Change of heart iswelcome


downsmail.co.uk downsmail.co.uk


£350maweek, to be precise. Oneway or another, that is howmuchwewill get back, once the Brexit process has been completed. Andwe can get onwith reinvesting that


money in Britain – for our children, our elderly, our roads, our schools and hospitals. But, I amafraid to say,we should also get


used to the fact thatwemight have to pay about £50bn as an exit fee,whichwould amount to about three years’membership fees.We could tell themto stuff it, but perhaps it isworth every penny to just to be free. MGibson, via email


that there is a level of consensus and that WILLact remains reasonable and willing to engage with all parties. The other morning, the day after the kids


RatherMay than Corbyn


HAVING justwitnessed TheresaMay’s performance at the Conservative Party conference, I amnot sure that she is up to the job. Having said that, if there is a leadership


electionwhich sparks another general election, thenwemight end upwith Jeremy Corbyn as PrimeMinister. Perhapswe should stickwithMrsMay for the meantime! PWarren, via email


Cannabis for pain relief


HOME Office figures suggest that nearly threemillion people in the UK are using cannabis. Possession and use of this substance for


went back to school Iwas on the Su�on Road and itwas chaos as usual. But I cannot imagine what it will be like once there is another 1,000+ homes in that area. The mitigation suggested by the borough council is never going to be enough. The idea that anyone would try and catch a bus in this kind of traffic is laughable and the notion of so-called modal shift (ie ge�ing on one’s bike) is as foolish as it is foolhardy. The county council has raised very serious concerns yet the borough council’s leadership seems unwilling to engage. Each new house will generate at least two


extra cars. Then don’t forget there are house- building programmes in Tonbridge& Malling, Sevenoaks, Ashford, Folkestone, Dover and elsewhere. All these cars have to go somewhere. As a driver who uses the Su�on Road


whatever reason is a criminal offence. However, a lesser known estimate is that about one third of these, nearly amillion people, feel compelled to use cannabis for a primarilymedical reason. Thatwould suggest that in and around


theMaidstone area, there are perhaps around 1,500medical users of cannabis. A recent reviewof evidence fromacross


No opinion on allowances?


theworld confirms that it can helpwith chronic pain and a range of conditions includingMS, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, Toure�e’s and some aspects of Parkinson’s. Yet the UK Government chooses to ignore the benefits ofmedical cannabis, asserting that it has “nomedical benefit”. Clearly the governments of Germany,


Spain,Australia, theNetherlands, Italy and over 25 US states see things differently, as they all do nowallowaccess tomedical cannabis. Our assertion is that peoplewho take cannabis formedical reasons should be


AS THE founder and owner of Downs Mail, Dennis Fowle is entitled to allow himself the luxury of a monthly rant in it. He touches many subjects with strong opinions. Some you might agree with, others not. However, what he doesn't have a comment on sometimes speaks volumes. Kent County Council awarded themselves


a 15% increase in allowances only two months after the KCC elections, despite not telling the public of their intentions. Therewas no shortage of candidates at the elections, and all of them knew what they were le�ing themselves in for with regard to


twice most days, I am part of the problem. I don’twant to drive through Langley or Leeds orWillington Street or sit in endless queues over the Maidstone Bridges, but I don’t have any choice. So one would hope that the goodwill and co-operation at the JTB recently will be the start of something positive. Otherwisewe might just be looking at the ballot box to effect the right result. MGibson, via email


IWAS delighted to read a recent report of how the cross-party membership pf the Joint Transportation Board (JTB) has suddenly become converted to the idea of a relief road between the A274 and the A20. It is not before time, either. It is gratifying


their allowance. If they thought itwas insufficient they needn't have stood. The excuse that they had not had an increase for many years is lame under the circumstances and reflects badly on them. Dennis has not commented on this in his opinion section, Why not? Does he think such underhand behaviour acceptable? If so, why not say so. If, like probably the majority of his readers, he thinks it outrageous, why not say so. Who is he scared of upse�ing? Courage has many guises, silence in this case is not one of them. Steve Russell, via email


Delivery drivers’ dilemma


treated as patients, not criminals. Sign the national petition atwww.endourpain.org Peter Carroll, director,ww.endourpain.org Editor’s note: Peter Carroll is former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Maidstone & theWeald


‘Patriots’ spewing hatred


I OFTEN chat to the hard-working men and women who deliver my groceries right to my front door. I am shocked to hear that a large supermarket chain knowingly sends these employees to make deliveries to blocks of flats that do not have a lift. Staff are expected to carry extremely


