LETTERS
is considerably cheaper than food in China.
All of this adds up to the current system
that works well — so why try to fix it?
Nicholas Davie-Thornhill
Matlock, DerbyshireUN accountability
Sir: Mary Wakefield’s telling article reveals
the dreadful shortcomings in the UN
(‘Why hasn’t the #MeToo gang exposed
the UN?’, 27 January). How can it be made
accountable? Surely a start can be made
by the women who currently occupy the
positions of special envoy to UNHCR and
the UN women’s goodwill ambassador.
Bernard Rudkin
Sudbury, SuffolkParting ways
Sir: One message of the film Darkest Hour
is, as Charles Moore observes, ‘that it is
sometimes both possible and necessary, if
continental Europe is going one way, for
Britain to go the other’ (The Spectator’s
Notes, 3 February). Members of the
audience may recall that, four years after
the events the film portrays, Britain, still
under Churchill’s leadership, spent some
effort and blood in getting back there.
David Lane
LondonA veteran vet
Sir: Not wishing to bring the wrath of the
British Veterinary Association upon my
head, I instead confine myself to facts
(Real life, 27 January). Some three years
ago, I took our treasured 12-year-old
dachshund to the vet for advice about
her mounting age-related ailments. A
young vet examined her and listed a series
of expensive treatments which I might
consider, though ‘no pressure’. I sought a
second opinion from another vet, hoping
to gain his opinion before his imminent
retirement. This gentleman also examined
the dog equally thoroughly; his advice,
‘Do nothing, let her live on. You will know
when the right moment has come for
action.’ My point? Neither vet was in any
way wrong. One, surely more conscious
of the litigious nature of so many clients
nowadays, understandably followed the
protocols he had been taught. The other,
from a less litigious age and with a wealth
of experience, gave advice based on the
latter. Our dog lived on until last June,
when she was painlessly put to sleep,
nibbling a biscuit to the end.
BVA — please don’t be so prickly.
Richard Bland
Storrington, West SussexStop knocking May
Sir: I find this knocking of Theresa May
increasingly depressing (‘Theresa’s choice’,
3 February). She has a terrible job which
she was dropped into when David
Cameron resigned. She was a Remainer,
yet she is expected to steer the UK through
the Brexit process of leaving the EU with
no experience, as it has never happened
before. She needs all the support she can
get, so please give it to her. No one wants
her job right now anyway.
Lindy Wiltshire
Alton, Hants
My NHS experience
Sir: I am very glad to hear that Mr Hawkes
has had better experiences in NHS
hospitals than I did (Letters, 3 February).
Perhaps in leafy Bucks there are private
hospitals which compete with their NHS
counterparts, unlike in this part of the
world. Incidentally, I have had a letter
from my MP with a consent form giving
him permission to speak to the head of the
NHS hospital trust to which the hospital
I described belongs. With the editor’s
permission, I will report back.
I also had no intention of implying that
use of a Zimmer frame implies mental
senility. I have one myself, which I keep
beside my bed to hang my litter stick and
electronic bed control on.
Elizabeth Roberts
Scotby Village, Carlisle
Austrian hospital
Sir: I was interested in Elizabeth Roberts’s
account of the horrors of her week in
hospital (‘Admission of failure’, 27 January).
I too spent an unplanned eight nights in
hospital over Christmas. Mine was in Zams,
Austria — the result of my father telling me
to ‘man up’ in response to complaints of a
prolonged stomach ache. I collapsed with
acute appendicitis soon after.
My experience, in contrast to hers,
began with a new ambulance, which arrived
for free (courtesy of a European Health
Insurance card). I was offloaded into a near
empty A&E department at 9.45 p.m. on
21 December. I was given an ultrasound
in 15 minutes and operated on within the
hour, before being dispatched to a single
room with an ensuite bathroom. As for
cleanliness — I could have very happily
eaten my breakfast off the floor. All the
nurses were charming and gave every
appearance of really caring about their
hospital and patients. My parents had not
waved a credit card. This service would be
provided to all. It is true that the total bill
for my stay was €3,400 (which was met by
our travel insurance) but this was sent on
to my parents in due course.
In a world where the zeitgeist is about
the angst created by inequality, the UK
needs urgent investment in its health
system. Otherwise it will become the lesser
among equals when compared to
its European counterparts.
Hector Tyser (aged 14)
Newbury, BerksFarming ain’t broke
Sir: Writing as one who has been in
farming for more than 60 years, I would
like to make the following points
(Letters, 27 January). Firstly, Sir James
Dyson runs an extremely efficient and
beneficial enterprise for the nation, and
his investment is a model one compared
with many rich men who place their money
offshore. Secondly, land in Britain is still
cheap when one realises one acre has much
the same value as one Bitcoin. And thirdly,
most farmers make a large contribution
to the maintenance of the landscape and
the rural economy, while producing high-
quality food. Coincidentally, food in Britain