Friday, 26 Apr 2024

'Bring back the old proper pub crisps – I'm fed up of expensive artisan rubbish'

Costly ‘posh’ snacks have got a reader feeling so salty that they’re calling for the return of bog-standard packets of crisps in pubs.

Readers are also rallying against pro-Brexiteers, by claiming that the debate will not stop until they state the tangible benefits of leaving the European Union.

Meanwhile, a pedestrian says cyclists on pavements pose a greater danger than cars, and motorists complain that public transport is not reliable everywhere.

Read on to see what else is on people’s minds…

■ Why can’t I have a decent packet of crisps with my pint of ale in the pub? You pay £2 or more for a maximum of about eight crisps, called something like ‘sea salt and cider vinegar’. They taste disgusting.

What happened to Walkers crisps, Golden Wonder and Smith’s? Why do we have to pay for these overpriced, ‘artisan’, awful crisps with our pint? Every pub does it. Come on, people, we want proper actual crisps, please. WH South, Gloucestershire

■ Having seen the letters from readers supporting Brexit, I wish that one could explain what we have actually gained by the UK no longer being part of the European Union. It’s the one question that no one seems able to answer.

I don’t want the usual waffle about blue passports, sovereignty and controlling our borders. I want to know if there are any actual, concrete benefits, because for the life of me I can’t see any. JH, Wolverhampton

■ I am sick of hearing those who voted Leave – on the back of misinformation and half-truths – complain about us Remainers still moaning about the decision. It seems a never-ending circle. I’m sure that if the vote had gone the Remainers’ way, the Leave contingent would still be moaning.

But it would be so simple to stop the arguments. Would all those who voted Leave please point to something – anything at all – that is demonstrably better for having left the EU. No, you can’t, can you? And so the argument will rumble on. Jean, Huddersfield

■ I’d like to congratulate Vicki from Solihull (MetroTalk, Wed) for leaving the most laughable comment I’ve seen on Brexit. She appears solely happy because we are no longer ‘dictated to by Brussels’.

Shame she has shown herself as another Brexiteer who fell for the lies that Leave promised, such as how much of the EU red tape they wanted to get rid of was actually our own laws and regulations.

Much like how those championing Brexit continue to struggle to list a single benefit we’ve had from it, they also struggle to find any EU rules that actually made things worse for us. So far, the only benefit of Brexit I’ve seen is the amount of gullible fools showing themselves up as such. Matthew, Birmingham

■ Andrew McLuskey (MetroTalk, Tue) says Sir Keir Starmer would be ‘well advised’ to support rejoining the single market and customs union. He should be asking why Starmer has come out against rejoining the EU in any form.

It is because he knows the costs involved and probable sacrifices the UK would have to make are so prohibitive, it is not a viable option he can sell to the wider electorate. HG, Maidstone

Cyclists are far more of a danger to pedestrians like me than motorists

■ How is it that when pedestrians complain about cyclists breaking the law, cyclists always bring motorists into the argument? Two wrongs do not make a right. Yes, there are bad, inconsiderate motorists, but they mainly do stop at red lights and zebra crossings and never travel on pavements.

As a pedestrian, motorists cause me little danger compared with cyclists. At least vehicle users are accountable, as opposed to cyclists. Their vehicles are licensed, taxed, insured and have MOT certificates. Paul, London

■ Ash (MetroTalk, Tue) appears to be saying that because cyclists have to put up with ‘lunatic’ motorists, that gives them the right to cycle on the pavement. Nick, London

■ Vehicle drivers must renew their photocard licence every ten years by law. Why not renew driving skills too? If everyone had a test now, I bet the majority would fail. If driving tests were held every five or ten years, it would help drivers to refresh their skills. I’m not saying it would make roads safer, but drivers would need to learn to respect each other. Sam, by email

Could e-scooters actually prove to be the solution to all our traffic issues?

■ Charles EL Gilman in Mitcham (MetroTalk, Tue) suggests we need more public transport in the UK to get to net zero, reduce traffic and road space usage, and save energy.

This is probably only part of the solution. We also need to encourage more cycling and walking and assess how new technologies such as e-scooters and e-mopeds, which might mitigate some of the problems mentioned, could be safely and legally used alongside other transport means.

Perhaps this could happen by allowing them on cycle lanes, as they travel at comparable speeds to cycles. Vaskor Basak, North Cheam Sutton Community Environment Champion

■ I agree to a point with Charles’s message about how we should be using public transport more but he lives in a densely populated area. Has he tried public transport out of Greater London? Bus services, from a town centre, don’t run much past 8pm – one or two an hour, if you’re lucky. Lizzy, Aylesbury

■ Charles has reimagined motor history by saying that cars were ‘invented for the wilds of North America and Australasia’. The first petrol-driven car – a ‘horseless carriage’ – is considered to be the three-wheeler that was invented in Germany. Tom, Lewisham

And another thing…

■ Neither of the AI faces of the supposedly ideal British man and woman (MetroTalk, Wed) is beautiful. They are a plastic void. Where are the signs of a lived life? Blank eyes, no joy or sorrow, no smile lines. Ann, Kingston

■ I didn’t like the AI faces. I still prefer Elon Musk (sigh). Margaret, Archway

■ I took one of Henry VIII’s wives to the cinema the other day, Anne Bole-yn. Tom R, Sidcup

What you said…

On Wednesday we asked if AI-generated beauty ideals are harmful.

You said:

  • Yes – it’s bad enough already comparing oneself to real people (69%)
  • No – it’s just a picture, it’s not that deep (31%)

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