30 1GM Tuesday July 21 2020 | the times
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor should be sent to
[email protected] or by post to
1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GFSir, It is disappointing that some
drivers and cyclists can’t see eye to
eye, both on and off the road. Many
drivers are cyclists and many cyclists
are drivers. We are not tribes going to
war. During the pandemic, for one
glorious moment, we thought real
progress was being made. One third
of AA members said they would cycle
and walk more after the lockdown.
We asked ministers and councils to
set up “park and pedal” facilities for
car commuters. Empty car parks and
venues offered the chance of pop-up
parking next to cycle superhighways.
It will never be for everyone, but a
commuter on a bike is not a
commuter in a car and that means
more efficient use of road space and
less pollution. It never happened and
in many areas we have ended up with
a piecemeal approach. People and
planners need to cast aside prejudiced
groupthink and work together.
Edmund King
AA president (and cyclist)Sir, Travel habits are ingrained, the
default mode motorised. The result:
growing motor traffic and congestion
as air quality and public health
suffers. The lockdown gave a glimpse
of a cleaner way to live and travel,Dundas’s legacy
Sir, If the descendants of Henry
Dundas succeed in their defamation
claim (“Legal threat over ancestor
‘defamed on slave trade’,” July 18),
then journalists had better watch out.
As it stands, one cannot defame the
dead because libel or slander are
personal issues that cannot be
brought on someone else’s behalf — a
possible exception being for someone
under age. Unless the relatives of the
viscount have been defamed, I wait to
see what ingenious ruse will be used
to bring legal action.
Barnie Choudhury
Visiting professor of professional
practice, University of BuckinghamSir, From his brilliant advocacy in the
Knight v Wedderburn case, which
established the principle that no
person could be a slave on Scottish
soil, we could deduce that Henry
Dundas was a passionate abolitionist
or a good lawyer or both. Whatever
his beliefs, his duty as war secretary
during the war against revolutionary
France was to bolster and expand our
slave empire in the Caribbean. He
performed this duty with energy,
organising huge military expeditions.
We failed to conquer St Domingue
but succeeded on the whole. This
included reimposing slavery in St
Lucia, where it had been abolished by
the French in February 1794.
Christopher Dalton
London SE15which we risk losing. Councils must
give trials with more space for cycling
and walking time to bed in. Behaviour
change won’t happen on day one but
it will happen with commitment and
capital. The government will back
those English councils with bold and
ambitious visions for the future with
the emergency active travel fund.
Councils have until August 7 to decide
whether to maintain the status quo or
build a better future. It really
shouldn’t be a difficult decision.
Duncan Dollimore
Head of campaigns, Cycling UKSir, Jawad Iqbal wants cycling to be
treated as a serious form of mass
transport but a large percentage of
road users will never be able to get on
a bike. Many commuters live too far
from work to make cycling practical.
Parents with young children, older
people and people with disabilities see
large sums being spent on a mode of
transport they will never use. If
schemes have been abandoned after
complaints, perhaps this is because
councils are listening to constituents,
instead of pandering to vocal cycling
pressure groups.
Ross Kelly
London N1Wax off
Sir, Professor Saeed (letter, July 20)
says that the artificial removal of ear
wax is unnecessary. Of course, as he
says, it takes a huge build up to cause
deafness but he ignores the intense
itching that even small amounts of
retained wax can cause. It is a
particular problem for those who, like
me, wear hearing aids because they
block the action of the “remarkable
intrinsic mechanism” he praises.
Prof Tony Wildsmith (retired doctor)
DundeeDon’t look down
Sir, Although I only suffer from mild
acrophobia, I am increasingly jolted
into an unexpected shock by the
inclusion of drone pictures on TV
programmes. Panoramas of an area
provide useful context but sudden
vertical downward views of a small
area can be alarming. A warning
would help me and my fellow
sufferers in much the same way as
warnings of flash photography are
issued to aid epilepsy sufferers.
David Hudson
Stoke-on-TrentCrowd trouble
Sir, In the good old days before Covid,
I could watch Test cricket on TV and
still be able to snatch 40 winks, safe in
the knowledge that whenever a
wicket fell the crowd roar would wake
me up in time for the replay. Sadly,
the recorded crowd hum provided for
the present series, though comforting,
is rather monotonous. The result is
that not only do I nod off more often
but, more seriously, miss the replays.
