The Week - UK (2022-02-19)

23

Thesinsof...
ToTheDailyTelegraph
Callstohavethememorialto
TobiasRustatremovedfrom
thechapelofJesusCollege,
Cambridge, asitmightupset
people, sidestepthefactthat
achapelisnotaplacewhere
people shouldfeel comfortable,
butonewheresinsare
confessedandforgiveness
offered.Suchconfessionand
forgivenessencompassthe
wholeof humankind,past and
present,includingslavetraders
andmembersoftheChurch.
TheRev H.BeverleyTasker,
Stratford-upon-Avon,
Warwickshire

Healthtaxrelief
ToTheDailyTelegraph
Taxreliefonprivatehealth
insurancemakessense.
Facingatwo-yearwait for
akneeoperation,Ioptedtogo
private.Myexperience–three
weeksbetweenconsultation
andoperation,excellent
attentionanduptosixmonths
of physiotherapyincluded–led
metorecommendthesame
course toseveralfriends,who
wereequallyenthusiastic.
Wemust have saved the
NHSthousandsandfreedup
hospitaltime.Taxrelieffor
privatehealthinsurance
wouldbeagreatincentivefor
people like metohelprelieve
theNHSofwhatseemsan
insurmountableburden.
Barry Gibbs,Wimborne, Kent

Interneesremembered
ToTheGuardian
Ireadwithgreatinterestthe
excerptfromSimonParkin’s
book,IslandofExtraordinary
Captives,aboutBritain’suseof
internmentin theSecond
WorldWar. Oneextremecase
of abuseandinsult not
mentioned,althoughit may
appearin thebook,isthe case
of thetroopshipHMTDunera,
whichtransported“enemy
aliens”to campsin Australia.
Myfather,Sigmund
Kirstein, wasamongthe
internees: aman in his50s who
hadmanagedto reach Britain
in 1939.The conditionsonthe
Duneraandtheabuseof the
interneesare amatter of
record.Severalof thecrew
werecourt-martialledaftera
journeyof 57days with 2,740
menincarceratedinavessel
meantfor1,600troops.The
interneessuffered physical

abuse,verbalinsults,shortage

of foodandwater–and,

according tomylatefather,

theworst ofallwasthatthere

wereonlytentoiletsformore

than2,000men.The internees’

possessionswerelooted,and

anythingnotconsideredto

be ofvalue wasthrown

overboard.Manyof themen

wereOrthodoxJews,andtheir

prayerbooks andprayer

shawlswerealsoconsigned to

thewavesbytheirguards.On

arrival,themenwereinterned,

mostly atHay inNewSouth

Wales, inveryharshconditions

but,like theinterneesonthe

IsleofMan,theyralliedand

didtheirbestto overcomethe

hardships.

Myfatherreturnedto

Britaintobe reunitedwithhis

wife in Llanelli,but carriedthe

traumaof hisordeal

throughouthis life.It is good

to seethatabookaboutthe

dark chapterof “enemyaliens”

during theSecondWorld War

is nowpublished.

Yehudit Kirstein Keshet, Israel

It goeswithoutsaying

TotheFinancialTimes

Theamazingnewsthat BPis

against payingawindfall tax

rightlymeritedaheadline on

your front page.Andthe

reportitself includedafurther

dramaticrevelationwhen you

quotethe chiefexecutive,

Bernard Looney,saying“we

makemoremoneywhenprices

arehigh’’and,wouldyou

believe,“wealsomake less

moneywhenpricesarelow”.

Suchdeepbusinessinsights

alonejustifythedoubtless

enormousremunerationthat

BPpay him.Whileyou’reatit,

your Romecorrespondent

mightliketoinvestigate

rumoursIhaveheardthatthe

PopeisaCatholic.

David Terry,Droitwich,

Worcestershire

Sweetsideofcapitalism

ToTheTimes

Formost ofthe 2 0thcentury,

theCadburycompany

representedthe best ofBritish

employers, retainingaspecial

fondnessamongits past

employees. Andawalkaround

the“FactoryinaGarden”in

Bournvilleshowswhy. Awell-

plannedvillagewasdeveloped

by an employerthatalways

caredmore about itsemployees

thantheprofitsit generated.

Cadbury’swas notalone:

JosephRowntree,JesseBoot,

WilliamLever,and

ThomasHunter and

GeorgePalmerall

providedgoodpay, a

goodenvironmentand

ameasure of careand

respect fortheir

employees. Business

historyseemsto be

rarely taughtthese

days,butatrawl

througharangeof

Britishcompaniesfrom

thelate19thandearly

20thcenturiesprovides

manyexamples that couldbe

emulatedbybusinessestoday.

JohnKimberley,Kingshurst,

WestMidlands

Theroadtonowhere

ToTheSpectator

TobyYoung’sdismayatthe

newHighway Code rules and

theapparentbiasagainstcar

driversisunderstandable, butI

thinkhemissesoneimportant

point.Wearenotone category

of roaduserbutmany.So

sometimes I’mamotorist,

sometimes acyclist and

sometimes apedestrian.What

weneedonourroadsis mutual

respect,nottribalism.

PaulLarsmon,Burbage,

Wiltshire

Countrymanners

ToTheTimes

Youreport that farmersare

beingencouragedtobe more

friendlyto visitorsin guidance

published underthe

Countryside Code (“Yoo-arr

very welcome”).It isperhaps

truethatwalkersrarelymean

to trespass,buttheirreaction

when itispolitelypointedout

is frequentlyincrediblyrude.

Overthepastfiveyearsof

farming,thestand-out

reactionswhenIhavetold

people that theyarewalking

wheretheyshouldn’taremy

beingadvisedthatIwaswrong

andneeded totakelegaladvice

ontrespass,andbeingaggres-

sivelyinformedthatIneeded

to beaman torequireaperson

nottostrayoffthefootpath.

Thesignsweerecttotell

people whereandwhenthey

can’troamare oftenvandalised

orrippedout.Iamnormally

toofarawaytotry tostop

quadbikesthat aretrespassing

onmyland,or to speakto

parentswhoallowtheir

childrento runthroughcrops.

PhilippaHart,Royston,

Hertfordshire

19 February 2022 THEWEEK

LETTERS

Pick of the week’s correspondence

©THESPECTATOR
●Lettershavebeenedited

Letteroftheweek

Toomanycooksat No. 10

ToTheDailyTelegraph

AsamemberofLadyThatcher’sPolicyUnit in 1982 and

19 83,Iwasamazedtoreadthat thereare now4 00 staffin

DowningStreet.WeinthePolicyUnitwereseven.Therewas

alsoAlanWalters(economics) andAlanParsons(foreign

affairs).Thentherewastheprincipalprivatesecretaryand

fourotherprivatesecretaries;aboutfourinthepress office

underBernardIngham;twoin the politicaloffice;aboutfour

in thehonourssection; abouttenGarden Girls(the

secretaries); andfouror fivemembersof security andpolice.

Therewasnochiefof staffordirectorofcommunications.

Theprincipalprivate secretarywas incharge,andsmall

flexiblegroups,sometimeswiththeprimeminister,werethe

mostefficientwayto discuss issuesandcrises, andcometo

immediateconclusions.WeinthePolicyUnithaddirectlinks

to ministers.Twoof usweresecondedfromindustryandwe

hadonecivilservant–DavidWilletts. Thusthe influenceof

thespecialadviserswas notthat great.

Havingaprimeminister’sdepartmenthasbeenmuch

discussedandwritten aboutovertheyearsbutisalways

dismissedas unworkable.

David Pascall, London

“Wehavenothingaffordable.Can

youcomebackin thepast?”