Section:GDN 1J PaGe:7 Edition Date:190731 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 30/7/2019 17:38 cYanmaGentaYellowbla
Wednesday 31 July 2019 The Guardian •7
From the Armadale pier, there’s a
trail that leads through woodland
down to the rocky inlet at Rubha
Phoil. Otters and seals frequent
this little cove and, when they’re
not in residence, its deep, tidal
rockpools stocked with urchins and
hermit crabs make for an agreeable
afternoon of window shopping.
This time, however, we found the
waters crowded when we got there –
not with people but with sleek, dark-
eyed seals. I counted half a dozen
or more, all of whom seemed so
surprised to see us that they paused
in whatever they had been doing,
to approach and eye us curiously.
Perhaps the most pleasurable
thing about observing seals is
that they always seem just as
intrigued by us as we are in them.
Small faces popped up, and then
retreated, their spaniel-eyes wet
and imploring, questioning. I felt
tempted out of the humid Skye
summer and into the brine, to join
the selkie-folk myself.
But we couldn’t hold their
attention for long. Over on the other
side, some kind of rumpus resumed:
a series of splashes and dives;
fl ashes of seal rump and tail; a wild
spectacle punctuated at intervals
by bloodcurdling moans. Horrifying
sounds – more sea monster than
seal familiar – that started low and
growling, in the back of the throat,
and trailed away into a death-gasp.
Immediately, it drew the attention
of our nearby seals. They turned to
look, then vanished into the deep.
Something more pressing.
Now, having asked around,
I believe we stumbled across
the summer mating ritual of the
harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). In July,
males take to the water to perform
competitive athletic displays: fl ipper
slapping, rolling and “lobbing”
(lifting their tails in the air then
splashing them down). Around
20 years ago, scientists realised
that they were producing loud
underwater vocalisations in tandem
with these performances – roaring
their dominance for all to hear.
Well, not all: we landlubbers were
likely only getting the tail-end of it.
A privilege, then, to catch a
glimpse into the workings of their
complex social lives. I picked my
way over weed-strewn rocks to
take up a front-row seat.
Cal Flyn- Some zeros went astray when
we said the “land dedicated to
growing avocados had grown
from 941,000 acres in 2006 to
1,393 acres in 2016”. The latter
fi gure should have been 1,393,000
( Avocado crisis , 25 July, page 27). - The minimum price for bananas
from Cameroon is €6.40 per 18.14kg
box, not per kilo, as we said in a long
read article ( The death of fair trade ,
23 July, page 9, Journal).
Editorial complaints and corrections can be sent to
[email protected] or The readers’ editor,
Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU; alternatively
call 020 3353 4736 from 10am to 1pm Monday to Friday
excluding public holidays. The Guardian’s policy is to correct
signifi cant errors as soon as possible. For more information
on the readers’ editor’s offi ce see gu.com/readers-editorYour article about spectra
( Does thinking about things
‘on a spectrum’ make us more
enlightened? , theguardian.com,
30 July ) claims the word was “coined
by Isaac Newton in 1672 to describe
refractions of light”. In fact, the fi rst
recorded use in English is in 1622 to
refer to a phantom or apparition.
Newton was the fi rst to employ it to
describe the range of refracted light ;
however, that does not represent
a coinage, rather, a novel usage.
I am aware that this type of pedantry
probably pinpoints my location on
the spectrum quite accurately.
Rendel Harris
London- A crown court canteen assistant in
south Wales was politely asked not
to address judges merely as “love”
as she had always done ( Letters ,
30 July). She was told that “Your
Honour” would be appropriate.
The next day, she duly proclaimed
“Good morning, Your Honour Love”.
His Hon Merfyn Hughes QC
Beaumaris, Anglesey - Alastair Campbell ( Opinion ,
30 July) says we need “an alternative
who can stand up to Johnson and
lead the country against the disaster
which is in the making”. Save us
from disasters in the making?
Remember Iraq?
Denis Jackson
Glasgow - No photo on Monday of Mrs May
leaving church ( Letters , 30 July )
but by Tuesday the punters were
back on the Cam. All is well.
