‘Why is alcohol allowed where crucial decisions are made?’

Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.

Mick Lynch: champion for workers or controversial figure?

‘Mick Lynch is a decent, honest, principled person’
Samantha (MetroTalk, Wed) says that soon-to-be retired RMT union leader Mick Lynch is ‘one of the most dishonest, vile people in the country’.

These surely cannot be the thoughts of a sane, rational person.

Mick Lynch is a decent, honest, principled person who has stood up for his members in the face of a Labour Party that largely failed to show support for striking workers and a Tory Party intent to disrupt negotiations at every opportunity.

He will certainly be missed and
I hope he continues to make his voice heard. Niall-Blum Stevenson, Linlithgow

Does Elon Musk have more influence on policy than survivors?

‘The government ignored survivors for years until Elon Musk stepped in’
Abuse survivors spent years fighting for a deeper enquiry into the grooming gangs and no one cared.

Then one overseas billionaire, Elon Musk, agitates for it and all of a sudden it’s happening.

This perfectly sums up the state of government in this country.

Different perspectives give a broader understanding of our world, which is essential for making the right decisions.

But any perspective outside the Whitehall bubble – the rich, the powerful and the media – gets ignored. Until we have a system that gives everyone a voice, we will never have good leadership. Rob Slater, Norfolk

Tony Blair’s not solely to blame for playing field sales…

‘Blair’s government sold 246 fields; the tories sold 279’
I know many view Tony Blair as the anti-Christ but Madeline Bates (MetroTalk, Fri) is wide of the mark when she blames him for selling off school playing fields.

Government figures show that between 2001 and 2010, there were 246 approved applications for playing field land disposal and 279 between 2010-2023. Martin, London

Should businesses that accept cash be held accountable?

‘Cash-only businesses hide from HMRC – how much is this costing public services’
JW (MetroTalk, Fri) says they have ‘stopped using supermarkets that discriminate against cash payers at self-checkouts’.

Have they considered the range of high street businesses that only take cash? Many barbers, nail bars and others refuse electronic payments, presumably to hide their turnover from HMRC. Does JW think that is acceptable? Imagine the cost of that fraud and the services it might impact. Imagine the extra police or medical staff.

I have paid electronically for six years and use cash about twice a year, usually to give the homeless a helping hand. Henry, Greenwich