The Times - UK (2022-02-16)

26 Wednesday February 16 2022 | the times

Letters to the Editor

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cleared up years ago by the

negotiation of a formal treaty but

weren’t, and the peoples of the former

Soviet Union are having to live with

the consequences.

Alistair Newton

Theydon Bois, Essex

Sir, Edward Lucas (“The speech that

Liz Truss should have given”,

comment, Feb 14; letters, Feb 15) is

right about Britain’s complacency

over Russian kleptocracy. Beyond the

“enablers” who facilitate money

laundering, there is another form of

enabler, one that seeks to launder

reputations and shut down

journalistic inquiry. The five legal

cases pursued against the journalist

Catherine Belton and her publisher

last year for the book Putin’s People

gave one of the most public insights

into this tactic, often referred to as

SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against

public participation). The vast

majority of these threats are hidden,

sent to journalists all over the world

by UK lawyers in letters marked

“private and confidential”, threatening

costly legal action if information

about their wealthy clients’ potential

wrongdoing is not scrubbed from the

public record. This is highly damaging

for media freedom, tackling

corruption and ultimately democracy.

The US already has anti-SLAPP laws

in place in some states and recently

recognised their impact in its new

anti-corruption strategy, launching a

global Defamation Defence Fund to

protect journalists from this form of

attack. In the UK we are rightly

proud of our legal system but we must

remain aware of how it can be abused

from within. To add to all of Lucas’s

excellent proposals, the UK needs to

adopt an anti-SLAPP law.

Susan Coughtrie

Project director, the Foreign Policy

Centre think tank

Sir, William Hague draws attention to

Vladimir Putin’s lengthy article on the

historic unity of the Ukrainian and

Russian peoples. I have just read

Putin’s article, which gives a logical,

detailed and clear explanation of his

thinking. Would that Liz Truss had

read it before giving her moralistic

and counterproductive lecture to the

Russian foreign minister, for had she

done so she might have noticed some

areas of common ground on which to

build a lasting peace.

Peter Baron

Chichester

Djokovic’s non-jab

Sir, Novak Djokovic enjoys the

freedom from smallpox and polio that

all of us in the UK enjoy because

millions of citizens were vaccinated to

help to eradicate these dreadful

diseases (“I’d rather miss Grand

Slams than have Covid vaccine”,

thetimes.co.uk, Feb 15). Unfortunately

polio persists in parts of the world

where vaccination has been opposed.

Sadly millions have died during the

coronavirus pandemic. However, we

are now beginning to emerge from

the pandemic in large part because of

the tens of millions of citizens who

have been vaccinated, and as a result

millions of lives have been saved.

Djokovic is quite right that he should

have the freedom to choose not to be

vaccinated but quite wrong if he

believes that his decision is victimless.

John Barnes

Consultant physician, Truro

Keep the Marbles

Sir, It is great news that the Elgin

Marbles could be perfectly copied by a

new high-tech sculpture robot (report,

Feb 14; letter, Feb 15) but the copies,

rather than the originals, should be

sent to Greece, so as to avoid setting a

catastrophic precedent for the future

of Britain’s world-renowned museum.

Today the Greeks; tomorrow every

other disputant.

Phillip Hodson

Tetbury, Glos

Worzel’s awake

Sir, Charlie Flindt may think he has

an original suggestion in his human

bird scarer (letter, Feb 14) but there is

a true version of this, told to me by

my mother. She was born in 1923 and

grew up in Cirencester, where the

local farmer (her grandfather) paid a

small sum to an elderly villager whose

job it was to frighten the crows away.

He was dressed like a scarecrow due

to his poor situation and could be

heard shouting “Away crows”

repeatedly at the top of his voice.

