The Times - UK (2022-05-02)

26 Monday May 2 2022 | the times

Letters to the Editor

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The fight for Spain

Sir, While offering deep sympathy to

the family of Scott Sibley (“Briton

dies and second missing in Ukraine”,

Apr 29), I am sadly reminded that my

aunt, Felicia Browne, an artist trained

at the Slade School, was the first

British volunteer to die in the Spanish

Civil War in 1936. She was 32. She had

driven in a Morris Cowley to Spain

with a friend, Dr Edith Bone, arriving

in Barcelona determined to fight for

the Republicans. She told them: “I can

fight as well as any man.” Her offer

was not accepted but she chose to stay

on the front line and make sketches.

Her drawings and sketchbooks were

purchased by the Tate in 2010. Her

brother Harold had been killed in

France as a young pilot in 1918, the

week before his 19th birthday. What a

legacy of sadness these conflicts leave.

The Rev Peter Marshall

Ilkley, W Yorks

Jazz royalties

Sir, Ben Macintyre’s article about the

Queen’s fondness for Duke Ellington

was clearly reciprocated by the jazz

composer (Comment, Apr 30). In 1959

his orchestra went in to the recording

studio and produced just one vinyl

pressing of The Queen’s Suite, in

honour of Her Majesty. The copy was

presented to her by Ellington but was

never commercially released in his

lifetime. It is therefore perhaps no

surprise that the Queen is so fond of

Ellington and his wonderful music.

Ray Smith

Sandhurst, Berks

Macmillan’s degree

Sir, In his review of Simon Kuper’s

book Chums (Saturday Review,

Apr 30), Hugo Rifkind writes that

Harold Macmillan fought in the First

World War after graduation. I should

point out that he never did graduate.

He signed up to fight in his second

year of Oxford and, as one of the two

Balliol men who survived the conflict

out of the 28 in his year, refused to

return to complete his degree, feeling

that the university would never be

the same. In later life he would say he

had been “sent down by the Kaiser”.

Stewart Slater

Petts Wood, Kent

Half measures

Sir, Carol Midgley refers to the “lady’s

drink tax” of half pints (Notebook,

Apr 30). In the 1960s while a student

in Bristol, I would frequent a pub in

Clifton that served only cider. If you

ordered two pints, you were asked:

“Is one of these for a lady? We serve

ladies only half pints”. The response

was, of course: “Make it one pint and

two halves please.” Problem solved.

Roger Bawden

Melton Mowbray, Leics

Come dine with me

Sir, Any successful dinner party in

this day and age may indeed involve

a cabinet minister, a duchess and a

beautiful woman (letter, Apr 30). I

recommend combining these

attributes to save on the washing up.

Margaret K Green

Odiham, Hants

Sir, According to a maître d’ of a

well-known Monégasque hotel, the

oil tycoon Nubar Gulbenkian’s ideal

number for a dinner party was two:

“Me and a damn good head waiter.”

Robin Wills

Hollycombe, W Sussex

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Caribbean crisis

Sir, Your report “How Miami Vice
snared premier” (Apr 30) about the
latest problems in a British overseas
territory, and the proposed two-year
remedy, sounds all too familiar. The
allegations about the premier of the
British Virgin Islands are almost
identical to a case in the Turks and
Caicos Islands of a former chief
minister jailed in the United States in
1985 for conspiring to smuggle drugs.
In 2009 the British government
imposed direct rule from London for
three years when the Turks and Caicos
economy was brought to the brink
of collapse after excessive spending
by another premier and his ministers,
some of whom are still facing
corruption charges 13 years later.
Other territories have also nearly
gone broke, or become embroiled in
multiple child sex abuse cases.
Successive British governments
have rearranged the furniture:
commissions of inquiry, financial
bailouts, annual consultations in
London. The prospect of yet another
short-term fix in the British Virgin
Islands, after a fleeting ministerial
visit, will be great for lawyers and
financial advisers but yet another
unnecessary expense for the British
taxpayer. It must be time for ministers
to take a strategic, long-term view
of our links to at least some of our
territories, including looking at how
the French and Dutch appear to
have found better ways of handling
their former colonial Caribbean
islands than Britain has managed.
Peter Beckingham
Governor, Turks and Caicos Islands,
2013-16

