I WAS interested to read of the responses to Mark Drakeford’s initiative relating to statues and streets named after slave owners.

Many suggested that as slavery is now illegal and happened in the past, it is of little concern, even though we tax payers only finished paying off the loan for reparations to slavers in 2015.

The notion that taking down statues is an attempt to change history does not hold water. More people learnt about Colston in a few days than ever did in the decades since he paid for and stipulated that his statue be erected.

There are no statues of Hitler in public places in Germany and they cannot be accused of denying their history.

So, does Kath Sinden feel we have nothing left to learn and have reached the pinnacle of respect and consideration for others’ feelings when she refers to political correctness nonsense?

Language is a powerful thing and progressive societies continually re-examine their attitudes and expressions.

There were terms used for people with disabilities in the past that we would never dream of using today. This should also be the case for other minorities.

Growing up in the West Midlands in the 60s, our local Conservative Party election slogan one year was one that would be considered totally unacceptable today.

Sadly, despite that, there still exist the same negative attitudes to BAME people as did then, richly evidenced by numerous government reports and enquiries.

I would like to suggest therefore that if, as Marianne Lewis argues, we should get Wales back on its feet, this would best be achieved in a society that values all citizens as individuals with a contribution to make and respects our richly diverse heritage and achievements. We will all be winners then.

R Child

Knighton