The Times - UK (2020-08-28)

30 1GM Friday August 28 2020 | the times

Letters to the Editor

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address this now and provide the

necessary resources and guidance if

we are to avoid multiple outbreaks in

schools as children move indoors in

the autumn and winter.

Dr Jonathan Fluxman, GP

Founding member, Masks4All

campaign group

Sir, Not for the first time the

government has decided to follow the

lead of the Scottish first minister and

require masks to be worn in certain

schools. Some might even consider

the strategy north of the border, at

least on Covid-19, to be clearer and

more considered.

We do of course have a tradition of

British leaders with strong Scottish

connection: Gordon Brown, Tony

Blair, Alistair Darling and Norman

Lamont, to name a recent few. Much

talent would be lost to the English in

the event of a Scottish departure from

the UK. Maybe we should invite the

Scottish parliament to take the lead in

UK governance, rather than

Westminster? They might just do a

better job. If not, England could

eventually seek independence.

Dr Neil Campbell

Longcot, Oxon

E-scooters impair

exercise policy

Sir, Your leading article (“Tomorrow’s

World Today”, Aug 27) welcomes the

arrival of e-scooters. They are

appearing in many towns, though

only those provided by hire schemes

are legal to use on the streets. To

what extent they will offer benefits

remains to be seen. Experience from

abroad shows that most trips would

have been made on foot, with some

by bike or public transport. This goes

against government encouragement

Sir, I read with amusement that the

public sector “dividend” to the

people of Scotland of £2,000 per

head is likely to damage the

economic case for independence in

Scotland (“Scotland’s Union dividend

rises to £2,000 per person”, News,

Aug 27). While that may be the

case, surely the economic argument

for England to become an

independent country becomes

overwhelming. However, as a Scot

living in England, I would expect

that the present government in

England would squander any

windfall from Scottish independence.

Robin Hay

Dullingham, Suffolk

Sir, I support the hope of Nicholas

Allen (letter, Aug 27), a retired

headmaster, that classroom windows

will be kept open as schools resume.

When I was at school at Wycliffe

College in Gloucestershire in the

mid-1970s my French teacher insisted

on the windows being kept wide open

regardless of the weather. This was on

account of the three or four cigarettes

that he smoked during each lesson.

Mike Page

Bridge of Earn, Perth & Kinross

Tristan strategy

Sir, I was advised many years ago that

the only way to enjoy Tristan and

Isolde (letter, Aug 27) was to go for the

first act, go out for dinner for the

second act and return for the third.

Phillip Sober

London W8

Legacies of empire

Sir, Further to David Aaronovitch’s

article (“A lesson in how to end the

culture wars”, Aug 27), not all colonial

artefacts were brought to the UK to be

displayed in the British Museum. The

British established museums in many

colonies. More than 100 were opened

in India, starting with the Calcutta

Museum in 1814. Museums elsewhere

included Cape Town (1825), Singapore

(1845), Colombo (1877) and Nairobi

(1930). Extensive collections of items

of cultural and historical interest were

exhibited in their countries of origin.

RP Fernando

Epsom, Surrey

Sir, The excellent essay by David

Aaronovitch was instructive and

compelling reading. He made,

however, one mistake. The British

Museum’s exhibits are not in its

possession but in its stewardship.

Dr Lindsay GH Hall

Elie, Fife

Britannia lyrics

Sir, Andrew Lloyd Webber (letters,

Aug 26 & 27) suggests that we ought

perhaps to fix the offending lyrics in

Rule, Britannia! Hence, may I offer:

“Rule, Britannia! We have so much

to cheer!/

Rain and soggy fish and chips and

lukewarm beer!”

Michael Claughton

Folkestone

Sir, My offering is as follows:

“Rule, Britannia! United let us stand!/

May true peace bless this fair land!

Margaret Stephen

Westcott, Surrey

Fre e love Freya

Sir, You report that the Norse goddess

associated with love, sex, fertility, war

and gold has entered the top ten

names for girls (“Viking invasion:

Freya joins most popular girls’

names”, Aug 27). Reviewing Neil

Price’s new history of the Vikings,

The Children of Ash & Elm, David

Aaronovitch (Saturday Review, Aug

22) pointed out that parents who

named their daughters after the

goddess should bear in mind that she

slept with every elf in Asgard.