HRT shortages

Sir, Further to your reports on HRT
shortages (Apr 30), I wish to point
out that the menopause is a natural
process. It is portrayed as a disease to
be cured rather than an important
part of a woman’s life. There may be
cases where HRT has a role — after
hysterectomies — but media coverage
and celebrity endorsements have
overshadowed the idea of a healthy
natural menopause where the journey
through undeniably unpleasant
symptoms leads to a more balanced
mid-life. Maintaining a healthy
weight, exercising and keeping alcohol
intake low can minimise symptoms.
Like puberty and childbirth, the
menopause is not always easy but to
get through it naturally brings great
benefits, particularly not being
dependent on a prescription.
Vicky Jones
Corwen, Denbighshire

Sir, The draft proposals from the

National Institute for Health and

Care Excellence (“Stop taking

painkillers for arthritis, patients

told”, Apr 29) are appropriate for

osteoarthritis patients with early

disease to manage their symptoms.

However, we must not forget the

700,000 patients on orthopaedic

waiting lists, with at least 200,000

waiting for operations, as a large

number of these patients have

arthritis. These patients have tried

and failed to have their symptoms

controlled by weight loss, exercise,

anti-inflammatory tablets and

creams, and now need surgery. It is

important these patients continue to

be active and lose weight if possible,

but they should not stop taking

painkillers without first discussing

this with their doctors. These patients

really need surgery and every effort

must be made to prioritise operations.

Patients with severe end-stage

arthritis and needing surgery were

not included in the scope of the

Nice guidance. Surgery is highly

effective for patients with advanced

osteoarthritis and 98 per cent get

important and often life-changing

pain relief. While waiting for surgery,

Easing the pain

these patients are in a lot of pain and

painkillers remain an important part

of making life bearable.

Professor John Skinner

President of the British Orthopaedic

Association

Sir, The Nice proposals have all the

hallmarks of a money-saving exercise

dreamt up by lively, slim and supple

folk who have never had an arthritic

twinge in their lives. Osteoarthritis

is painful, increasingly limiting and

depressing. To get to the lavatory can

be bad enough, but exercise? You

must be joking. If you are miserable

from constant pain, comfort food

and weight gain is hard to avoid.

I have arthritis in two kinds: osteo

and rheumatoid. I have learnt to deal

with and limit the side effects of the

osteoarthritis, but have had very little

help; osteoarthritis does not attract

the research grants that rheumatoid

does. I have never been prescribed

painkillers; I suspect it is assumed

that I can cope with over-the-counter

medication. Painkillers are necessary

a few times a month to help me to

relax and ensure a good night’s sleep.

Depressing osteoarthritis sufferers

even more with silly suggestions is

neither kind nor helpful.

Anne Willis

Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts

from the times may 1, 1922

THE CUP FINAL.

A DISPUTED

PENALTY

thetimes.co.uk/archive

Maths muddle

Sir, Trevor Harley identifies the need

for serious analysis of the reasons why

girls do not take on maths and physics

at A-level (letter, Apr 30). One reason

is the narrowness of the three-subject

A-level system, which requires girls

— and boys — to make life-defining

decisions at the age of 15 or 16. An

alternative system is the international

baccalaureate. It provides breadth

through six subjects and every

student is required to study maths, a

science, a language, English and a

humanities subject. This allows pupils

to make big decisions at a later date.

John Claughton

Former chief master, King

Edward’s School, Birmingham

Sir, In no other country do people

display their hatred of maths so

proudly as an academic accolade than

in Britain. Also, there is no such entity

as “hard maths”, just as there is no

“hard English literature”. Sadly, there

is inefficacious mathematics teaching.

The most rewarding form of learning

is autodidacticism, but nowadays

life is too short for that luxury. So

instead we need stellar teachers.

Doug Clark

Currie, Midlothian

The Football Association Cup Final

of 1922 will be remembered chiefly

for two things. First, the welcome

return to fame by the Preston North

End club was marred not only by an

unsatisfactory defeat, but also by a

most unworthy game. Second, it was

the last of three Finals played on the

Stamford Bridge ground — next

season the match will be played

inside the huge enclosure erected by

the Empire Exhibition at Wembley.

