Sir, Juliet Samuel’s piece “The damage to our civil society is what should worry us most” (Feb 27) is a powerful commentary on the extent to which a vocal minority has been allowed to dominate the streets and the political debate. What is not so evident is the mood of the wider public. Just as the result of the Brexit referendum came as a shock to the political mainstream, which had complacently assumed that its view would prevail, there is now a growing gap between the government and the governed about the lack of effective action by the police and law enforcement agencies on what is widely perceived to be a breakdown of the rule of law.
The Conservatives are already on track to lose the next election but they will be utterly doomed if they fail to get a grip on this problem, as large-scale defections to the Reform Party will shred its support at the ballot box.
Michael Patterson
Swineshead, Lincs
Sir, Regarding Rishi Sunak’s claim that he is “living proof that Britain is not racist” (Feb 27), in many ways the prime minister is setting up a “straw man” argument. Britain is not a racist country per se but there are racist elements within it — many, it would appear, within his own party. Irrespective of whether members of his party actually hold such views or are simply “playing the race card” for political ends, he should be addressing them head on rather than simply trying to play the matter down.
Stephen Kane
Wyberton, Lincs
Sir, Charlotte Church claims that she is “in no way antisemitic”. But it is indisputably the case that the overwhelming majority of British Jews regard the “from the river to the sea” chant as blatantly antisemitic and tantamount to calling for the destruction of Israel. Anyone who uses the chant thus knows that they are causing grievous offence to the Jewish community in Britain. No amount of pious declarations that “I am in no way antisemitic” — which Jewish people have heard time without number — can change that.
Sir Leigh Lewis
Watford
Sir, Melanie Phillips is correct when she says that Islamophobia and antisemitism are not the same (Feb 27). “Islamophobia”, literally, means a strong dislike of (or aversion to) Islam. There is nothing wrong with such a view — atheists dislike all religions, including Islam. This contrasts with antisemitism. “Semite” originally was used to define languages related to Hebrew and referred to people of Near East origin, of which the Jewish people were the most notable. Antisemitism is therefore a dislike of Jews, not Judaism.
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“Islamophobia” has come to mean criticism of any kind, not only of the Islamic faith but also of Muslims and the Muslim community. This is deliberate on the part of activists wishing to stir up trouble. It is perhaps time that society created different words to distinguish prejudice against Muslims (unacceptable) and being critical of Islam, its laws and practices (perfectly acceptable). The word “Islamophobia” has become too misused, politically motivated and toxic for it to continue to be used.
Julian Holloway
London SW12
Doctors’ strikes
Sir, The BMA has guided junior doctors to strike ten times now; added together this is about a month of service (“Children’s treatment cancelled by strikes”, Feb 27). Even though junior doctors’ training has become more “flexible” and based on outcomes, this considerable time away from work must raise questions about doctors’ training. The BMA may therefore be hampering their development at the cost of forwarding its own political ideals. Hence, as well as harming patient care and adversely affecting the public’s perception of hospital doctors, the BMA strikes are now harming the very people they are supposed to be supporting. Junior doctors should stop striking now and the BMA should put the government’s offer to its members.
Professor Mark Saunders
Consultant clinical oncologist, Higher Poynton, Cheshire
Cancer ageism
Sir, Further to your report “Failure to treat older cancer patients leaves Britain lagging” (Feb 27), the waiting times and delays in diagnosis are unacceptable and there may also be age bias, perhaps driven by lack of capacity in treatment facilities and the perception that these need to be prioritised. There are, however, cultural factors at play. I was a GP in a semi-rural practice for more than 30 years and also had a Churchill Fellowship to study the care of the dying in the US. In my experience in Britain, the decision not to treat with radiotherapy or chemotherapy in the over-eighties was frequently taken by the patients themselves, usually after they had discussed it with family and friends. By contrast, the desire to accept life-prolonging treatment at all costs was much more prevalent in the US, occasionally leading to extremely distressing or even invasive measures in those who were terminally ill. There is no right or wrong as long as the patient is fully involved in the decision.
Dr Hugh Savill
Tiverton, Devon
Sir, I remember an 85-year-old patient who was diagnosed with stomach cancer. She made the decision to not have treatment and to enjoy the last few months of her life as best she could. She had a good quality of life for four months. Maybe we need to get better at talking to patients about the inevitability of death at some point, and about quality of life.
