The Times - UK (2022-04-13)

32 Wednesday April 13 2022 | the times

Letters to the Editor

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evaporated. Our reluctance to address

this led to the failure to equip

Ukraine to deter the Russian invasion

we knew would continue and to

revitalise Nato in time to cause

President Putin to pause. For a group

as rich and powerful as Nato and the

EU to allow a country as relatively

weak as Russia to set the terms of

engagement is a strategic catastrophe.

Setting this right will require new

societal resilience, the skilful

orchestration of public and private

sector in collective western influence,

and the transformation of armed

force for warfare in the digital age.

This is equally necessary to meet the

combined challenges of the rise of

China, climate change and the digital

age. It will be hard, expensive and

enduring but also now unavoidable.

General Sir Richard Barrons

Former commander of Joint Forces

Command; Hook, Hants

Sir, Max Hastings argues for

prudence over Russia’s nuclear

blackmail. Nato has sensibly ignored

reckless voices urging direct combat

with Russia (which would cross a

known nuclear threshold). But it is

not a given that “only a sordid

bargain” with Putin will end this war.

The conflict started eight years ago.

With brutal force, Russia may gain a

somewhat larger area of the Donbas

than it held before and Putin claim a

second-class “victory”, but a military

stalemate there is unlikely to lead to a

negotiated settlement on terms

acceptable to Ukraine. We could face

further years of low-intensity or

intermittently frozen conflict until a

future Russian leader decides (as with

Afghanistan) to withdraw in Russia’s

best interests. The West must gear up,

not for sordid bargains but to provide

both military and economic help to

Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Sir Roderic Lyne

British ambassador to Russia 2000-04;

London SW14

Sir, It is difficult to understand how

Max Hastings reconciles his belief that

a Ukrainian defeat of Putin’s offensive

in Donbas may prove “attainable” with

his prediction that a “generational

defeat” of Russia will be impossible;

and that Ukraine will be left with a

“rump” subject to further attacks. It is

even harder to see how the West can

lay down its “red lines” and “mean

them” while advertising that it is

wedded to a caution that would never

contemplate a “general clash”.

Strangest of all, Hastings describes

this timid concession that he himself

recommends on behalf of Ukraine as a

“sordid bargain”. I am sure Boris

Johnson will be grateful for the advice,

but must puzzle over what it means.

Paul Green

Croydon

Barristers’ strike

and legal aid funds

Sir, Further to your report “Barristers’

strike threatens to halt criminal trials”

(Apr 11), the government’s refusal to

adequately fund the criminal legal aid

budget risks a complete collapse of

the criminal justice system. The

belated promise by Dominic Raab,

the justice secretary, of a £135 million

increase in funding — representing a

15 per cent increase in the criminal

legal aid budget — does not go far

enough, given the unprecedented

backlog in cases caused by the

pandemic. With some trials

potentially delayed until 2024, the

criminal justice system is at breaking

point: it deserves far more attention.

Nick Scott

Former barristers’ clerk; Bristol

Spirit of the law

Sir, In response to your leading article

“Transparent Chancellor” (Apr 12), the

core issue is not whether any laws have

been broken, as by all accounts they

have not. It is that the spirit of the law

has. In seemingly not recognising this

distinction, the chancellor is

undermining his role as the

government’s chief finance minister.

While accepting that his wife was

perfectly entitled to manage her own

financial and taxation affairs, he should

nonetheless have been open with the

public about her tax status and his

green card when coming into office.

Andrew Leslau

Milton Common, Oxon

Calorie counting

Sir, David Jackson (letter, Apr 11)

suggests that a simple calorie label

hides different metabolic patterns of

carbohydrates and fats. Having spent

much of my career studying just how

these nutrients are taken into the

body and utilised, I beg to differ. Our

metabolism has evolved over many

millennia to cope with a mixed diet

and in the end, nothing beats the

rule that a calorie is a calorie. And

it’s one number that every diner

will understand.

