SOMETIMES mistrust surfaces in different places. People deceive. They want us to believe something that is not just attractive or fanciful, but it is actually a lie.

Politics has always attracted the visionaries. Some of them are genuine in their efforts. But there are the schemers and manipulators. Power can be toxic.

There’s one sure way to influence a sea of uncertainty and that is to turn the tide in waves of delusion. There is a climate of hate and division and that actually suits some people. This is the scenario we have today, where difference and being different is seized upon in violent execution.

I hear comments like "we need to look after our own", but what does that mean?

We have people living in this country who have rights of citizenship. They do contribute to society and pay taxes and have become essential to the economy.

We have an undercurrent of dissatisfaction that is in danger of becoming the pawn for parties of the extreme right. What President Trump did in the name of "fake news", Nigel Farage is aiming at the disenchanted and creating a party of nationalism. He is someone who hates Europe but seems quite happy to take his seat in Strasbourg and presumably is seeking re-election.

It is the double standards of the political elite that will determine how the electorate respond, but the overriding concern is the toxic atmosphere will dominate and the truth will be ignored.

Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe