State indifference | Mistletoe warning | Life after a Honda Jazz | Happy medium | Age-old question At last, an article that has broken the silence on the inhumane treatment of the Palestine Action hunger strikers on remand, held in our free, democratic and fair country ( Editorial, 19 December ). To risk dying for your principles is admirable, but to do so in a media blackout alongside political indifference is abhorrent and scary. I cannot help but be ashamed of my country’s response to the horrendous situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and I applaud the Filton 24 activists for raising awareness of Britain’s role in arms trading. Jane Kremer Lisburn, County Antrim • I read your Country Diary on mistletoe ( 20 December ) with interest and learned some things I did not know. However, nowhere does it mention that mistletoe is poisonous to humans, even though the article mentions squashing the berries and spreading them around to propagate them. Cornelia Allan Hatfield, Hertfordshire Continue reading...