Brian Harris

Swindon

Corrections and

clarifications

6 David Olusoga has asked us to
point out that, contrary to the
assertion in a letter published on
Aug 26, he said in his MacTaggart
lecture that it was standard practice
while filming for the cast and crew to
eat before the extras. His point was
that it was insensitive in the case he
mentioned.

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about editorial
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Requests for corrections or
clarifications should be sent by email to
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Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge
Street, London SE1 9GF

Tank conundrum

Sir, You report that the options for
the army are either to upgrade the
Challenger 2 or buy the Leopard 2
(“Germany’s Leopard tank is favourite
for upgrade”, Aug 25). A quarter of a
century ago I was closely involved in
the decision-making to upgrade the
Army’s main battle tank (I was the
deputy chief of defence staff
responsible for formulating the armed
forces’ future equipment programme).
The options narrowed to either
Challenger 2 or, guess what, the
German Leopard 2 “Improved”. The
latter would have been better value
for money and given interoperability
with our Nato allies with its rifle bore
gun. However, ministers overrode
advice and selected Challenger 2 to
protect UK jobs. Déjà vu.
I suggest that the army still needs a
core of capable main battle tanks to
gain and hold ground, whatever new
technology now offers by way of a
different force mix. I will watch with
interest how the debate continues and
hope that the right decision is made,
one that learns from the past.
Vice-Admiral Sir John Dunt
Liss, Hants

Sir, Further to General Lord Dannatt’s
view that we should retain tanks
(“ ‘Dangerous’ to scrap tanks in face of
Russia threat”, Aug 26), the most
powerful weapons one can have at
one’s disposal are not tanks or guns
but the unconscious minds of the
people, something every despot knows.
Fraser White
Bunbury, Cheshire

Picture of health

Sir, Your article “Celebrity trainer
goes to work on PM” (Aug 27) quoted
Boris Johnson’s personal trainer as
saying that after a workout you should
be “sweaty and red-faced and a mess”.
It could be argued that Mr Johnson
has already achieved this appearance
without recourse to the gym.
David Elwyn Jones
Holyhead

School safety and Scotland’s lead on masks

Sir, The decision by the prime

minister to make masks mandatory

for all secondary school children in

England in areas with high levels of

coronavirus is welcome (report, Aug

26, and letter, Aug 27). However,

unlike Nicola Sturgeon, the first

minister, Boris Johnson did not state

the rationale for the change, ie indoor

aerosol spread of Covid-19. It is

essential that this is now officially

recognised in England too. Both

aerosolised virus, and larger droplets,

are present in all exhaled breath from

infected people. Aerosols float in the

air and can travel much further than

2m in enclosed indoor spaces.

Last week a leading article in the

British Medical Journal on airborne

spread stated: “Guidelines and

governments must acknowledge the

evidence and take steps to protect the

public... Accepting the importance of

airborne transmission may prove a

crucial breakthrough and should not

be delayed further.” In schools these

steps need to include masks (in

classrooms as well as communal

areas; aerosols are produced

everywhere), hygiene and distancing

but critically also adequate

ventilation. The government must

for exercise and active travel. Most

e-scooter trips are short and the

reduction in car use is limited.

Moreover, the Danish government

has found that the rate of head injury

for e-scooter riders is eight times that

for pedal cyclists.

David G Davies

Executive director, Parliamentary

Advisory Council for Transport Safety

from the times august 28, 1920

‘MEDIEVAL’

BRITISH

ROADS

Mandarin’s ousting

Sir, The abrupt ousting of a very

capable permanent secretary at the

Department for Education is a

disgrace and has profound

ramifications for the relationship

between ministers and senior officials

(“No 10 forces out top schools

mandarin after exams fiasco”, Aug

26). There is no doubting the scale of

the exams fiasco and the disruption

and anxiety that it has caused to

many young people. Civil servants

must share some of the responsibility

for this. But in the end officials advise,

ministers decide. The ultimate

responsibility here is clear and cannot

simply be passed on when it suits. The

country is facing enormous

challenges and desperately needs a

government working at the top of its

game in a relationship of trust with

the civil service. We are a long way

away from this at the moment. Unless

the government takes responsibility

and acknowledges its own

shortcomings we are destined for yet

more mistakes and U-turns. At some

point the government will run out of

senior civil servants to blame.

