2019-08-11_The_Week

27

Amediocre elite

To the New Statesman

Much hasbeenmadeoft he

preponderanceoft hose

educated in private schools

in the upper echelons of the

political system.Afar more

important issue is their

intellectual shortcomings. The

ruling class tend to study soft

subjects or that pseudoscience

economics, predominantly

under the flag of PPE. They

lack scientific knowledge.

Armed withasense of

superiority, they attend

Oxbridge–which for many is

just afinishing school prior to

entering the City–largely

through the old-boys’ network.

The financial world suits them

well as it is an environment

where mediocrities can rapidly

accumulate wealth grossly

disproportionate to their

talents or contribution to

society. The complete lack of

accountability in the financial

sector helps as well.

Now wealthy, they enter

politics and usually misgovern

the country, as they have

neither the knowledge nor

intellect to operate in the

modern world. The great gift

is in lying to fool the easily led

into voting for them against

their own interests–usually

by stoking the flames of envy,

greed and mistrust.

We should be able to do

better than this. One only has

to look at the current Cabinet,

stuffed to the gunwales with

the type of mediocrities

described above, to fear

for the future.

Dr Peter Gregory, Lichfield,

Staffordshire

Alwaysapatriot

To The Spectator

As a90-year-oldPole ,herein

theUKsince 1940 ,Iamnot

bothered by thelack of Poles

on television. What has long

puzzled me is the shortage

of Poles, compared with

other immigrant groups,

in Parliament.

Perhaps Mr Kowalczyk

offersapossible explanation

in his letter: this feeling of

persistent “Polishness”.

Andre Zaluski, Billingham,

County Durham

Credit where credit’s due

To The Economist

Alan Turing didnot build

Colossus,anelectronic digital

computer that madeabig

contribution to breaking the

German Lorenz cipher in the

Second World War. That

acclaim should go to Tommy

Flowers. He got no public

recognition at the time and

has had precious little since.

Flowers was born to

aworking-class family in

Poplar,apoor part of east

London. He was educated

through an apprenticeship

and by taking night classes at

the University of London. He

deserves to be remembered

for his achievement.

Donald Neal, New Zealand

Johnson’s summer spend

To The Independent

Isee that ournew Prime

Minister,Boris Johnson, is

proposing to spend another

£2.1bn on no-deal planning,

and afurther £100m on

advertising what he himself

has described asa“million-to-

one” chance event. I’m afraid

that Idon’t have the side of a

bus to hand, soIwas

wondering whetherImight

be permitted to plaster this

message across the letters

page of your esteemed

organ instead?

“We’re spaffing £4.3bn

(and rising) on Johnson’s latest

vanity project. Let’s spend it

on the NHS instead.”

Julian Self, Wolverton

Crowded skies

To the Financial Times

Sittin ginmyfriend’sgarden

in Richmond,myheadwas

pummelledbyanAirbus A380

droning overhead at

1,800ft on its descent

into Heathrow –

followed one minute

later byaBoeing 737,

which was equally

deafening. Onlyafew

minutes earlier the

pilot was probably

telling the passengers

to look out of the

right-hand windows

for an exquisite view

of the Houses of

Parliament. We are

the only nation on Earth

to allow up to 600 flightsaday

to fly over our capital’s city

centre–surelyadisaster

waiting to happen, caused by

aterrorist act,atechnical

fault or pilot error.

Ilived in Hong Kong when

the new airport was built by

British engineers and with

British-led funding–surely

Boris Johnson can leadapost-

Brexit nation to buildaleading

European airport in the

Thames Estuary?

William James, Richmond,

Surrey

Music in schools

To The Guardian

Chi-chiNwanokuclaims

“classical musicis

overwhelmingly whiteand

male”. Takealook at the

strings and woodwind sections

of your average professional

British orchestra and you will

see that it is approximately

50/50 men and women. It is

true there are usually more

men than women in brass

sections, but that is changing.

I’m sure she’s right that

there are too few black

musicians in the profession; the

reason for this is not race but

class. To reachaprofessional

standard you need to have not

just talent, but the opportunity

to put in the many hours of

practice and study required.

Instrumental lessons are no

longer offered in schools, or

come ataprice many people

can’t afford. Then there is the

cost ofadecent instrument –

hundreds, if not thousands, of

pounds. If you want to address

imbalance in the classical

music world you need to

increase opportunity for those

without the means to pay for

expensive private lessons. That

starts with properly funded

music teaching in schools.

David Williams, Southampton

10 August 2019 THE WEEK

LETTERS

Pick of the week’s correspondence

CARTOON BANK/NEW YORKER

“Try not to bring up feudalism

with my dad tonight”

●Letters have been edited

Exchange of the week

Crazy golf in the cathedral

To The Times

It is incredible,shockingand sadthatRochesterCathedralhas

stoopedtothe point of decking out the nave withacrazy-golf

course. Church representatives seem to have forgotten the

outrage of the Lord at the money-changers and traders in the

Temple, when Jesus said: “My house will be calledahouse of

prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17).

If cathedrals are not to be set apart for prayer and religious

services then this must be the ultimate betrayal of Christian

worship. Those who scrimped and saved to buildafitting

place for the worship of God will be turning in their graves.

Of course, disdain for the past is one of the central planks in

the edifice of popular culture and political correctness.

The Rev Joseph Walsh, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow

To TheTimes

“Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no

more cakes and ale?” (Sir Toby Belch,Twelfth Night)iso ne

answer to Libby Purves’s disapproval of crazy golf in

Rochester Cathedral. Eating, drinking and playing in

church precincts were customary community activities in

Shakespeare’s day, and have revived in our own times. The

percentage of time given to liturgical activity has always been

comparatively small. Within reason, use it or lose it.

Chris Crowcroft, Ludlow, Shropshire

To TheDailyTelegraph

The former prime minister and cricket enthusiast Sir Alec

Douglas-Home reflected in his memoirs: “I could never walk

down the nave of one of our great cathedrals without

wondering whether or not it would take spin.” There is no

evidence he put this theory to the test but, had he still been

with us, maybe Rochester would have offered him the chance.

John Heywood, Rodmell, East Sussex