H Leslie Cousins
West Clandon, SurreyCorrections and
clarifications
6 Reporting on a link between
Al-Kauthur Institute and the
Al-Kauthur Foundation (an institution
of which Mr Sultan Choudhury was
previously an unpaid director), we said
that a speaker at the Institute, Mr
Assim al-Hakim had expressed
extremist views on female genital
mutilation (Female circumcision is
like clipping a nail, claimed speaker, 5
August 2019). This headline appeared
above a picture of Mr Sultan
Choudhury in the online edition. Any
impression that those views were his
was not intended. Mr Sultan
Choudhury did not say that “Female
circumcision is like clipping a nail” (as
explained in the full version of the
article published in print and online).
The article explained that he did not
support any alleged extremist views.
We apologise for any distress caused
to Mr Choudhury. We have agreed to
pay him compensation and legal costs.
The Times takes
complaints
about editorial
content seriously. We are committed to
abiding by the Independent Press
Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules
and regulations and the Editors’ Code of
Practice that IPSO enforces.
Requests for corrections or
clarifications should be sent by email to
[email protected] or by post to
Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge
Street, London SE1 9GF
Cycling revolution could improve all our lives
Sir, Jawad Iqbal is right to be
concerned (“Nimbys are putting the
brakes on our cycling revolution”, July
20), not just for cyclists, but also for
the millions for whom driving is
simply not an option. In Greater
Manchester, where I work, one third
of households do not have access to a
car. Without a safe alternative to
public transport — which can only
operate safely at 30 per cent capacity
— hundreds of thousands will be
forced on to crowded buses, trams
and trains or will not travel at all. In
many places, even before schools
return, services are at capacity.
This road space is not being given
up for cyclists, it is being made
available for shop workers, carers,
NHS staff and childminders. It is not
even a transport decision, it is a moral
imperative. This provision also offers
us a unique opportunity to “try before
we buy”: a trial lasting several months
to see if we want to use our streets
differently. Once they experience it, I
am willing to bet that people will
want to keep it. Ultimately, we have
much to gain from embracing these
measures and little to lose.
Chris Boardman
Cycling and walking commissioner,
Greater ManchesterHonours system
Sir, The letter from Sir Christopher
Coville (July 20) regarding the lack of
a knighthood for Air Chief Marshal
Mike Wigston highlights one of the
problems with the honours system,
namely that holding a position should
automatically entitle one to an
honour. While I am sure the air chief
marshal has earned his position, it
surely ought to be that outstanding
service over a lengthy period is
necessary for further recognition.
Geoffrey Bray
Clare, SuffolkSir, Stefan Badham (letter, July 20)
says of Kenneth Clarke, Philip
Hammond and Ed Vaizey that they
showed a flagrant disregard for the
result of the EU referendum. All three
voted for Theresa May’s Brexit deal
on the three occasions that it came up
for a vote in the Commons (unlike, it
must be said, most of the present
government). Even were this not the
case, all three have done more than
enough in their parliamentary careers
to deserve such an honour.
Peter Clark
Walton-on-Thames, SurreyCancel culture
Sir, Surely an even more modern
equivalent to being purged (letter,
July 20) is to be “resigned” — as Sir
Mark Sedwill and several other senior
civil servants have found of late.
Malcolm Oliver
Edinburgh
Covid-19 and A&E
Sir, We are pleased to see additional
funding for the NHS (“£3bn injection
to help NHS weather winter” July 17).
One concern emerging, in the face of
Covid-19, is the need to maintain
patient safety in emergency care.
Many emergency departments will
need to be redesigned to improve
infection control and maintain
social distancing. This will be
costly. However, given the huge
challenges the NHS will inevitably
face this winter, we must also change
the way we work. We have a once-in-
a-generation chance to transform the
service to avoid the extreme pressures
we saw before the pandemic. Medical
royal colleges are committed to
working together to revolutionise
acute care because it affects the
whole health system. This investment
must be underpinned by modernising
performance too. We need to move
away from one-dimensional metrics,
such as the four-hour A&E target,
towards a set of clinical standards that
will drive improvement for patients
from the minute they seek urgent
help until they are discharged. We
should not let this opportunity slip
through our grasp.
