the times | Saturday January 1 2022 27
Leading articles
changes to his inner office and was slow to accept
that running a political party is very different from
managing the Crown Prosecution Service.
Since then, however, Sir Keir has tightened his
grip on the party and, crucially, has chosen a side
in the battle for Labour’s future, to the horror of
Corbyn loyalists. It seemed foolish to some to use
the party’s annual conference to drive through a
series of rule changes. Critics said Labour needed
to face outwards towards the voters, not spend the
week fighting internal battles. But the confronta-
tion worked to Sir Keir’s benefit. Not only did the
leadership win most of the organisational battles
against the left but the watching public saw Sir
Keir take on hecklers irate at the party’s return to
the centre ground.
A second reshuffle, this time well executed, has
further cemented Sir Keir’s position. The return of
Yvette Cooper to the front line as shadow home
secretary and promotion of talented younger
figures such as Bridget Phillipson and Wes Street-
ing to the education and health briefs respectively
were encouraging signs that Labour is at last aban-
doning the baneful history of recent years.
It is Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, who
has the biggest responsibility for ensuring that this
is not just another presentational sleight-of-handbut a genuine shift away from the fantasy politics
of the Corbyn era. She has promised that tax reve-
nues would at least match day-to-day public ex-
penditure under a Labour government and that
the burden of public debt would be set on a down-
ward trajectory. This is a welcome stress on eco-
nomic realism, but the question remains of how
Labour will levy taxes, and on whom. The shadow
cabinet is so far speaking only in general terms
about moving the burden from income to assets
and to wealth taxes. Whether Labour believes the
current tax burden is too high is unclear.
If it wants credibility on the economy, Labour
will have to be braver in spelling out who will pay
more and how, especially as it has decided to
oppose the 1.25 per cent rise in national insurance
contributions for both employers and employees
to meet the costs of social care and clearing the
NHS backlog.
Labour will not win, nor will it deserve to win, if
it banks on voters rejecting Mr Johnson. For a start
the chances are rising that Sir Keir’s opponent will
not be the current prime minister. The country
needs to be presented with a proper choice at the
next election and for that to happen requires more
work from Labour’s leader to prove he can lead an
alternative government.the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine ever since.
The conflict has cost some 14,000 lives to date.
Moscow accuses the government in Kiev of perpe-
trating genocide against ethnic Russians, and
Nato of planning an eastward expansion for which
it demonstrably has no wish.
The truth is different. After the collapse of the
Soviet Union, Nato treated the independence of
Ukraine and Belarus as an assurance of security
for the newly democratic countries of Central
Europe. A progressive scaling back of US military
deployments in Europe, including the withdrawal
of 12,000 troops from Germany ordered by Presi-
dent Trump in 2020, has been testament to an ab-
sence of any expansionist tendencies on the part
of the western democracies. Under the fraudulent
rule of Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus has be-
come a satrap of the Kremlin. And Mr Putin is us-
ing threats to pull Ukraine back into Russia’s orbit.
This cannot stand. Russian occupation of
Ukraine, whether by force of arms or subversion
and intimidation, will allow a hostile power to ex-
pand its reach to the borders of Poland, Slovakia,
Hungary and Romania, all of them Nato member-states. At that point, the western democracies will
have no responsible option but to deploy large
contingents of ground troops to Central Europe in
response to a new Cold War pursued by Russia.
That is why it is essential that the US and its
allies deter Mr Putin’s expansionism now, rather
than await his next move. Despite Mr Trump’s
abrasiveness towards Nato allies, his administra-
tion belatedly provided military aid to Ukraine,
including Javelin anti-tank missiles. The Biden
administration has prepared a $200 million pack-
age of further military aid and should deploy it
speedily if Mr Putin shows no sign of backing
down. Nor should the Kremlin be under any illu-
sion that punitive economic sanctions will follow
any aggression against Kiev.
