Letters: Europe can’t rely on American power alone to resist Russian aggression
SIR – The steady worldwide growth of prosperity in the 19th century was attributable in good measure to a largely stable world order, underpinned by the economic and naval dominance of a single power – Great Britain.
This stability was sufficient to keep in check lesser local conflicts such as German and Italian unification. The same was true of the period after 1945, except that the dominant power had become the United States.
The intervening period of chaos and destruction, 1914-45, arose because Britain and France had become too weak to continue as world authorities, and the United States didn’t adopt the role before 1941.
A stable world order is essential for global prosperity and growth, and is therefore of equal benefit to the dominant power as to others, as the economic disorder of the period 1918-39 showed. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the failure of countries such as China to check it, threaten this state of affairs. It is absolutely right for European countries to upgrade their defence contributions to Nato, but the United States should benefit proportionately in economic prosperity from its own contribution (“Back Kyiv to show ‘borders matter’, Lord Cameron urges”, report, April 9).
Anthony Pick
Newbury, Berkshire
SIR – The exhortation to back Ukraine “to show borders matter” is quite right. But that it comes from Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, takes the breath away.
Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, the UK, United States and Russia were the guarantors of Ukrainian sovereignty. When Russia blatantly violated that sovereignty by annexing Crimea in 2014, the response from London and Washington was nugatory. Our prime minister at the time? David Cameron.
Alastair Irvine
Grantham, Lincolnshire
SIR – I can think of nothing more likely to embolden members of the US Congress to deny further desperately needed funding for Ukraine than Lord Cameron publicly urging them to provide it. Is he incapable of the quiet diplomacy for which this country was once renowned, or is virtue-signalling now more important than maximising the likelihood of an effective outcome?
David Argent
Crondall, Hampshire
SIR – I was shocked to read the warning from former defence ministers that Britain has no strategic plan in the event of war (report, April 7).
Apparently we haven’t had one since the end of the Cold War. Successive governments have left our Armed Forces in a parlous state, which is bad enough, but having no plans for the onset of war is criminal.
How could they leave us in such a position?
Paul P James
Dunnington, North Yorkshire
Aspirational youth
SIR – I am 28 years old and write on behalf of my generation in response to Tom Harris’s article, “Working less won’t help young people get on the housing ladder” (Comment, April 8).
We have lived through two financial crises, a global pandemic and now a war in Europe. We work hard, we aspire to be a part of a property-owning democracy, and we want productive families that will pay for public services in years to come.
Mr Harris should talk to more of us.
Liam Bruce
London SE1
SIR – Sophia Money-Coutts’s article, “What is it with Gen Z and Lazy Girl jobs? When I was starting out, sick days were for wimps” (Weekend, April 6) took me back 40 years to when I had to clock in at Marconi.
Our contracted hours were 8.30am to 5.01pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8.30am to 4.26pm on Friday. Arnold Weinstock, then the boss of Marconi, had hoped that these hours meant he would get an additional five minutes of work per week from his thousands of employees. Instead, we downed tools five minutes early and chatted.
In the mornings, there would always be chaos when clocking in, as we knew that at 8.31am we would get a red stamp on our card and have to explain why we were late. This would lead the youngest members of staff who had clocked in at 8.29am to block access to the machine for anyone foolhardy enough to try to clock in at 8.30am on the dot.
Graham Ashen
Horsham, West Sussex
Labour non-dom scam
SIR – One of the hallmarks of a great confidence trickster is that they are able to make the victim believe that the scam will be beneficial, while costing them nothing. This is true of Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, and her plan for non-doms to pay for all of Labour’s policies (report, April 9).
It is sad that, after the election, one lot of incompetents will be replaced by another, and Britain will continue its slide into obscurity.
C M Watkins
Herongate, Essex
SIR – As a disillusioned Tory Party member and voter who feels betrayed by the Government, I have considered joining Reform, which I believe is closer to the Conservative ideals that I support. What is stopping me? Nigel Farage’s support for and friendship with Donald Trump.
I won’t vote Labour, so what to do?
Alan Phizacklea
Aldbourne, Wiltshire
People vs parking fines
SIR – You report (April 8) that council fees and fines of nearly £2 billion a year are killing high streets.