Keith Frayn

Emeritus professor of human

metabolism, University of Oxford

BBC talent ‘exodus’

Sir, It is good to know that the BBC is

shedding some of its overpaid

presenters (“Exodus of stars saves BBC

£2m on wage bill”, Apr 11). It is to be

hoped that this means that the board

has at last realised these members of

staff became well liked and famous

because the BBC put them in front of

their millions of viewers. There are

plenty of up-and-coming people ready

to fill their places who will be happy to

accept a modest salary, knowing that

the fame brought about by their

appearance on the BBC will

nevertheless bring them fortunes.

Christopher Johnston

Milton Keynes

Cider with Daisy

Sir, I grew up in Somerset in the 1950s,

and the heifers grazing in an orchard

behind our garden would regularly eat

cider apple windfalls. On occasion we

would open the gate and the drunken

heifers (letter, Apr 12) would career

through my mother’s washing lines and

romp through the garden with sheets

over their heads. My poor mother.

Julia Stevens

London N13

Corrections and

clarifications

6 In a report of a study into carbon
emissions by age group, we wrongly
said the proportion caused by the
over-60s went from 5 per cent in
2005 to 33 per cent in 2015, and that
they are now the group with the
largest carbon footprint (News, Mar
28). In fact the proportion grew from
25 per cent to 33 per cent, and
emissions caused by the 45-59 age
group were still marginally higher at
the close of the study. We apologise
for the errors. We have been asked to
point out that the study’s authors
stated they did not intend to
apportion blame to any age group.

The Times takes
complaints
about editorial
content seriously. We are committed to
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and regulations and the Editors’ Code of
Practice that IPSO enforces.
Requests for corrections or
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Energy engineers

Sir, In response to Emily Gosden’s
analysis “Laudable ambition but solid
proposals are sorely lacking” (Apr 8;
letters, Apr 12), I would agree that the
ambition to address energy security
while maintaining progress towards
net zero is welcome. However, further
measures to reduce demand are
needed and the engineering realities
of implementation will be a challenge.
What has not been mentioned is the
difficulty of ensuring that we have the
skills required to achieve these
ambitions. This demand for growth
comes at a time when engineering
skills have stagnated. The proportion
of students studying engineering has
remained at about 5 per cent for 15
years. Subjects such as electronic and
electrical engineering, which are
critical to the transition, have
experienced a long-term decline.
It is time to consider such skills
gaps as a constraint on our progress
towards net zero. Engineering skills
must be viewed as a strategic national
asset: we need more direct
government interventions to find our
future engineers.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng
President of the Royal Academy of
Engineering

Speed restraints

Sir, GPS-linked automatic speed
limiters have been available for more
than 20 years. Sadly no government
has had the courage or the will to
promote the phasing in of this life-
saving technology, which obviates the
need for obtrusive and less reliable
methods of enforcing speed limits
(“Founders of ‘Stasi’ anti-speeding app
receive hate mail”, Apr 11). There
surely cannot be any rational objection
to having a built-in speed control
system that automatically enables the
driver to avoid breaking the law and
risking other road users’ lives.
David Slinger
Gloucester

Visions of the likely end game for Ukraine

Sir, As Max Hastings observes,

barring a coup in Moscow Russia will

come out of its war on Ukraine with

more than it deserves, likeliest in a

stalemate fought out in the south and

east (“Only a sordid bargain will end

Ukraine’s war”, Apr 12). I also agree

with him that sending in Nato troops

risks making the war a great deal

worse. We are not, though, at that

stage. Ukraine has a large, keen and

experienced army, which though not

yet trained in the latest weaponry

knows Russia far better than Nato

does. And as President Zelensky

keeps pointing out, Nato could be

sending it much more kit. Moreover,

from the inside Ukraine could not feel

less like an “eviscerated rump”.

Judging by the remarkable volunteer

efforts that I have seen on every side,

and the way Kyiv is already springing

back to life, it will recover rather fast.

The West’s job is to accelerate arms

deliveries, tighten sanctions, and once

the immediate crisis is over, to insist

on trust-busting and judicial reform

in return for financial aid.

