It was good to see a report in this newspaper on our MP Matt Bishop in Cinderford talking to parents of SEND children to learn about their problems. I wonder if MP Nigel Farage has been to his constituency to listen to his voters – or even to visit Parliament to represent them? Not recently, as he is in the USA speaking to the House of Congress about how our ‘freedom of speech’ in Britain is being reduced.

You can watch Mr Farage’s speech on the BBC website. But the BBC only shows a tiny part of the dressing down of Mr Farage by Congressman Raskin. To see how Jamie Raskin demolishes Mr Farage you have to go to You Tube. At the end of the session, Mr Farage said he didn’t have time to answer any questions; and he left.

Congressman Raskin described him as a ‘Putin-lover, free-speech imposter, Trump sycophant’. He quoted Mr Farage as saying, on one of his 17 appearances on Russian TV, that Vladimir Putin was the one world leader he most admires. Congressman Ruskin went on to rubbish Mr Farage’s statement that “no free speech exists in the UK”. For instance, Parliament’s intention to enact an on-line safety bill to ban on-line child pornography and protect children from on-line abuse was cited by Mr Farage as a restriction on free speech and a limitation on Big Tech companies. Congressman Ruskin went on say that Mr Farage should be back in London taking part in that debate rather than being in the USA mouthing untruths to Congress.

But the greater point is why did the BBC’s website cut Congressman Raskin’s powerful speech to a bare minimum while broadcasting Mr Farage’s speech in full? Is the BBC fearful of being said to be critical? Free speech is not free speech if it is not heard. Do we have to go the USA to hear what one of our MPs is saying about us?

Michael Heylings, Mitcheldean

All five Forest of Dean, Reform councillors attended the annual Reform UK Conference held at the NEC over September 5 and 6, namely Piers Camp, Drybrook and Lydbrook, Ray Donaghue, Cinderford, Leigh Challis, Coleford, Stuart Graham, Mitcheldean and Mark Howard, Lydney and Aylburton.

The event saw major party figures, Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Dr David Bull take to the stage and deliver speeches that were both informative and interesting and all councillors had the opportunity to meet and speak with senior figures from Reform who set out the strategy and future plans for the party.

Members were also treated to guest speakers who spoke about the farming community, the Israeli hostage situation and many other topics.

They were told that Reform UK are a party on the rise, both in support and membership as shown in the membership ticker and many polls which shows the party as building a commanding lead over other parties.

It was a very informative, interesting and inspirational weekend and you could feel the energy among the members.

We, as a group and also as a party, are committed to listening to and delivering for all of our communities whilst protecting the unique identity and heritage of the Forest in which we all live and cherish.

When Nigel Farage presents himself as the “knight in shining armour”, underneath all that panache he is like the rest of them, self-centred and greedy.

His links to RDonald should worry us all as the great redeemer of the free world, puts all our lives and the planet in jeopardy of conflict and destruction

“I will end the war in Ukraine on my first day in office and will stop the genocide in Gaza”. Just a load of bluster.

RNigel, I will stop the boats coming across the channel, same sort of rhetoric, but with just five seats in the Commons and you need 326 to get a majority I am afraid RNigel has a long way to go and it would be an unprecedent swing for Reform to turn the country around to give him the 321 he will need to form a government.

In opposition and with a small number of seats it is right for a politician to say anything they want.

As we are discovering lying is endemic in the world of politics, Say what you like and defend the lie with “I was misunderstood when I said that” being another way out of trouble.

Again, when anything goes wrong it is the members office that has missed reading his email to make sure his registered of interests are upto date.

Sorry RNigel this excuse is now running a bit out of steam and people are starting to see you as one of the gang in the Commons who believes that they can get away with anything.

I have said it before what politicians are missing is that with social media and an educated population, people now see through what is going on.

Reform, what Reform , nothing changes.

Again I say. Parliamentary democray is not working for the majority of people in this country and we need a complete change. Not Reform!