Civil servants and ‘muzzling’ Brexit ministers

Professor Martin McKee

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Sir, On the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, my old colleague Iain Duncan Smith claimed that new EU regulations are piling on the City of London. Since I took over as commissioner for financial services in November 2014, I have brought forward only two pieces of new legislation that will affect the City. Both will open up markets. The first aims to kickstart securitisation to support lending, the second to overhaul the prospectus directive to make it easier for companies to raise capital. Both have been warmly welcomed by the City. I am also carrying out a review of existing financial services legislation to make sure that it is working as intended and in as growth-friendly a way as possible. Again this has been warmly welcomed by the City.

Far from piling on regulation, we are in fact slimming down.

Lord Hill of Oareford

European commissioner for financial stability, financial services and capital markets union, Brussels Sir, If the government truly expects it to take ten years to negotiate a new deal with the EU in the event of Brexit, and the referendum is intended to allow either outcome, then why did it not start preparing a year ago?

David Davis MP

House of Commons

Sir, I am at a loss to understand the prime minister’s oft repeated phrase that Brexit is a “leap in the dark”. Does he seriously believe that it is more so than remaining in a union whose concept of financial probity results in 21 consecutive years of failing to have its accounts given a clean bill of health by its auditors; whose economic literacy extends to thinking that a common currency can be effective without a common fiscal policy and whose understanding of good housekeeping is to move its central parliament and administrative entourage 12 times a year between two cities in two different countries for no practical purpose? Having campaigned to stay in the EEC in 1975, I realised many years ago what a leap in the dark that proved to be.

I would suggest that the only real difference between the two leaps into the darkness is who has control of the light switch.

David Hutton

High Wycombe, Bucks

Sir, Rear Admiral Chris Parry’s Thunderer (“Don’t count on the EU to protect us. Nato will do that”, Feb 29) fails to differentiate the aims of the two organisations.

Nato is ultimately a military structure while the EU is designed to preserve peace. That Nato has never been deployed in the EU demonstrates the success of the EU recipe of “peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights” for which the EU was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2012.

Lawrence Brewer

West Midlands European Movement

Sir, “Inners” and “Outers”, the new terms to describe opposing camps in the Brexit debate (Matthew Parris, Opinion, Feb 27), seem uncannily similar to age-old rifle-shooting slang for scores in long-range competitions. On a standard Bisley target, an “Inner” is nearest the centre and of high value. An “Outer”, the lowest score of all and an inevitable match loser, is most often the result of aiming too low or being blown way off target by wind from the right or left.

Bruce Parker

Appleshaw, Hants

VICTIMS OF ABUSE

Sir, It is incredibly difficult and unusual for child victims to come forward, and our research has found they rarely do so for many reasons: they do not know that what is taking place is abuse; are too frightened or ashamed; or do not have the vocabulary to describe what has happened.

The cases of false allegations cited (Matt Ridley, Opinion, Feb 29) all relate to abuse being reported by adults many years after it has taken place, although whoever reports abuse and whenever they do so, the important thing is that it is taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, whatever the status of the perpetrator.

It is also vital that authorities do more to proactively identify child victims — we estimate that only one in eight ever come to their attention. It is clear that in Rotherham abuse went unnoticed or was denied for many years before the victims were taken seriously. Thankfully the allegations of abuse in Rotherham are now being taken seriously. We should not allow this historic inaction to stand in the way of our determination to eradicate abuse elsewhere.

Anne Longfield

Children’s Commissioner for England

FILIBUSTER FACTS

Sir, In your leader (“Just a Minute”, Feb 29) you praise the filibusters of Jacob Rees-Mogg and compare them favourably to those employed by Cato the Younger. However, it was specifically this type of behaviour in the Senate that drove Caesar, Pompey and Crassus together to form the First Triumvirate in 60 BC, which marked the death knell of the Roman Republic. Cato’s unrelenting intransigence exasperated Cicero so much that he complained to Atticus (the recipient of so many of his letters) that Cato was doing great harm to Rome: “For he delivers opinions [in the Senate] as if in The Republic of Plato rather than in the excrement of Romulus (faece Romuli).”