Huddersfield Town won the Cup on

Saturday by the only goal scored —

a penalty, about which a storm of

controversy is certain to rage in

Lancashire and Yorkshire for weeks

to come. The only thing really worth

saying about it is this. Whether the

trip in question took place just inside

or just outside the penalty area is

open to doubt, and matters little.

The foul was a flagrant and typical

one; each side equally determined to

stop any player who looked at all

dangerous, regardless of all rules,

written and unwritten. Preston had

the ill luck to pay the penalty;

Huddersfield had the good luck to

kick it. That is all. The crowd on

Saturday was not large as Cup Final

crowds are reckoned. 55,000 people,

however, swaying and shouting on

the monster banks of a modern

football ground, are ample to make

an impressive spectacle and produce

that rising and falling roar that tells

an entire neighbourhood how the

great game is going. Many people —

temperance reformers not included

— will lament the disappearance of

the old festive days at the Crystal

Palace, where over 100,000 people

could see the match. The Chelsea

ground does not hold more than

80,000, and to ensure that that

figure shall never be reached the

price of admission is kept as high as

possible. Saturday afternoon was

warm, and the ambulance men and

their bottles and stretchers were kept

busy, but one is inclined to believe

that most of the victims belonged to

the friendly army of invasion from

the provinces who, in addition to

their long railway journeys and

patient waiting to see the Red or

White Rose prevail, tramped an

unconscionable number of miles

over the streets of London and made

the West End, in particular, a strange

place of grey cloth caps and healthy

English accents. If the Cup Final

does nothing else it reminds Central

London that England really exists.

Sir, The latest scandal at Westminster,

involving the Tory MP Neil Parish

watching pornography in the

Commons (reports, Apr 30), provides

an opportunity for an overhaul of

its language and practice, which is

outdated and elitist in a modern

democracy. How is it appealing for

women and people of colour to enter

a working environment where

discipline is administered by a chief

whip? Surely all those centuries of

privileged education can contrive a

more appropriate title — if diversity,

inclusion and providing a safe space

to participate in all areas of national

life are genuine aims. Parliament

should examine the ways in which

its conduct of business maintains a

breeding ground for misogyny,

elitism and discriminatory practices.

W Deane McIntyre

Manchester

Sir, If there is to be a reform of

parliament to help to improve the

conduct of members’ behaviour,

may I suggest one change that could

be implemented immediately: the

cessation of providing alcohol on the

premises (perhaps apart from official

functions). In this day and age,

which other place of work provides

alcohol for consumption throughout

a day’s work? This change would

also save the taxpayer a considerable

sum given that the bars are heavily

subsidised.

Peter Bridges

London N1

Sir, There has been much expression

of shock at what one MP was

watching in the chamber of the

Commons on a given day. Surely

many more of us are concerned

that our MPs are playing with

their phones at all when they are

supposed to be focusing on the

business of the House on our behalf.

Karen Cooksley

London EC1

Sir, Two cheers for Neil Parish. He did

not persist in waiting for a report to

find what, in his heart, he already

knew was the truth and he then did

the right thing and resigned. A man

who errs may still be a man of

principle. The central problem with

parliament at the moment is that a

proper sense of principle does not

trickle down from the top; a Speaker’s

review of how parliament functions

will not repair a failure of leadership.

Timothy Young QC

London WC2

Sir, I am not at all surprised that

Westminster has the feel of an

“old boys club”, as the MP Caroline

Nokes says (report, Apr 30). Its very

hallowed environs have created this

impression. It looks too chummy,

antiquated and not fit for purpose

for the 21st century. Parliament

should be housed in a modern,

purpose-made building, and then

maybe there would be less of this

heinous behaviour.

Judith A Daniels

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

Sir, While it is deplorable that an MP

has been watching porn within the

House of Commons, it is astonishing

that the IT infrastructure allows

this to happen. The firewall used by

my company won’t even allow me

to check the opening times of a local

pub, let alone watch porn.

Antony Hurden

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

How to rid Westminster of its sleaze problem