Articles of interest in the local press.

I've shared Paul Dowling's really comprehensive letter on FB ( Chronicle Feb 15) & meant to post it here. Paul's just joined our media group. Please keep writing to the Chronicle or national press.

Yes excellent letter from Paul. Would be good if we could have a steady flow of letters. As the Devon for Europe leaflet about what we can do said, connecting a letter to a local issue would be good. Responding to someone else's letter also is a way - eg the leaver letter next to Paul's contains plenty to respond to including the ridiculous notion that the EU is a 'protectionist racket'. But it seems we need to write quickly (within a week or so of whatever we are responding to) - the last letter I sent wasn't published, I guess it was because I sent it in a little late (ie 2-3 weeks late).

Also great letter Jane in last week's Chron about the voting system. Fully agree with you on it - and I say that as a Labour supporter.

Ian, might be worth asking the volunteer group if they can identify any individuals who put 'letter-writing' or similar down - you could then follow up with them to see if they would be keen to write a letter. Seems a bit long-winded I know, but would suspect a personal approach would be effective.

Thanks Claire, yes good idea. Does anyone in the volunteer group have the info?
It's worth trying though similar attempts haven't borne very much fruit. Letter writing is not that easy (for many of us anyway), people tend to do it when they have time and feel inspired, so it's not that easy to encourage people.

i had a letter on Brexit and the NHS published in this week's Chron but I don't think its in the on line version - not sure why that would be?

Very few letters are published online - for whatever reason. There's no separate 'letters' section and they're treated as a news item.

Hi Alison, great blog on our website and Chron letter on the NHS. Over the last year or so several of us have had letters on EU/brexit published in the Chronicle, but as far as I know none have appeared online (and none of the leavers' letters either). I don't know why, but in total they only put 1-2 letters per week on their website - often about some high profile local issue. It's normally the opposite for national newspapers - they put far more online than in their print edition.

Just a thought, but perhaps many local newspapers have a policy of not putting letters online to shield letter writers from nasty/abusive online comments. Then again they can put letters online without opening them up for comments.

I think they're overstretched. They don't have enough people to do all the online stuff - staff cuts?

A few great letters in last and this weeks' Chronicle. Simon's was nice, short and 'crisp' - picture of it below. Also last week an excellent one (not by one of us as far as I know) against Rees Mogg and his nasty anti foreign aid agenda. A leaver (Roger White) replied to Simon's this week, but interestingly there was another letter this week (Cllr Ray Love) against Rees Mogg and his extreme brexit agenda which went some way to countering White's letter. If anyone has time and inclination there's plenty to write to the Chronicle about.