In the Cold War against communism, the west-
ern democracies were constrained and inconsist-
ent but not ultimately cowed in their dealings with
the Soviet leadership. A policy of containment,
diplomatic pressure and military deterrence
eventually prevailed. Mr Biden, with the support
of Nato allies, must show similar resolution in
support for Ukraine now.On the subject of Bewick’s swans, many thanks
for the hundreds of suggestions for names for the
pair recently arrived at Slimbridge. While there
are too many to list here, suffice it to say, if there’s
any justice Desmond Tutu will live on under a
new, avian identity. Your enthusiasm for the
project exemplifies how readers engage, not just
financially but creatively, with the issues each
charity is seeking to address. Our coverage of the
work of Outward Bound and the Refugee Coun-
cils has provoked a similarly enthusiastic response
to the WWT swan name-game. The debates are
always stimulating.As the appeal passes its mid-point, some words
of gratitude are in order. Thanks are due to Sir
Chris Bonington, Dame Emma Thompson and
Chris Packham, among many other celebrities, for
their time and tweets. And also to all the people at
various outposts of the three charities who have
been so welcoming and informative to our report-
ers. Most of all, thanks go to you for your gen-
erosity. Although our editorial coverage will taper
off after next week, donations will still be welcome
until the end of January. Even as the festive period
dwindles in the rear-view mirror, feel free to keep
your munificence coming.Starmer’s Progress
Labour has made headway in becoming a competitive force again, but voters will
expect the party to be clearer about its policies, especially on tax
Almost two years into his leadership, and despite
setbacks, Sir Keir Starmer has at last managed to
secure for Labour a respectable lead in the opinion
polls. The recovery in his and the party’s fortunes
perhaps appears more dramatic than it is because
the original valuation of him was too low. The
former director of public prosecutions was
charged by his critics with lacking charisma and
fixed convictions. But it took guile to convince so
many on Labour’s left that he was the natural suc-
cessor to Jeremy Corbyn when it is now clear there
is an ideological gulf between them.
Sir Keir has been resolute in tackling the shame-
ful legacy left by his predecessor on antisemitism.
In stressing his patriotism and support for the
armed forces and police he has worked diligently
to reassure voters he does not share Mr Corbyn’s
world view. On the pandemic he has steered a
careful, if opportunistic, course that has allowed
him to claim better judgment than Boris Johnson.
There have been fumbles by Sir Keir and much
of the credit for a recovery in Labour’s fortunes
goes to the unforced errors of Mr Johnson. An
inept reshuffle by Sir Keir that triggered a spat
with his deputy, Angela Rayner, made a bad situa-
tion worse following Labour’s poor showing in
May’s local elections. He was stubborn in resistingMoscow’s Menace
The western democracies must stress the heavy costs to Russia if it invades Ukraine
Visiting Kiev in August 1991, President George
HW Bush took a strong stance against independ-
ence for Ukraine. It was a rare but serious error in
his diplomacy to bring the Cold War to a peaceful
end, and his warnings against “suicidal national-
ism based on ethnic hatred” have not been for-
gotten in the region. The cause that is driven by
such atavistic sentiments, 30 years on, is not
Ukraine’s struggle to maintain its territorial integ-
rity but the imperialist aggression directed against
it by the Putin regime in Moscow.
In a telephone conversation on Thursday, Presi-
dent Biden told his counterpart Vladimir Putin,
that the US and its allies would respond decisively
in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. That
message needs to be stressed. Ukraine poses no
military threat to anyone. The Putin regime’s
massing of 100,000 troops near its eastern border
is a signal of contempt for a rules-based inter-
national order.
Russia unilaterally altered the boundaries of
Europe by force in 2014, when it annexed Crimea
in defiance of international law. Mr Putin’s proxy
forces have been attacking Ukrainian troops inHalfway Home
After a month, with another to go, our Christmas appeal is in great shape
The annual Times and Sunday Times charity
appeal is storming along. Thanks to your dona-
tions — small, medium and in the case of some of
the match-funding contributions from wealthy
philanthropists, gratifyingly large — we have so
far raised over £2 million for the Refugee Councils
of Britain, Outward Bound and the Wildfowl and
Wetlands Trust, our three chosen beneficiaries.
