Matthew Syed is spot on in identifying the culture of selfishness that has beset our country (“Patriotism helped us build a better Britain. Entitlement will destroy it”, Jul 27) but it saddened me that he echoes the claims of Sir Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage when he says that “we must stop mass uncontrolled immigration and the dubious cult of multiculturalism”. Notwithstanding the intolerable situation with the small boats, the reality is that in schools, workplaces, sports and social clubs and high streets up and down the land, people are rubbing along together just fine, irrespective of colour or religion.
The greatest irony is that it is often the immigrant population that leads the way when it comes to performing charitable deeds in the community and whose children are the most likely to leave school with the qualifications and work ethic to benefit society. Maybe we could appreciate their positive contribution for a change and learn from their example.
Alan Ward
Ipswich
Matthew Syed’s analysis that the UK needs a return to collective patriotism is correct. Those politicians who have, for decades, seen fit to persuade us that patriotism/pride in being British is akin to wickedness have a lot to answer for.
Christine Page
Ringwood, Hants
Matthew Syed says: “We must stop mass uncontrolled immigration and the dubious cult of multiculturalism.” Few people would disagree with the first aim, but there is some doubt as to what he means by a “dubious cult”. In volunteering for a refugee charity I see a multitude of cultures, and have zero doubt that society is the better for it.
Tom Stubbs
Surbiton, Surrey
Yvette Cooper claims that the government is “fixing the asylum system” (news, Jul 27), which translates as “we are fiddling while Rome burns”. Immigration is fast reaching tinderbox proportions and only the most hard-headed — some might say callous — approach will suffice. International law and convention have let us down and are no longer fit for purpose. The world has placed a target on this country as the destination of choice. We must adopt one criterion for immigrants, and that is whether their acceptance into the UK benefits the country both economically and socially.
Sadly, the days of accepting everybody and anybody among the millions fleeing persecution are over. Allowing the entry of hundreds of thousands of people a year is lunacy. Moreover, sympathy must play no part. Those who reach our shores illegally should be kept in a detention centre until they find somewhere else to go or are deported. Once word got round, the smuggling gangs would be out of a job.
Nigel Duckworth
Dartmouth, Devon
The government fails to acknowledge that not all those who object to uncontrolled immigration are white-British, nor are they far right/fascist. What this dire government and its (mostly white) apparatchiks don’t understand is that many members of long-established ethnic minorities here are equally appalled by the uncontrolled influx. They came here legally to work and have kept their heads down; they resent large groups of alien ethnicities being parachuted into their midst. Lumping vastly differing ethnicities together and presuming they all think as one is ignorant, patronising — and racist.
Madeleine Gillies
Crowborough, E Sussex
Return-to-work plans
Sir Charlie Mayfield is right: too many people with long-term health conditions miss out on early support and then struggle to return to work (“Hating your boss ‘is not a mental health condition’”, Jul 27). Early intervention needs to start with the line manager, yet half of bosses tell us they have struggled to support an employee returning after extended time away. No wonder, when so many have had no management training.
If the government is serious about cutting inactivity it must set clear expectations: credible return-to-work plans, ongoing contact between managers and staff, and proper training for every line manager. Nearly one in four people out of work because of ill health are under 35. Britain cannot afford to waste that potential, or let bad management be the reason we do.
Petra Wilton
Director of policy, Chartered Management Institute
Breast milk tests
Regarding the unregulated market for breast milk in the US (world news, Jul 27), mothers who donate to UK milk banks undergo blood tests for HIV, hepatitis, syphilis and HTLV. Every drop of milk is screened in a laboratory. Mothers who want to use surrogate breast milk should be aware of the long-term implications to their baby’s health without these checks.
Tania Gane
Southampton
Starmer’s struggles
If the PM cares about his future he should read Anthony Seldon’s article (“Starmer’s reboot must be more than deckchair-rearranging”, Jul 27). Keir Starmer should strive to place the “right people in the right jobs” and devise a “clear story to tell [his] troops”. My worry is that Starmer just isn’t good at heeding the best advice.
