Why is it so hard to get a proper women’s self-defence course in the UK?
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Monday morning, on my way to work, I saw your front page and immediately read about your campaign, This Is Not Right, highlighting the shocking extent of violence carried out against women and girls, whether at home or otherwise.
It made me happy to know that finally people are willing to help us women who suffered or are still suffering abuse. Some have been killed. I am lucky to be here now writing this email to you but many are not. EL, via email
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Congratulations to you for your fantastic campaign fighting violence against women.
Can I point out one strange anomaly? It is very hard to get a proper women’s self-defence course in the UK.
If you go online, you’ll see that the courses being offered are almost all from small, private ‘fighting schools’. As far as I’m aware, none of the big NGOs or charities working against gender violence are involved.
I understand that they want to encourage de-escalation and create a world where there is no need for self-defence courses. But this still seems odd to me. However, I am not an expert, so perhaps there’s a good reason for this.
I make films teaching CPR. I’ve never heard anyone say, ‘You shouldn’t teach CPR because it makes people less likely to lead a healthy lifestyle.’ Of course, you should learn CPR as well as trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Similarly, there must be a reduction in discrimination and misogyny as well asmuch better availability of self-defence courses for women.
Your shocking statistics unfortunately demonstrate that self-defence skills do still need to be taught. Martin, via email
Thank you for shining a light on domestic abuse – the figures are truly shocking! It’s time to step up and put an end to it. Well done for spearheading this campaign. I stand with you. Neil Dance, Birmingham
Who destroyed NHS dentistry?
Not the conservatives…
I am a dentist of approximately 40
years standing and I am still working in the profession.
George (MetroTalk, Mon) blames the fact that he is unable to get his broken denture repaired or replaced, on a succession of Conservative prime ministers, namely Cameron, Johnson, Truss and Sunak.
George’s misguided assumption that the fault lies with the Conservatives is wrong. It does not. George’s inability to get the NHS dental care he desires is solely the fault of Labour Party, in particular under Tony Blair’s leadership.
He effectively destroyed NHS dentistry when he introduced the current contract under which NHS dental services are provided, in 2006. David Rowland, via email
Mortgages then and now
They’re still more expensive
T from Glasgow (MetroTalk, Mon) says millennials shouldn’t complain about house prices because while they were cheaper in their parents’ day, wages were also lower.
T’s point is that those factors cancel each other out – but they don’t.
In the 1970s, the average home cost four times the average annual income but today the average home costs 8.8 times the average annual income. This makes mortgages more expensive.
T should count themselves lucky they aren’t trying to buy a home today – most millennials can’t get on the property ladder at all. Richard Wood, Willesden Green
Fly-tipping, self-service and existing
‘It starts with one bag…’
With regard to the grandmother fined for fly-tipping after leaving a bag beside a full British Heart Foundation collection bank in Dartford (Metro, Tue).
I agree with the council, I’m afraid. It starts with one bag and before you know it there’s a stack of them, open to the elements. You see the same outside charity shops. And I have seen people open and rummage through the bags leaving more of a mess. Paul Wilcox, Ottershaw
‘Self service queues aren’t for full trolleys’
I liked Carlos’s story about an irate queue forming at the self-service tills because a ‘little old lady’ kept calling an assistant because she was confused (MetroTalk, Mon). He say it’s not always the ‘unexpected item in the bagging area’ that slows things down but sometimes the ‘inexperienced person in the scanning area’.
What annoys me is when people block the area with a full trolley. These areas should only be for basket shoppers – they’re designed for quick service and to avoid the queue at the staffed tills. Robert James, St Albans
‘legally not existing’
Re Caitlin Walton ‘legally not existing’ because of not having a birth certificate (Metro Tue). I bet she’d exist if the government wanted to tax her. Richard, via email