Professor Carrie MacEwen
Chairwoman, Academy of Medical
Royal Colleges
from the times july 21, 1920AMRITSAR
IN
THE LORDS
Maxwell allegations
Sir, I neither know Ghislaine Maxwell
nor the circumstance of her alleged
offences (“Alleged Epstein victim
claims Maxwell told her to undress”,
July 20). Whether she is guilty is a
matter for the American courts. Yet I
do know enough common law to be
concerned about her prospects of a
fair trial. One of the most basic such
principles is the presumption of
innocence, that “golden thread” of the
law eloquently expressed by Viscount
Sankey in Woolmington v DPP in 1935.
Another is the old maxim “justice
delayed is justice denied”. Both are
being tested by aspects of the pretrial
proceedings. Witness the exuberance
expressed by prosecutors after arrest,
which was strongly suggestive of guilt.
As well, the denial of bail, meaning 12
months’ humiliating detention for one
with no previous criminal history.
With so much at stake, for accused
and alleged victims alike, one hopes
for justice to eventually prevail.
John Kidd
Brisbane, AustraliaSir, Sean O’Neill (“UK courts would
keep Maxwell’s name secret”, July 20)says that privacy “is a law that says
the public cannot be trusted (or lack
the intelligence) to understand the
difference between allegations and
proven facts”. Does not the very
public humiliation, including his
absence from photos of his daughter’s
wedding (“More Beatrice wedding
photos... but still no sign of Andrew”,
July 20), of the Duke of York —
against whom there have been only
allegations thus far — demonstrate
why the public should not be trusted
and how intelligence may be lacking.
Michael Stannard
Verbier, Switzerlandthetimes.co.uk/archiveRussia report
Sir, There is much in Edward Lucas’s
column (“The Russia report won’t be
a damp squib”, July 20) with which I
agree. The Russia report should
confirm what intelligence agencies
have known for some time about the
extent of interference. But he is
mistaken in thinking that No 10
delayed the intelligence and security
committee investigating Russia in- As national security adviser
until April 2017, I do not recall the
committee expressing interest in such
a report during my tenure. In that
period they were focused on rendition
to Libya and drone strikes in Syria.
Mark Lyall Grant
National security adviser 2015-17
Letters to The Times must be exclusiveWe regret profoundly the result of
the debate in the House of Lords
yesterday. It added nothing to public
knowledge, and revived a
controversy far better relegated to
oblivion. The Government defeat on
their conduct of General Dyer’s case
may have little consequence in home
politics, but it must bear evil fruit in
India. In the Upper House the
Government maintained the attitude
which they assumed in the House of
Commons, and they succeeded, at
least, in preserving the consistency
of their Indian policy. Had they
followed any other course theywould have challenged the settled
convictions of the British people and
impaired the general understanding
on Imperial administration which is
among the most fortunate
developments of our modern
politics. The growth of a more liberal
conception of Imperial rights and
Imperial duties in our democratic
Commonwealth has outpaced the
slow progress of the older
conservatism. A fortiori, it has been
unwelcome to many Englishmen in
the East, who are out of touch with
the newer conditions of Imperial
rule. Few have the courage directly
to oppose the forces extending
liberal principles of government to
our great Dependency. But the
partisans of reaction carry on a
guerrilla warfare upon the flanks of
progress. We can but regard the
persistency of Brigadier-General
Dyer’s advocates as a serious error. It
is profitable neither to him nor to
the British cause in India that abouthis person the supporters of those
old ideals which yield so grudgingly
to the inroads of modernity should
make what is, perhaps, their last
stand. They have chosen their
ground badly. The true tradition of
our Government in India is not
exemplified by Amritsar. Nor does
justification of the horrors of the
Jallianwala Bagh help the cause of
those who hold that the
Government are moving too rapidly.
It conveys the false impression to
India that an important section of
opinion in this country regards
preventive massacre and the
degradation of subject peoples as
serviceable instruments of Imperial
Government. It is the task, as we
believe it will be the destiny, of Great
Britain to reconcile the maintenance
of an Imperial supremacy with the
democratic conscience of a new age.