There is no current justification for the ongoing archaic hunting with dogs of our native hares and foxes as both species continue to decline inexorably. There are 179 fox hunts and 89 hare hunts (foot or horseback) in England and Wales. Between 1995 and 2015 the rural fox population declined nationally by 34 per cent as the remaining foxes tended to move into urban areas, largely due to the 59 per cent countrywide decrease in wild rabbits, their staple diet, over the same period.

Although the decline in the brown hare population has slowed since the drastic peak fall in their numbers of over 80 per cent from 1880 onwards, their population has decreased by a further 5 per cent since 1995. In 2011 a zoology report listed them as one of our British species most at risk of extinction by 2050. The latest variant of killer rabbit viral disease, RVHD-2, is now known to also put hares at risk. This is in addition to coccidiosis, yersiniosis and European brown hare syndrome, all existing hare survival threats, even without the addition of human harassment.

John Rimington, technical liaison officer at the Hare Preservation Trust

Address supplied

Nicola Sturgeon's resolutions

If Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is still pondering her New Year resolutions here are three that would make a lot of people happy.

First, she could promise to never again say she "will not take lectures from" any of her opponents asking a question that she does not want to answer, and try giving a proper answer instead. Second, she could stop blaming Labour, the Tories or Westminster for all the things that are still not going right despite the Scottish National Party having been in government for a decade.

And finally, she could give us all a break and promise that for 2017, just for one year which is nowhere near a generation, she will set aside trying to break up the UK and focus on the real job of government.

Keith Howell

West Linton

We need to stop criticising our opponents to the point of ridiculous

Both sides of the political fence seem unable to hear one another. We are constantly pointing out the "shortcomings" of our opponents.

Here's a quote from a former president which could help ring-in the new year and make us all less critical.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." – Theodore Roosevelt, 23 April 1910

Dale Lowdermilk

Santa Barbara, California

Prince Charles discussing Islam is not news

Many Christians read the Quran daily after their Bible reading. My father did, I do, I have friends around the world who do. Ministers read the Quran during their training. So although it is nice Prince Charles making references to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad it is hardly big news.

Even those who thank God that they are atheists are often well versed on both the Bible and Quran!

Paul Minter

Bexhill

There is no mandate to leave the EU

The population of the United Kingdom is approaching 65 million. At the time of the EU Referendum 46.5 million people were entitled to vote. Therefore the half way mark is 23.25 million. Only 17.4 million cast a vote to leave, far off that number.

Therefore 29.1 million people did NOT vote, Leave. 13 million decided, to carry on with our membership, and 16.1m, did bother to actually vote Remain.

The Leave result was NOT won.

The Prime Minster does not have the mandate to take us out of the EU.