IN Alison Rowat’s eloquent piece on the Manchester bombing (“We pick up, endure and go on, for what else can we do?”, The Herald, May 24,) in her first paragraph she says that words sound trite, insulting, inadequate and stupid. I was so glad that near the end of her piece she says “mere words again, but they are all we have, and they come from a place that is right and good and decent”.

I still have the cards and letters I received in 1996 when my daughter was a suicide. When the world of my late husband and I fell apart, toppled over, ground to a halt, it was the lady who stopped me in the road and gave me a hug, saying “so sorry”. It was the man in the car park who touched my arm and said “I am thinking of you”. It was the man in the Co-op who found me staring blankly at the vegetables who said “I am sharing your pain”, these people and many more, with their words, added balm to a wounded soul.

Words are not ineffectual, they are potent things and said with love they are powerful to help. Twenty-one years later those people who kindly spoke words of comfort are still in my heart. The little letters and cards are often read again and I still thank the lovely people who thought of us and communicated their sorrow.

My sorrow is for the people who have lost children and relatives in the Manchester devastation. May others speak words of comfort to them; words are indeed balm to the soul.

Thelma Edwards,

Old Comrades Hall,

Hume,

Kelso.

FOLLOWING the terrible atrocity at the Manchester Arena let us not be critical of how others choose to mark this dreadful event or handle their grief.

Many people feel a strong desire to band together with like-minded others in shows of unity and solidarity against terrorism.

Yet others cannot comprehend such actions, as many are overcome by fear and anger, and some are experiencing sadness too deep to contemplate anything but silent sorrow.

The last thing we in Great Britain need right now is divisions being created amongst our people, caused by heartless criticism of others for how they process such an abhorrent act as occurred.

At times of such adversity, it is vital that we recognise we are all different, and respect other's feelings, while still remaining united.

Judi Martin,

Alma, Maryculter, Aberdeenshire.

AFTER the appalling murders in Manchester, we have had the usual political overreaction of calling in troops in combat gear to march in the streets in London for the cameras (“Troops to guard 12 Scots sites as security reviewed”, The Herald, May 25).

This is the usual political knee-jerk political reaction of locking the door after the horse has bolted, in an attempt to impress us with the “assurance” that the UK Government is doing everything possible for public safety, but I am less than impressed.

What we are leaning from the media is that the bomber Abedi, was well known to the UK security services, his conduct, including his support for public bombing was reported by one of his own relatives, and his links to terrorists in Libya was known. Indeed his father and brother were in Tripoli yesterday where they were arrested. This suggests that the UK secret services were aware of these people and were allowing them to travel in and out of the UK to Libya. Why?

I don’t want to know what ordinary British soldiers will be doing in London tomorrow to stop terrorist murders, I want to know what MI5 and MI6 have been doing in the last six years which allowed this dangerous suspect and his connections the freedom they had to travel in and out of the UK and acquire bombing material. Why did they fail us in this case? Can we be assured that this weakness will be corrected?

Andy Anderson,

17 Broomfield Drive, Dunoon.

STEPHEN Morrissey – the grand patriarch of Generation Snowflake's parents – has been criticised for saying "Politicians tell us they are unafraid, but they are never the victims. How easy to be unafraid when one is protected from the line of fire. The people have no such protections."

Leaving the frankly insulting reflex Jo Cox "whataboutery" aside, that same day our Prime Minister ordered the British Army to guard not shopping centres, railway stations or other mass-footfall public sites, but Buckingham Palace and Downing Street.

Insensitive and blunt as Morrissey may be, have we the courage to even ask any more: is he really that wrong?

Mark Boyle,

15 Linn Park Gardens, Johnstone.

THE attack on the concert in Manchester was atrocious, evil and despicable, and of course people throughout the country, and the wider world, are angry and dismayed that someone could target innocent children in this way.

But I do wonder if the extensive and extended coverage by all sections of the media are grist to the mill for those behind this disgraceful event, and may serve to encourage them to plan more equally horrific attacks when they see the publicity they attract.

By all means tell us and show us what has taken place, and keep us informed of progress in apprehending those who are planning more evil. But perhaps it's time to cool things down a bit.

Or am I being insensitive?

Gordon Berry

29 Barnford Crescent, Ayr.