The running total compares well with previous
efforts — even with 2020, which was a bumper
year. Like a Bewick’s swan soaring over the WWT-
run marshland at Slimbridge on the banks of the
Severn, the appeal has taken majestic flight.Daily Universal Register
UK: London new year parade livestreamed.
South Africa: Funeral of Archbishop
Desmond Tutu takes place in Cape Town.
Saudi Arabia: The Dakar rally begins.
Dame Mary Beard,
pictured, professor of
classics, University of
Cambridge, and classics
editor of TLS, 67; Altynai
Asylmuratova, prima
ballerina, Kirov Ballet/
Mariinsky Theatre, 61;
Alison Bevan, director, Royal West of
England Academy, 57; Lord (Nicholas)
Bourne of Aberystwyth, minister for Wales
(2017-19) and minister for faith (2016-19), 70;
Jon Callard, rugby union player, Bath (1989-
99) and England (1993-95), now coach, 56;
Gia Coppola, film director, Palo Alto (2013),
35; Morgan Fisher, musician, Mott the
Hoople, 72; Trevor Grove, journalist, editor,
The Sunday Telegraph (1989-92), 77; Abdul
Hamid, president of Bangladesh, 78; Bill
Jacklin, painter, 79; Christine Lagarde,
president, European Central Bank, managing
director, IMF (2011-19), 66; Frank Langella,
actor, Frost/Nixon (2008), 84; Paul Lawrie,
golfer, winner of the Open (1999), 53; Jimi
Mistry, actor, Coronation Street (2013-15), 49;
Prof Sir Anton Muscatelli, economist,
principal and vice-chancellor, University of
Glasgow, 60; Alassane Ouattara, president
of Côte d’Ivoire, 80; Phoebe Philo, fashion
designer, 49; Joseph Saddler (Grandmaster
Flash), hip-hop artist, 64; Georgina von
Etzdorf, textile designer, 67; Jack Wilshere,
footballer, West Ham United (2018-20) and
England (2010-16), 30.
In 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia
was declared. Edmund Barton served as the
first prime minister.
David Bailey, pictured,
photographer, 84; Kate
Bosworth, actress, 21
(2008), 39; John Bowers
QC, employment law
expert, principal,
Brasenose College,
Oxford, 66; Daniel Care,
rugby union player, Harlequins and
England, 35; Tia Carrere, actress, True Lies
(1994), 55; Alex Chisholm, chief operating
officer, Civil Service, and permanent
secretary, Cabinet Office, 54; Neil Dudgeon,
actor, Midsomer Murders (2000-21), 61;
Penelope Lyttelton, Viscountess Cobham,
director-general of The 5% Club (2017-20),
chairwoman, VisitEngland (2009-17), 68; Sir
Rod Eddington, chief executive, British
Airways (2000-05), 72; David Graveney,
cricketer, chairman, England Test selectors
(1997-2008), 69; Yury Grigorovich, ballet
dancer and choreographer, artistic director
of the Bolshoi Ballet (1964-95), 95; Sir John
Hood, chairman, Rhodes Trust (2011-19),
vice-chancellor, University of Oxford
(2004-09), 70; Baroness (Lucy) Neville-
Rolfe, chairwoman, Crown Agents,
UK-Asean Business Council, Red Tractor
owner Assured Food Standards (2017-20),
commercial secretary to the Treasury (2016-
17), 69; Sir Richard Olver, chairman, BAE
Systems (2004-14), 75; Francois Pienaar,
rugby union player, South Africa (1993-96),
55; Kane Tanaka, the world’s oldest verified
living person, 119; Christy Turlington, model,
53; Tim Wainwright, chief executive,
WaterAid UK, 58.
“Unless a man starts afresh about things, he
will certainly do nothing effective.”
GK Chesterton, writer, lay theologian and
critic, A Chesterton Calendar (1911)
Birthdays today
Birthdays tomorrow
On this day
The last word