The crassness and insensitivity Boris Johnson showed in his comparison of Brexit to a people actually fighting for survival was staggering (“Ukraine battle is like Brexit, PM tells party”, News, last week). In front of the Ukrainian ambassador, too.
It’s one thing to silently contemplate such thoughts; it’s another to say them aloud. Most of us have antennae that help to guard against such foolishness. The leader of our government does not, and he demeans us all.
Alastair Conan, Coulsdon, London
Schoolboy behaviour
As an outspoken teenager I was warned by my teacher, “Think before you speak.” I have borne this in mind for the following 80 years of my life. It is unfortunate that our prime minister has never learnt this essential lesson.
Walter Wolff, London NW2
Weak out
Robert Colvile writes: “As if Putin would have given a tinker’s cuss about Britain’s membership of the EU when deciding to invade Ukraine” (Comment, last week). This is disingenuous, to say the least. Of course his invasion of Ukraine could not be attributed directly to Britain’s leaving the EU, but Putin definitely saw the benefit of a weakened EU. His interference is confirmed by the Russia report published in 2020, which asserted that “Russian influence in the UK is the new normal” and “the UK is clearly a target for Russia’s disinformation campaigns” and cited evidence of Russian involvement in the Scottish referendum.
Graham Potter, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
Pointed fingers
Why, instead of pulling out of Russia, did Nestlé not use its brands to convey a valedictory message? A consignment of KitKats with packaging bearing the words, “Stop the war — you are being lied to”, would soon be banned — but not before the point had been made to many.
William Mollett, Stamford, Lincolnshire
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Wrong arm of the law
I wholeheartedly agree with Arabella Pike about the oligarchs’ use of the law to price others out of the search for truth (“Lawfare: the oligarchs’ weapon to bury the truth”, News Review, last week). However, she omits to say that these tactics are repeatedly used by our own government.
The Good Law Project and others experience this over and over again, as the government spends staggering amounts in defending itself from legitimate inquiries. It appears this is a deliberate tactic to make pursuing such cases too risky in terms of costs, should those seeking the truth lose.
Roy McElwain, Ripley, Derbyshire
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