Here in Tavistock, there were nearly 4,000 objections to the proposed installation of parking meters. Devon County Council took note and dropped plans to introduce meters in eight towns, including ours. Speak up and some councils will listen.
Neil Stuart
Tavistock, Devon
Unhealthy alternatives
SIR – Yesterday morning for breakfast we could choose between toast made with ultra-processed bread (Features, April 7) or ultra-processed cereal with fruit that was full of pesticides.
The latter used to be our healthy alternative. I give up.
Ann Warde
St Ann’s Chapel, Devon
Tory durability
SIR – The Conservative Party is arguably the world’s oldest and most successful precisely because it does not have a prescriptive philosophy (Letters, April 9). This enables it to adapt to circumstances in order to remain relevant. It has done this many times in the past and will likely continue to do so.
Moreover, its members – at all levels – reflect a broad coalition of views, which the UK’s voting system encourages, and which successfully prevents extremists from holding the balance of power as they do in European-style coalitions. The Conservatives’ fundamental purpose is the defence of liberty – personal, economic and political.
This manifests itself in a political programme that empowers the individual by promoting the freedom to choose, decide, invest, prosper and inherit with minimum interference from the state. The party generally loses power when it moves too far away from these basic tenets, but its opponents consistently underestimate its ability to reform itself.
Philip Duly
Haslemere, Surrey
SIR – Grantham Museum’s refusal to rename itself the Margaret Thatcher Museum is surely acting in the spirit of the Iron Lady herself, who never turned in the face of public opinion. Her birthplace, Grantham, already benefits from an imposing statue of her, which stands close to the museum and honours both Lady Thatcher and Grantham in the world’s eyes.
Peter Saunders
Salisbury, Wiltshire
SIR – I sincerely hope that the commemorative mugs of Margaret Thatcher on sale at the Grantham Museum are made in my home city of Stoke-on-Trent.
I’m sure the Iron Lady would have taken a dim view if they are imported.
Jane Moth
Stone, Staffordshire
Coop de grâce
SIR – Our chickens (Letters, April 8) are former battery hens, which were rescued from the abattoir by a charity. They are very much part of the family – greeting us every morning with cheery chatter – and are companions for our collie dog, though she knows her place in the pecking order.
All parties are reaping the rewards from this arrangement, yet are now threatened by a new predator: Defra.
Lucinda Drought
Martley, Worcestershire
Mind your elbows: table etiquette is evolving
SIR – To be fair, the young are not rejecting manners in general (report, April 9), just “traditional” table manners.
It’s not unusual for manners to adapt over time, as they tend to change across eras and countries. Would the Victorians have approved of the way Baby Boomers like to eat? Are Japanese table manners the same as those in France?
I’m 35 and since I was a child I’ve seen people of all age groups put their elbows on the table. The very adults who would tell me it was impolite could be observed putting a hand under their chin mid-conversation or reading the newspaper over breakfast.
Those who believe in that rule never seem to realise they are breaking it.
Emilie McRae
Trowbridge, Wiltshire
SIR – As a boy I was taught always to ask permission to leave the table when I’d finished eating.
My family always ate at the table and never had lap trays in front of the television, as we didn’t have one. The simple act of sitting down to eat together meant we were able to speak to each other and discuss things. This way of conducting ourselves at mealtimes continued with our own children.
Now my wife and I will always set the table when we have our children and their children over for a meal, but sadly the standards set by our parents and ourselves seem to have lapsed somewhat.
Stan Kirby
East Malling, Kent
SIR – I have long been a proponent of eating and talking separately. It is not possible to achieve either successfully if done together.
Katherine Simcock
Leek, Staffordshire
Why isn’t football tackling its dementia crisis?
SIR – If I ran a manufacturing business where former employees suffered catastrophic health issues and early death that were directly linked to their employment in my business, then the Health and Safety Executive (H&SE) would prosecute me and I would risk unlimited fines. If I failed to take corrective action to change working practices and eliminate this serious health risk to employees, then my business could be closed down.
How is it, therefore, that the football industry is not subject to such regulation?
You report the early death of yet another professional footballer (“Game must wake up to dementia crisis”, Sport, April 9), but the H&SE does nothing and the industry is allowed to continue as if nothing is wrong.
Terry Lloyd
Derby
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