Bill Jones
Beverley, East Riding
More than scavengers
The article on nature success stories (“Look who’s back”, magazine, Jul 27) states that red kites “feed off carrion and roadkill”. I have red kites nesting in my garden and can assure you that they regularly take and kill living creatures, in addition to stealing food from unattended barbecues. In the past few years they have decimated the number of plover chicks and other ground-nesting birds in the area. Kites have also been seen scooping up ducklings from a nearby moat; luckily, two dropped into my garden so I took them to Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital.
Joyce Marriott
Pyrton, Oxon
Life’s little pleasures
Your report on the falling birthrate stated that one of its consequences is a lack of relatives around the Christmas table such as the “cantankerous uncle who brings up controversial topics” (news, Jul 27). I have to confess that one of the little pleasures of being an uncle at Christmas is making the younger members of the family, all of whom I love dearly, squirm by telling embellished stories from their childhood (especially if they bring partners) and deflating a few egos while managing to appear unaware of my behaviour. No one objects when I retire for 40 winks while they clear up.
Nigel Webb
Appledore, Devon
Rainbow grammar
I agree with Timothy Blewitt regarding the “rainbow mafia” (letter, Jul 27). After my husband died I received a letter from HMRC that referred to him as “they”. I was deeply offended by the grammar and implied gender fluidity. My husband was singular, not plural, and for 83 years was a biological, heterosexual male. Is this practice common to all government departments and agencies in their communications? It is deplorable that a tiny minority of activists have imposed their nonsense on the rest of us and made a mockery of our language.
Novena Tranter
Chester
Grim reality of air crash
As unpalatable as it may be, the chance of a body being recovered after a high-speed air crash is remote (“Her son died in the Air India crash — the wrong body was sent home”, Jul 27). In July, the consul general Lloyd Milen and John Chapman, the chaplain of St George’s Church in Barcelona, along with local dignitaries, attended a ceremony to mark the 55th anniversary of the Dan Air Comet disaster in Catalonia. This ceremony takes place annually at the impressive memorial to the 112 passengers and crew who died. Most came from Lancashire.
In 1970 it took three days in the summer heat to cut a path for heavy machinery to reach the remote crash site. The local authorities declared a health emergency, gathered the remains and buried them in a mass grave in Arbúcies, the nearest town. That seems brutal in today’s world of refrigerated mortuaries and DNA testing. But it reflected the grim reality of a situation where normal identification is all but impossible, even today.
Geoff Cowling
Former HM consul general, Barcelona
Test of sporting nerve
Jeremy Clarkson is right about professional sport becoming boring (“What if Baz from Droitwich had a bash?”, comment, Jul 27) and that Formula 1 has become a high-speed procession — apart from the odd nudge. Imagine the spectator appeal if drivers drew lots at the start of a grand prix, with half the cars going round the circuit clockwise and the rest anti-clockwise. After all, it’s what we amateurs have to cope with every day.
Ian Gordon
Kettleshulme, Cheshire
Still looking great
I don’t “do social media” but if the picture published by The Sunday Times (“I couldn’t care less about ageing”, Jul 27) is anything to go by, and if “wokery” allows, Ulrika Jonsson was, and still is, a beautiful woman.
Maureen Hayward
Stanmore, Middx
Tartan au gratin
Scotland’s links with Gurro (“Pipes, polenta and tartan: the most Scottish village in Italy”, Jul 27) reminds me of my wife and I finding Aubigny-sur-Nère during a trip through France. The town hosts an annual Franco-Scottish festival.
William MacIntyre
East Kilbride
Against the grain
David Woodhead (letter, Jul 27) says young voters’ judgment won’t be clouded by a lifetime of prejudice unless influenced by their parents. I disagree. Most of this age group will vote in direct opposition to their parents.
Richard North
Guiseley, W Yorks
Hostage-taking
Paul Ridley (letter, Jul 27) claims hostage-taking rewards Hamas. Israel has many times more Palestinian prisoners in its jails than hostages held in Gaza. Many Palestinians are also held without charge.
Sheila Smith
Beeston, Beds
Here for the beer
I enjoy Pete Brown’s beer column. As a born and bred Edinburger, I have to say he was on the money last week, both in his choice of Edinburgh pubs and in his assessment of each (magazine, Jul 27).
Vince Macari
Edinburgh
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