Meriel Goddard

Weybridge, Surrey

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Persecution of

subpostmasters

Sir, Your leading article on the Post
Office’s scandalous treatment of
hundreds of subpostmasters presents
a picture of a well-resourced state
body relentlessly pursuing individuals
while denying them access to the
tools to mount a robust defence (“Lost
in the Post”, Feb 15).
If and when the questions of
culpability and compensation are
fully addressed, justice must be seen
to be done in an appropriate manner.
Merely paying compensation, which
may simply involve insurers and the
taxpayer, will not be enough.
Individuals in the Post Office must be
identified and, if proven guilty,
punished in a manner consistent with
the way in which they ruined the lives
and livelihoods of innocent
subpostmasters and their families.
SM Southall
East Horsley, Surrey

Sir, While I agree with your leading
article that the commission of inquiry
must rigorously examine every aspect
of the Post Office’s legal action
against innocent subpostmasters, it
must also examine the role played by
the lawyers who advised it to pursue
such wrongful prosecutions. They too,
whether retired or not, must be
named and their partnerships fined
for malpractice.
Alick Moore
Sutton Veny, Wilts

Lecturers’ strike

Sir, Will Hart (letter, Feb 15) is right:
the University and College Union
cares little about students, though to
be fair (and I write as a non-member)
that is not really in its remit; the nature
of university employment means that
it is difficult for academics to withdraw
their labour or otherwise work to rule
in any way that does not negatively
affect students. What has always
amazed me, especially since fees were
imposed, is the immediate and full
support given by so many students’
unions to UCU industrial action that
negatively affects the student body. I’m
also frequently surprised by how many
of my students don’t seem to realise
that their union is doing this.
Dr Amanda Hopkins
Senior teaching fellow, School of
Modern Languages and Cultures,
University of Warwick

How the wheels turn inside Putin’s mind

Sir, The view that Ukraine is an

indivisible part of ancient Russia

probably has much support among

the Russian people, and at one time

might well have had a similar level of

support among Ukrainians (“How

Ukraine crisis plays out in Putin’s

head”, William Hague, comment,

Feb 15). Ukraine was not regarded as

a separate administrative entity until

it was identified as a distinct republic

within the Soviet Union. Even then,

the Crimea did not became part of

the Ukraine until its administration

was transferred from Russia during

the Khrushchev era.

What changed the Ukrainians’ view

from “us” to “them” was the

behaviour of the communist

government in setting up collective

farms and then allowing four million

Ukrainians to starve to death during

the 1930s famine that these farms

brought about.

The agreement to break up the

Soviet Union was negotiated between

the presidents of Russia, Belarus and

Ukraine along with their prime

ministers, in a single series of

meetings at a Belarusian dacha

behind Mikhail Gorbachev’s back.

Unfortunately it left far too many

loose ends, which should have been

Sir, Clare Foges’s analysis of the

impact of the surveillance society is

reassuringly optimistic (“Digital

kompromat is changing our

behaviour”, Feb 14). However, her

analogy with the fear of God is

inaccurate. As the Apostle Paul said in

his letter to the Romans: “All have

sinned and fall short of the glory of

God.” We are all worthy of judgment.

By contrast, in this era of digital

monitoring we may all be sinners but

only some of us are caught on

camera. Of course Paul went on to say

that we are justified — put right —

with God through Christ Jesus. Who

will put us right with society when our

video goes viral? At present, it seems,

there is no one. It’s ironic that in an

increasingly secular society we live

with a holier-than-thou attitude.

Graeme D Watson

Edinburgh

Sir, Digital and divine surveillance are

not as similar as Clare Foges suggests.

People do act differently when they

know they are being watched.

However, unlike with smartphones

and CCTV, there has always been

Caught on camera

reasonable doubt about whether an

invisible God really exists. This

uncertainty preserved some freedom,

so even religious people could still

perform good actions for their own

sake, not just from fear of the

observer. If modern technology now

prevents that, is it really so helpful?

Edward Cain

Teacher of religion and philosophy,

Berkhamsted School

from the times february 16, 1922

BAYONET

CHARGE IN

BELFAST

Partying at work

Sir, If the prime minister is to tell

police that “saying goodbye to staff is

part of working life” (report, Feb 14),

then surely saying goodbye to loved

ones who died during lockdown is

also part of life, yet we were denied

this opportunity. That to me is the

sheer hypocrisy of a self-obsessed,

self-indulgent PM who feels entitled

and quite simply does not get it. He is

clearly not fit for public office, given

the clear evidence of his “one rule for

us, one rule for them” ethos.