IHAVE not always agreedwithHelen GrantMP, but I endorse entirely her comments on theMosque and Britain First. Iwas confronted by one of these people


heavy crates of food up several flights of stairs without any assistance whatsoever. When staff report this problem to their managers, they are told they (the workers) should have made a risk assessment and decided not deliver the food. As zero hours workers, this places the


in their recent demonstration,when they told blatant lies about the already approved Mosque planning application.When I told themtherewas no point objecting as it had already been approved, and in any case therewas no dome intended and itwas not a newbuilding, and in factwas slightly smaller in capacity than the existing collection of buildings, I received a torrent of abuse and a suggestion that Iwantedmy female relatives to be treated inways too unsavoury tomention in a public forum. These people hide under a façade of


patriotismwhilst spewing out hatred of not justMuslims, but also Jews in a barrage of anti-Semitismand holocaust denial. I amslightly surprised that your coverage


FOR many of us, the biggest nightmare whenwe go anywhere is parking. It's noticeable that increasingly this is


describedMs Grant’s comments as extraordinary – I think they reflect the anger any decent personwould feel at Nazis trying to pretend they are British patriots, and trying to use the flimsy excuse of objecting to an already determined planning application to peddle vicious falsehoods. Cllr Clive English,Maidstone Borough Council


being handed over by councils, hospitals and business to private parking companies, so they can personally absolve themselves of any blame for the high charges, ridiculous fines and bad service provided. What a sad society wherewe're no longer treated as people, just milch cows to be taken for all they can make out of us to provide lo�ery win salaries, bonuses and pensions for those with a greater sense of entitlement. To be punished for pe�yoffences, lapses of memory and the usual things that go


delivery staff in a difficult position and they feel unable to refuse to make such heavy deliveries for the fear of losing future work. I am furious to hear that a big company


treats its lowest paid workers so poorly and does not fulfil its obligations under the Health&Safety Act 1974. Lucy Taylor, via email


Stand up to parking charges


wrong in life – criminals get be�er justice. Don't get angry, get even. Either go into


town by other means, such as park and ride, or go to a people-friendly place like Bluewater, where parking is free. For everybody else, put your heads out of


your cars windows and go “Baaa, it's fleecing time again!” Phil Granger,West Malling


Are footpaths nowat risk?


Did Childline help you?


I WILL never forget the nightwe launched Childline in October 1986. The phone lineswere running red hot


IWAS out walking through the King’sWood at Broomfield the other day, just after reading that the wooded land around Leeds Castle is now up for sale. I sincerely hope that we


with the impact of 50,000 a�empted calls. From then I knew children desperately needed an outlet and a safe space to talk about their problems. I still remember some of the calls I took


Rights before arms deals


walkers won’t suddenly find the pathways that we have used for years are suddenly in private hands and are no longer available to us. N Johnston, via email


CONSERVATIVEministers and civil servants are facilitating the sale ofweapons to 56 countries, includingmanywith a record of using themto commit appalling human rights abuses – SaudiArabia, Turkey, Bahrain andmore.However,while the British Government has been busy promoting the global arms trade,MEPs have voted in favour of Green resolution, demanding EU countries take responsibility for the dreadful consequences of these deals. The UK ismorally and legally obliged to


ensure that theweapons they sell are not used to commit atrocities across theworld. We need to knowwhere the armswe sell are going,who is using them, andwhy. If countries fail to uphold international


humanitarian law,we should stop providing themwithmilitary equipment. If countries, including our own, don’t


complywith this rule, theymust face real consequences. It’s time for TheresaMay and the Tory


that first night; children in tears describing suffering they had never been able to talk about to anyone else. We are now part of the NSPCC, a much-


loved charity with the strength and security to enable Childline to launch an online counselling service and a new phone app, For Me. The old red phone boxes have been replaced by mobile phones andwe are hearing about issues that didn’t exist in 1986, most obviously those emanating from excessive use of the internet, mental health and concerns about body image. But the central premise of Childline remains the same – children and teenagers being able to turn to us for free and confidential advice and support, available 24/7, 365 days a year. The fact that 50,742 children and young people contacted Childline’s London base in 2016/17 is testament to the need for the service. Childline is also promoted to primary


Government to recognise this direction of travel and shut down the Defence and Security Equipment International festival of violence for good. The event sends a clearmessage to the


EU and the rest of theworld that the UK is prioritising lucrative arms deals over defending human rights. For as long as this is allowed to continue,


innocent peoplewill paywith their lives. Keith Taylor, Green PartyMEP for the South East European Parliament


make a difference to your life? Didwe support, comfort and protect you, aswe hoped? Telling us about your experience will


enable us to reach many other young people who need of our support and advice. Please contact me on: Esther.Ran�en@nspcc.org.uk Dame Esther Rantzen, Childline


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school children in Kent as a place they can turn to via the NSPCC’s Speak Out Stay Safe service. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 about abuse, how to recognise the signs and how to protect themselves. But now I need your help. When Childline counsellors talk to young people they rarely hear the end of the story.We need to know how the service helped you. Did speaking to a Childline counsellor


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