david Kendall, st Helens

I dont want to jump to conclusions but seeing as this is the mail I think we can safely assume that these are the same folks who spent their entire holiday in front of the TV last year watching news stories about Madeline McCann…

Happy, Dr Shade? Pass the Ginsters.

I don’t know what I’d have done on that beach. When you’re suddenly confronted with a dead body, you tend to feel a bit stupid and pointless. There’s not really much you can do. Maybe everyone should have left. I don’t know. I just don’t think that a few photos tell us much about Italian attitudes toward Roma people. It seems to me that this is another Chinese cockle picker story. It is good copy because it gives so many opportunities for racism, indignation, self-righteousness, titillation. It’s almost the Daily Mail’s dream story.

That said, there is a real story here, which is the appalling treatment of the Roma people. I suspect that most of us are aware of the nasty facts. The Roma, 60 odd years after the Holocaust, are still the poorest racial group in Europe, the least literate, the most likely to experience racial discrimination, the most likely to experience legal discrimination (see Italian fingerprinting of children and the continuing British planning war against travelling people).

It doesn’t change anything for me to say it here, but the real horror is not foolish people doing something crass on a beach.

Right now I’m inclined to go and stab him in the face for being a canute.

Obviously I would check it was the right bloke first.

And probably would bottle it, shout “WELL THATS YOUR OPINION!” in his face, then scarper.

And there’s a number of pics of the girls dead on the beach with a fair number of unconcerned sunbathers. There’s also rumours going around that they were chased into the sea - fully dressed as they were - and that the Italians sat there and watched, or didn’t intervene.

I’d like to think, Gippo, Pikey, whatever, 99% of people would do something. I know I’m going to be sorely disappointed though.

I don’t know why, but I find the idea of someone going to the Daily Mail website for their current affairs needs worse than someone buying the paper. Maybe because there are so many better options just a click or two away, but they still choose to go there.

When can we expect their arrival at Dover?

Mick B, Essex

You’ve got to hand it to Mick B, by gathering his information through these unconventional channels he’ll get to the new arrivals long before the other sex traffickers.

david Kendall, st Helens

you’ve got to hand to him, 11 and 12 year olds are unlikely to have paid for their own holiday.