Terry Buckley

Retired head of classics at Roedean School, Seaford, E Sussex

ENO PAY DISPUTE

Sir, The ENO has no “choir” (“Vow of silence: ENO choir won’t sing in dispute over pay”, Feb 27) but it has a chorus. Choirs sing, choruses act, sing and (often now) dance or even juggle.

ENO is rightly proud of its singers of all ranks, but has difficult decisions to make nevertheless.

Michael J Dyer ENO sponsor, London SW8

Sir, Walter Wolff (letter, Feb 29) states that “educating children of very different abilities in one school does them a disservice”. He is perhaps confusing league table results with the real performance of a good comprehensive. Most comprehensives have several streams of ability. And I’m sure if they publicly reported only the results of those children in the top sets, we would see a very different league table picture. The added beauty of comprehensives is that those sets remain open to the many children who are late developers and might have failed the 11-plus and subsequently never had the opportunity and encouragement to reach for the academic high ground.

Emma Jackson

Henley-on-Thames, Oxon

UPWARD MOBILITY

Sir, May I suggest that a small tax break is given to Britons who pay for their children’s education? After all, they free up a place in the state system. This would help to ease the pressure on both private and state schools. Dare I suggest that a similar arrangement be afforded to those who pay for private health insurance?

James Edmiston

London W1

RUGBY CONCUSSION

Sir, Another Six Nations weekend has passed, leaving me reflecting that although I do not necessarily agree with my friend, the former Scottish international and British Lion John Beattie, about the increased risk to our generation of dementia as a result of concussions received, I share his concern about the current group of players because the game has become too physical and brutal. My own research among nine of my contempories, with more than 90 years of rugby experience between us, identified nine incidents of concussion. There are serious issues to be addressed in the way the game is currently being played and coached, including the reckless attitude of some players to their and their fellow players’ safety and the need for a clearer separation of the professional game from school and amateur level.

With proper consideration and appropriate changes any risk can be reduced to acceptable levels.

Trevor Ringland

Former Ireland international and British & Irish Lion

GET OUT OF MY HEAD

Sir, Lucky Joan Gilbert (“Music to my ears”, letter, Feb 26). Having spent half-term with young grandchildren, I find myself humming Row, Row, Row the Boat and The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round (fortunately without the accompanying actions) while standing in the supermarket queue. Oh for the blessed relief of Silent Night or Edelweiss.

Arthur Skinner King’s Lynn, Norfolk

CURTAIN UP

Sir, I concur with Raphael Langham’s assessment (Feb 29) of the National Theatre’s unappealing programme for its winter and early spring season but cannot agree with him about the programme for the late spring and summer season. Indeed I have just booked seats for six plays from it, including ones by Bertolt Brecht, Anton Chekhov, Terrence Rattigan and Sean O’Casey. I too am a “regular and serious theatregoer” and have been visiting the National for 30 years. In my view, its latest programme is on a par with those of previous years.

Mark Clarke

London N1

GLOOMY TABLE

Sir, I worry that moselium (“Element of truth”, letter, Feb 27) would sound a bit too similar to mausoleum, although the periodic table should really be one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Dr Simon Gaisford FRSC

University College London

4472

Sir, In 1974 the Bury Grammar School classical sixth form school trip was to York. Malcolm Pittam, the head of classics, took us for the entire day to the National Railway Museum. The only educational part of the trip was on the way home on the school bus, when he informed us that the Flying Scotsman’s number was easy to remember as it was (almost exactly) the square root of 20 million.

Peter Oates

Buckden, Cambs

PLAYING A ROUND

Sir, Further to Daniel Finkelstein’s Notebook (Feb 27) about missing apostrophes, a recent missive from the secretary of my rather old-fashioned golf club started: “A member has asked me to enquire whether any fellow member has some unused ladies or senior gentlemen’s clubs that might be surplus to requirements.” rupert baker

Grateley, Hants