Metro Letters, February 17: “Let’s start a petition for regular bar chips”

The suggestion that pubs should return to selling regular packets of crisps has proved so popular that some of our readers are calling for a petition.

Elsewhere, in response to calls for Brexiteers to explain the benefits of leaving the EU, one reader says the end of free movement has benefited the working class.

A London staffer also laments Scotland’s loss of Nicola Sturgeon as FM, while a Scot claims she only resigned as leader of the SNP to “evade accountability”.

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

■ I can only agree with WH South in Gloucestershire (MetroTalk, Thurs) when he says chips in pubs are artisanal and overpriced. Some of these taste like something you would find in a chemistry class at school. It’s time to put Ringos, Chipsticks and Frazzles back on the menu. December, Essex

■ Bring back the good old ready-salted and cheese and onion—they’re classics of the fried potato world. Anyone seriously want to eat a pack of lobster and chutney, or what poncy flavor they sell these days? Joe, Tooting

■ I hear WH South’s pain at unnecessarily fancy pub chips – and I don’t want to brag, but here in my corner of south-east London my two locals sell the undisputed king of pub chips (or ‘English tapas’, if you prefer) and that are Ireland’s finest Tayto chips.

So salute to The Blythe Hill Tavern and The Perry Hill. Because a good pub is about getting the little things right. Applause! Paul,London

■ All you seem to get in bars are disgustingly oily so-called fancy chips. Our old favorites are not available. I used to enjoy a nice pack of Brannigans Smoked Ham and Pickles. Let’s start a petition to put old-fashioned chips back on the menu. Fred, Hampshire

■ I sympathize with WH South on the lack of Walkers, Golden Wonder and Smith’s chips in pubs. It’s time to bring her back. It would also be nice to see the return of the peanuts – the Big D pinned to cardboard posters behind the bar. Ham rolls and cookies with Peek Freans cheese would also taste good. Martin Lawrence, South Croydon

■ I agree with John Widdowson from Leicester (MetroTalk, Mi) who says he can’t have a drink quietly in a pub because of being disturbed by loud, horrible music and phone calls. However, he forgot to mention celebrations. It always seems to be someone’s birthday in pubs these days. Jan, via email

■ A pub is the place where people socialize. If you want peace and quiet, go to a library or church. Caroline, via email

“Brexit benefits exist, but only the working class can feel them”

■ I can tell those on MetroTalk who ask what the benefits of Brexit are. They wouldn’t have noticed because they were fine beforehand, thanks. For those of us who are commonly known as working class, we’ve seen the benefits. We now have more chances of a better standard of living.

With 330,000 EU citizens returning home, we now have more chances to get a job or rent or buy our own property. The only Britons to benefit from open-door mass immigration are the wealthy – business owners, home builders, landlords. They love it because it allows them to keep wages low and rents and house prices high due to competition.

Wages have risen because of Brexit alone. Employers don’t like it because they want profit. The middle class doesn’t see the benefits – they just fret that there aren’t enough staff to clean their homes.

Anyone who wants EU immigration with open doors reduces the opportunities for our own young people to get jobs and training and consequently better paying jobs.

All those who deny the benefits to the British people are those who benefit from exploitative wages, increased competition for housing etc. – ie those who are already wealthy. I bet you won’t print this. Barbara, Glostershire

“Nicola Sturgeon had enough left in the tank”

■ Nicola Sturgeon resigns as Scotland’s First Minister, saying she can no longer ‘give absolutely everything’ for ‘the best job in the world’ (Metro, Thu). She is a very strong and resilient politician – I think she had enough left in the tank to lead the SNP through the next general election and possibly get a very good result. Politics is a dirty game. I’m upset that she quit. I really thought she was going to get a second referendum for Scottish independence. Christine, London

■ Here we are again – another politician evading responsibility for his disastrous actions in power. Wee Haggis, Edinburgh

“We have no road left when it comes to retesting drivers”

■ I would like to reply to Sam (MetroTalk, Thu) who suggests that drivers should be retested every five or ten years. I’ve read a handful of similarly weird suggestions. My answer is a big “no”. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is overwhelmed and still struggling to clear the lockdown backlog. It takes an average of four to five months to get a test place. Therefore, any call to add existing drivers to the long queue must be rejected. Darren Miller, London

■ Paul (MetroTalk, Thu) says cyclists are a greater hazard to pedestrians than drivers. He overlooks the thousands of pedestrians killed and injured by vehicles and the thousands of deaths attributed to vehicle emissions. Simon W, Yorks

And also…

■ I can relate to Neil, the M&S manager (MetroTalk, MI), who says shoppers should stop and think two seconds before abusing retail workers for something that isn’t their fault.

I was once confronted with an angry man who said I had no right to refuse his wife a refund. After he had let off steam, it gave me great pleasure to tell him he was in the wrong business. Pam, Derbyshire

■ John (MetroTalk, Wed) saw a man jump into a subway car as the doors were closing and grab the phone from a woman’s hands before running away. Its warning gives you a timely reminder to put your phone away occasionally and to be aware of your surroundings and the risks involved. Mark, Halifax

■ Why can’t dog owners let their pets romp in their own yard before letting their pet outside for a walk? Tyler McBride, Coventry

■ Saw the strangest thing the other morning. A guy walking his cat. On a leash. Terri,London

■ If you didn’t get my joke about taking Henry VIII’s wife “Anne Bole-yn” (MetroTalk, Thurs) to the movies, then it’s all Tudor timing. Tom R, Sidcup

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