Anna Reid

Kyiv; author, Borderland: a journey

through the history of Ukraine

Sir, Max Hastings has illuminated the

long struggle ahead for the West to

establish a balanced relationship with

Russia. The comforts and certainties

of the post-Cold War era have

Sir, That the holders of two of the

highest offices in the land are to be

fined by the police for breaking rules

that they themselves brought in to

deal with the pandemic indicates that

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak think

of the rest of us as “the little people” to

whom the rules apply, and themselves

as above the law. That error of

judgment will cost them dearly.

Deborah Rubli

Chichester

Sir, In 1940, with the Continent

largely under the control of Nazi

Germany and with Hitler’s armies

poised to invade Britain, the country

turned to a new leader, one whom

they knew they could trust to tell

them the truth however difficult the

circumstances. Today we have a

prime minister who has both lied to

parliament and broken the law. It is

essential at this time of international

crisis that trust in our leaders is

restored as quickly as possible. The

Lockdown fines

war in Ukraine is a reason for Boris

Johnson to go, not to stay.

Jeffrey Davis

Brighton

Sir, Sir Keir Starmer’s call for the

resignation of the prime minister and

of the chancellor in the midst of an

international crisis indicates a lack of

judgment equalled only by his

previous endorsement of Jeremy

Corbyn as a potential prime minister.

The sole result would be to give

succour to the UK’s enemies.

David Kirchheimer

Amersham, Bucks

Sir, If Boris Johnson tries to cling on

to power the “partygate” saga will not

go away. Conservative MPs should act

swiftly to elect a new leader, not

necessarily from the present cabinet,

without the hassle of sending names

out to members, a process that could

take months. A new government

could be in place within two weeks,

consigning this sorry saga to history.

Alan Pavelin

Chislehurst, Kent

from the times april 13, 1922

OUR

DAUGHTERS’

FUTURE

Curbing Covid

Sir, You report (“NHS chiefs want new

Covid curbs as infections hit record”,

Apr 11) that NHS managers want new

measures to curtail the spread of

coronavirus and accuse the

government of “abandoning” any

interest in Covid. Whatever happened

to Boris Johnson’s mantra of “following

the science”? It would be good to hear

Professor Sir Chris Whitty’s view.

Chris Petty

Kerridge, Cheshire

thetimes.co.uk/archive

Solar warehouses

Sir, Colin Marsh (letter, Apr 11) rightly

objects to companies buying up farm

land to plant trees. He might also

rightly object to companies using

good agricultural land for solar panels

when there are acres of industrial

roofs that could and should be used

instead, as happens in Germany.

Kirk Rylands

Aspatria, Cumbria

Fathers and mothers of families

must have wondered how soon the

discussion “What can we do with

our sons?” would raise the more

urgent question, “What can we do

with our daughters?” That it is more

urgent can hardly be denied. In most

families there are more girls than

boys; there are not enough husbands

to go round; even if family finances

allowed, sociology, patriotism, moral

science, and common fairness are all

up in arms against the old plan of

keeping daughters ill-educated and

idle at home on short commons

while sons were equipped to make

their way in the world; and there are

far more facilities for training and

occupation for young men than

young women. For the nation’s sake,

for her parents’, and her own, the girl

of today has to be rendered able to

occupy and to support herself. Miss

Katharine Tynan has urged in our

columns the claims and needs of the

Dominions. The need of the

Dominions is still rather for sturdy

manual workers than for educated

women. To the educated woman,

moreover, the Dominions offer only

slightly better chances than to the

manual worker in what a bad old

tradition has named “the marriage

market”. Up to the present the

brightest among the suggestions

made is that there is room in

commerce for large numbers of

educated women. Commerce has

long lost the social stigma: when our

sons are agents for motor-cars we

need make no bones about our

daughters selling hats or keeping

accounts. In the noble professions of

teaching and medicine there are

openings for women; in the arts

(including journalism) womanhood

is no bar to success. But the problem

is acute, and is likely to become

more so. Two principles seem to us

essential. The girls of the family

must no longer be sacrificed to the

boys, but must be trained as

carefully, since they must look to

themselves for occupation and

livelihood. And marriage must not

be made, by any rule or custom, a

greater disability to women workers

than it may in the course of nature

become. These being granted, it is

not improbable that, like the

successful men of the past and

present, the successful women of the

future may provide the endowments

that will make things easier for the

generations that come after.