David Beake
Budock Water, Cornwall - Never has a headline about
Mexico resonated so strongly
among the Guardian readership
( Avocado crisis , 25 July).
Michael Cunningham
Wolverhampton
Shane O’Mara’s theories ( This
brain was made for walking , G2,
29 July) could do wonders for the
recruitment of city-dwelling Lib Dem
Focus deliverers. When I decided
to opt for a third term on the city
council in 2018, I said to colleagues,
“My legs are fi ne, so hopefully my
brain is fi t for purpose”. I held my
seat by walking hundreds of miles
all year round. Walking city streets
is not empty time. Inside the brain
meetings can be planned, next
Sunday’s sermon can be edited,
decisions about evening meals can be
made – all while sticking bits of paper
through letterboxes and observing
the state of the streets. Talking
to real people along the way is a
bonus. And the 72 -year -old legs, for
which I buy a new pair of industrial
boots each year (cheaper than gym
membership), seem to be doing OK.
Geoff Reid
BradfordEstablished 1906Country diary
Armadale,
Isle of Skye
Legal aid cuts deny
the poor of justice
Finding one’s place
on the spectrum
Best foot forward
for the Lib Dems
Your articles “ Top judge in charity
appeal for people who can’t fund
lawyers ” and “ Deep poverty: 4.5m
people in UK at least 50% below
breadline ” (both 29 July) are a page
apart but deeply interconnected.
Not only are people on low
incomes experiencing the full
impact of austerity cuts, they
are increasingly excluded from
enforcing what rights they have
through the courts.
The advice sector provides help
for people with limited means , but
cuts have hit us hard too. Poverty
does not just mean lack of money,
but exclusion from those processes
that bind us together as citizens. We
need to understand these separate
challenges as the same issue.
Lindsey Poole
Director, Advice Services Alliance- Both Lady Hale, the UK’s senior
judge, and Sir James Mu nby, the
former most senior family court
judge, have expressed concerns
about the lack of access to justice
for those involved in civil cases
who cannot aff ord a lawyer.
The fact that such high-profi le
judges should highlight the impact
of the 80% reduction in legal aid
since 2012 correlates with Amnesty ’s
2016 report which states that
“cuts to legal aid have decimated
access to justice for thousands of
people”. Those seeking to access
court processes through self -
representation usually learn that this
is a stressful and diffi cult process
and many are driven into debt to
fund lawyers and legal advisers.
Lady Hale’s appeal for public
donations towards the Personal
Support Service is very worthy but
once again charity is expected to
compensate for the government’s
punitive austerity measures.
Access to justice and a fair
hearing for all citizens should be
a government priority and this
must be enshrined in law.
Norma Hornby
Warrington, Cheshire [email protected]
@guardianlettersTwitter: @gdncountrydiary
ILLUSTRATION: CLIFFORD HARPERCorrections and
clarifi cationsРЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS
ЛИ
ЗПООДДГОjudg
ОjudgjudgjudgjudgjudgТТОВBoth Lady Hale, the UK’s senior
ВBoth Lady Hale, the UK’s senior
judgjudgВBoth Lady Hale, the UK’s senior Both Lady Hale, the UK’s senior ИИ
judgИ
judge, and Sir JИ
e, and Sir JBoth Lady Hale, the UK’s senior Both Lady Hale, the UK’s senior Both Lady Hale, the UK’s senior Both Lady Hale, the UK’s senior ЛААГ
Both Lady Hale, the UK’s seniorГ
Both Lady Hale, the UK’s seniorРУПDirector, Advice Services Alliance
ПDirector, Advice Services AllianceDirector, Advice Services AllianceDirector, Advice Services AllianceDirector, Advice Services AllianceDirector, Advice Services AllianceППАА"What's "What'sNews"Both Lady Hale, the UK’s senior
News"Both Lady Hale, the UK’s senior
judg
News"
judge, and Sir J
News"e, and Sir JVK.COM/WSNWSVK.COM/WSNWSe, and Sir JVK.COM/WSNWSe, and Sir J