John Graveling

Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear

Sir, The psychiatrist Karl Tomm is

clear on the meaning of saying sorry

(comment, Feb 12; letters, Feb 14). The

expression can only be meaningful if

it shows an understanding of why

the action created an upset or

annoyed an individual or group.

Saying sorry alone never absolves the

speaker of culpability.

Dorothy Reynolds

Billericay, Essex

thetimes.co.uk/archive

Call for fracking

Sir, Lord Goldsmith does not speak

for me or I imagine the millions of

employees whose jobs will be at

increasing risk as their employers

continue to lose competitiveness

because of rocketing energy prices.

(“Fracking ban stays to avoid local

fury”, Feb 14). The ill-informed and

over-emotional campaign by local

pressure groups, coupled with

over-reaction to some very minor

earth tremors, panicked the

government into walking away from

what should have been this country’s

energy escape route from the disaster

we now face. I hope that the more

enlightened of our MPs will continue

to press for fracking to be allowed.

Chris Jeffries

Cross in Hand, E Sussex

IOC and doping

Sir, The decision to allow a 15-year-

old Russian skater to continue to

compete in the Olympics, despite her

being a drugs cheat, says it all about

the International Olympic

Committee, which has clearly

kowtowed to the bullying tactics of

Russia (“Fury at drug cheat reprieve”,

Feb 15). Sport has rarely stood up to

be counted when a soft option has

been available. It raises the question

of what anyone is doing in Beijing at

the moment, other than providing

credibility to a totalitarian regime.

Howard JC Wells

Former CEO, Irish Football

Association; Berkhamsted, Herts

Sir, The IOC says that it “is

committed to promoting sport in

society, strengthening the integrity of

sport and supporting clean athletes”.

One wonders how these principles fit

with the latest doping scandal. In

2019 the World Anti-Doping Agency

banned Russia from international

sports competitions for four years

after it was found to be running a

state-sponsored doping scheme.

However, this ban was circumvented

at the Tokyo Games, and now at

Beijing, by athletes competing as the

Russian Olympic Committee. What, I

wonder, is the point of the IOC?

Judy Winter

Cleeve Prior, Worcestershire

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

Yesterday was another day of

murder in Belfast, where the

casualty list for five days now

exceeds 100, including over 30 dead.

Mr Churchill announced in

Parliament yesterday that Mr

Michael Collins, who arrived in

London in the morning, had told

him he had secured the release of 15

of the kidnapped Ulstermen, and

hoped that others would be set free

during the day. The more general

distribution of troops and a

downpour of rain this morning

promised comparatively peaceful

conditions today, but the early calm

was soon broken. Fresh outbreaks of

disorder began about 3pm, and in

the Clifton Street district, where

yesterday the caretaker of the

Orange Hall was shot dead, the

military had to make a charge with

fixed bayonets to clear a crowd,

which was regarded as menacing.

Firing first broke out in Stanhope

Street, where concealed snipers

became active. The military, who

throughout the day have been

strongly posted in the disturbed

areas, returned the fire, but had

difficulty in locating the gunmen.

Half an hour later threatening

crowds had collected, and the

soldiers again opened fire.

Eventually a bayonet charge was

ordered, and the streets were

cleared. One civilian was wounded.

Two of the civilians kidnapped in

the border raids last week — Mr

John Anderson, veterinary surgeon,

of Ards, Caledon, and Mr Joseph

MacManus, stationmaster at

Emyvale Road Station, of the

Clogher Valley Railway — have been

released and are now back in their

homes, but there is no news yet of

the release of any of the special

constables. Mr Churchill’s statement

that 15 of the prisoners are to be set

free has only slightly relaxed the

tension here and the Government

will be pressed to secure the freedom

of all who were taken south after the

raids. The border is now very

strongly guarded. At least 10,000 A

and B specials are watching the line,

and British troops are available to

assist if this should become

necessary. There has been no clash

with the IRA since the tragedy at

Clones. Special constables are being

moved only within the territory of

the Northern Government and

considerable use is being made of

motor transport.