Lord Kerslake

Head of the civil service 2012-14

Sir, Boris Johnson has indeed thrown

the permanent secretary at the

Department for Education “under a

bus”. Although Jonathan Slater is not

the first senior civil servant to suffer

this fate, this process of putting blame

on permanent secretaries is belittling

and cowardly. Ministers, not

mandarins, should be taking ultimate

responsibility and, in this instance,

falling on their sword. The way the

inner sanctum of No 10 is operating is

disrespectful; surely the most devout of

Conservative supporters can see this.

Graham Steele

Edinburgh

thetimes.co.uk/archive

Fighting hedgehogs

Sir, Oliver Moody describes a tableau

in the natural history museum in

Leipzig in which two frenzied

hedgehogs dismember a rat in front

of their offspring, and wonders

whether hedgehogs are capable of

such savagery (“Hedgehog libel”,

Notebook, Aug 26). Some years ago I

witnessed a hedgehog and a rat

fighting in my garden. The contest

lasted for several minutes: the

hedgehog reared up on its hind legs

and squared up to the rat before

eventually rolling itself into its usual

protective ball.The young rat then

gave up and ran off. I declared the

hedgehog the winner on points.

Pat Ashby

Eat out to help out Brackley, Northants

Sir, It is hard to feel enthusiastic

about Hilary Rose’s article on eating

out all the time with £10 vouchers (“I

could get a taste for dining out this

much”, Aug 26) while pensioners,

many of whom are stuck at home, are

receiving letters informing them that

they are no longer entitled to their

free TV licence. When you are no

longer able to get out to “wine and

dine”, there is not a great deal left

except to watch the TV. Many of the

people using the vouchers could have

afforded to go out anyway and in

many cases the trade has been

diverted from the weekend. Surely the

money could have been used to help

people who are living in real poverty.

Sonia Dowse

Scone, Perth and Kinross

Letters to The Times must be exclusive
and may be edited. Please include a full
address and daytime telephone number.

Experienced motorists are daily

becoming more concerned at the

serious condition into which the

public highways are being thrown by

the tremendous increase of motor

traffic. Sir Henry Maybury, Director

of the Roads Department, Ministry

of Transport, has declared that the

root of the evil lies with reckless

driving. One hesitates to share this

view. To my mind the problem arises

from the roads themselves. English

country roads are medieval, for the

most part. One of our richest

heritages, they are, perhaps, better

suited to a museum than to the rush

of present-day traffic. Until about 10

years ago they were able to

accommodate the gentle stream of

daily life, but today they are

swamped by swift and heavy traffic

for which they are totally unsuited.

A few are nearly as satisfactory as

the best of the French national

roads, but most, if not all, secondary

and other roads are dangerous for

fast traffic throughout their length.

What is wanted is a complete

overhaul of the roads and proper

police control on the spot. High

hedges and other obstructions which

screen dangerous turnings should be

so reduced that a clear view ahead is

possible, and narrow roads should be

widened at corners. A great deal of

the dangers of our country roads

would be minimized if their abrupt

angles were given more background.

The police detailed for country

traffic supervision should be a

mobile and not a stationary force,

whose duties should be to prevent

accidents, rather than to attempt to

capture offenders in the commission

of follies which might result in

accidents. Certain notorious

municipalities would lose heavily

over the change, but the public

would gain in security. Suppression

of driving licences for periods

ranging from a month to two years,

with or without accompanying fine

or imprisonment, would very soon

drive the road-hog from the

highway.

In the meantime, the remedy lies

in the hands of individual drivers.

“Expect a fool to be driving every car

you meet”. The open road in 1920 is

not the happy playground it was 10

years ago. It is an unorganized, ill-

devised carrier of swift traffic, and

he who uses it must have his wits

about him to the same degree as the

driver of an express train.