Dr Gill Dean
Abingdon, Oxon
Selective migration
Sir, Neil O’Brien MP says that in super-productive Britain drudge work would be automated and people freed to get paid more for doing things that only people can do (“Let’s stop pretending all migration is the same”, comment, Feb 26). People who work in the care sector are doing things that only people can do: their work cannot be automated. Yet they are paid as if it were drudge work. It is not surprising that there is little willingness on the part of British workers to do these demanding jobs for such a small wage, so the care sector has to rely on migrants. Mr O’Brien should demonstrate his theory by encouraging his government to deal with pay in the care sector, thereby encouraging Britons to do that work, thus reducing the reliance on migrants.
Caroline Trotter
London SW1
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Sir, Neil O’Brien MP correctly identifies that all migration is not the same and that many migrants cost the nation rather than add to its productivity and income. Odd, then, that his party has been in government for many years and has exacerbated the problem.
Steve Cook
Holmfirth, W Yorks
AI and the election
Sir, Politicians are rightly worried that generative AI might have a negative impact on the next general election (“Cleverly warns of AI fakes threat to election”, Feb 26). As elections are at the heart of our national life it feels insipid if the best our leaders can do is to go to California to ask foreign technology companies to take pity on us. It may be both too late, given the election timing, and too early, given the pace of AI development, for regulation. However, our political parties should state clearly what use of AI will or will not be acceptable in the election. The think-tank Demos has laid out some simple recommendations for parties to follow, such as clearly signposting when AI has been used in marketing material and a commitment not to exploit nefarious deepfakes. Clarity on these matters begins at home.
Tim Gordon
Partner, Best Practice AI
Savvy car thieves
Sir, Your report (“Record insurance fees driven up by savvy car thieves”, Feb 26) raises the question of why keyless technology was introduced, given that it is a boon for car thieves. What was wrong with ignition keys? It seems ironic that security experts are recommending the old technology of steering wheel locks to offset the problem that this new tech has created.
Stephen Williams
Knowle, West Midlands
Low-traffic zones
Sir, Here in Islington, where some of the first low-traffic neighbourhoods were introduced (letters, Feb 27), businesses and residents weren’t even consulted before implementation. We were told they were being “trialled” for 18 months and then we were consulted; any criticisms seem to have been largely ignored. There is nothing democratic in a process carried out in this way. The sooner Rishi Sunak implements his review, the better.
Anneke Berrill
London N1
Bats in churches
Sir, In your obituary for Lord Cormack (Feb 27) you refer to his speeches on the damage that bats cause to historic church interiors as testing colleagues’ goodwill. Most specialists, however, remain deeply concerned at seeing artworks that survived centuries of war and religious upheaval facing irreparable damage on our watch. Research has shown that monumental brasses in particular suffer permanent chemical damage from bat urine.
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The Bats in Churches project (2019-23) worked with ecologists and building fabric specialists to design solutions, including those that conserve bats within roof voids but prohibit their access to church interiors. That project has now closed, having supported 125 churches, but the problem has not gone away and fabric within many thousands of churches remains at risk. A follow-on Bats in Churches programme — and critical funding for mitigation measures — is needed if we are to save the unique and fragile art in Britain’s historic churches.
Dr Kelcey Wilson-Lee
President, Monumental Brass Society
AA’s wet response
Sir, Keith Neal (letter, Feb 26) was wise in his choice of SUV. We have a small car that didn’t make it through part of the flooded Westleton Road in Suffolk a week ago. Imagine my surprise when the AA refused to come out, as it said my plight was self-inflicted. I had to arrange, at my expense, a private recovery firm as well as calling the fire brigade to escort my wife and me to dry land. Fortunately the Crown at Westleton was near by so we could dry out and have lunch while awaiting our rescuers. I am nearly 80, and we have both been AA members since passing our driving tests 60 years ago, but we are unlikely to renew our membership. What would be the point?
Barry Shooter
Bushey Heath, Herts
Piggish antics
Sir, How heartening to see that American parents are rounding on the depraved — and sadly British — Peppa Pig in defence of courtesy and decency for their children (Feb 27). Many of them will no doubt carry on the good work of restoring virtuous values this year by trying to reinstate Donald Trump in the White House.
Peter Willoughby
Leigh, Kent
Not-so-sexy Joe
Sir, lt is a well known fact that one of the early signs of dementia is the loss of inhibitions. Just because Joe Biden can “still perform”, or says he can, still does not make him intellectually competent to be running for president again (“Don’t be so alarmed! Yes, people in their eighties are having sex”, Times2, Feb 27).
Dr Sue Barnes (aged 83)
Ret’d GP, Windsor
Stab at a book
Sir, My favourite Dorothy Parker bon mot (letter, Feb 27), albeit unverified, concerns her having been informed that a rival had gone to stay in the country for an extended time in order to finish her book. Parker’s response was: “Oh really — and what exactly is she reading?”
Dr Julian Critchlow
Ditcham, Hants
