London Bridge attack and that the Islamist threat has grown too. Indeed, they warned recently of the danger of the rival ideologies feeding off each other to justify violence. Fortunately, most people remain immune to such poison but vigilance is needed.

The question of whether PC Palmer should have been armed is understandable. But Met Commissioner Cressida Dick says she is unsure whether he would have been able to fire because so many members of the public were nearby.

Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor

What's the point in having superhighways if cyclists don't use them?

Having put up with several years of inconvenience and congestion as cycle superhighways were installed at great expense, I am disappointed to see how few cyclists actually use them.

Most of the hi-vis crowd use the main roads, causing friction (sometimes literally) with buses, taxis and lorries, which now have only one lane in each direction to use. Worse still, many of these cycling commuters seem to be a law unto themselves.

I realise that stopping at a red light is a pain as it adds time to your journey, but cyclists must adhere to the same laws as everyone else. I have also observed that some only have one light or none at all.

As a cyclist and motorcyclist, I consider myself to be subject to the same rules, obligations and constraints. Sadly, many do not.
Tim Davies

More clarity over EU workers

It's good that that the UK and EU have now agreed an “orderly withdrawal” from the EU. However, there are still many unanswered questions for businesses.

An agreement on the rights of EU citizens in the UK and vice versa is said to have been reached but when will there be full transparency about this? We have staff located in Europe and many of our UK-based workforce are from the EU.

We need a diverse range of language skills as well as an understanding of the nuances of how different cultures travel. But we are still no clearer on what Brexit will mean in terms of trading conditions or for our staff.

Until the Government fully clarifies what Brexit will look like both during and after the transitional period, we remain in limbo.
Rob Russell, Joint-CEO, AC Group

Clarke's right about the customs union

In his interview with the Evening Standard Ken Clarke was absolutely right in calling for a free vote on staying in the customs union after Brexit [“Get May off hook by voting to stay in customs union, Ken Clarke urges MPs”, March 19].

At a stroke this would solve the Irish border issue, prevent the likely 30-mile tailbacks on the Dover road, and minimise the economic damage to both the UK and Ireland.

Also, given the fact that we are already nearly 650 days past the date of the referendum and with around 2,000 young people a day reaching the age of 18 — most of them who are likely to be strongly against the idea of Brexit — it would reduce the inevitable demand for rejoining in a few years’ time.

I would have thought Brexiteers would welcome this.
Alan Pavelin

Businesses should help new parents

The Women and Equalities Committee’s call for ministers to look at giving fathers 12 weeks off for paternity leave is long overdue but welcome. It is positive to see the Government finally recognising that longer periods of time off are a crucial part of effective policies for working parents.

While we wait for these new policies to come into effect businesses should be working to provide all new parents with flexible working hours. Not only does this allow dads and mums to adjust to returning to work while balancing family life, it also makes strong business sense.

The tools and technology are available to enable new parents to remain productive while returning to work from paternity and maternity leave, so there is little standing in businesses’ way.
Jason Downes