Andrew Rawnsley hits the nail on the head (“The Johnson method of government: total power with absolutely no responsibility”, Comment). The government’s words attempt to conjure a smokescreen of reasonableness, honour and respect for democracy, but its actions betray its real intentions.
When we consider the catalogue of errors and incompetences, some eventually patched up by U-turns or the deflection of blame, we should be suspicious about the collective mentality that allows these issues to arise in the first place. There is no escaping the conclusion that, in many cases, decisions are made that promote opportunities for groups favoured by Johnson et al. These decisions can come at a high cost for care homes, A-level students, teachers, doctors, nurses, Tower Hamlets, the civil service, to name but a few.
Backbench Conservative MPs are cross because they are having difficulty defending this style of government. This is a worrying position for them to take, as it demonstrates their complicity in the delusion. Who, with enough power and influence, is left to defend democracy? Have the days of Conservative politicians doing the right thing completely ended?
David Lowndes
Soberton, Southampton
Hampshire
Was there a typo in Andrew Rawnsley’s characteristically devastating critique? He suggests a sign on Boris Johnson’s desk would read “Not me, guv”. Shouldn’t that be “Not gov, me”?
Jeremy Beecham, Labour
House of Lords SW1
Down with algorithms
Rowan Moore’s comments on algorithms are so apposite (“Mutant algorithms”, Comment). I was informed by my computer last week that I had made a negative cost-saving on a particular medication requested by one of my patients (yes, it was costing more compared with the usual). Perhaps this is one of many reasons why I look forward to a retirement free of such nonsense in the not too distant future.
Dr Surinder Singh
London SE14
Solving low-carbon air travel?
If I had a pound for every article written about the return of the airship in one form or another, I would be in Bezos territory in terms of wealth (“UK firm flies high with eco-friendly airship project”, Business).
The shadow of the Hindenburg has somehow blighted airship progress, even though airframe, engine, envelope and gas bag technology, and most of all the use of an inert lifting gas, have transformed the capability, reliability and safety of airships.
Most articles point to safety failings and your piece on the Airlander 10 is no exception. If we followed that logic, we would never fly in wide-bodied jets after the crashes of the Boeing 737 Max.
This time round, it might be different, as the airship can adapt well to the low-carbon footprint environment. Conventional aviation struggles to offer solutions that cut emissions substantially. We may have to balance emissions against speed and the airship may be a solution. The airship can offer city-to-city travel, without needing the enormous airport infrastructure required of fixed-wing aviation and does so without the noise and pollution of rotary-wing aviation.
Ground handling and coping with extreme weather is still a problem with airships, but no more so than the problems facing conventional aviation and shipping.
Richard Styles
Walmer, Kent
Act now to stop deforestation
There is no better time to underscore that deforestation is connected both to climate change and to pandemics such as Covid-19 (“Rampant destruction of forests will unleash more pandemics, warn scientists”, News).
World governments urgently need to be educated about the strong link between the clear-cutting of forests with the transmission of zoonotic diseases such as Covid-19, Ebola and HIV, and we, the public, need to understand the science. This is especially crucial in the US, as we consider our choice in the presidential election and consider whether we want a leader who trusts in and follows science, or one who disdains and dismisses it.
If the threat of five or six new epidemics emerging every year doesn’t sound an alarm, what will? We have seen the lethal and crippling effects of Covid-19 in terms of human lives, economies and healthcare systems. We have seen the destruction of wildlife and habitats due to deforestation. We have also seen how the destruction of forests releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, exacerbating the effects of climate change with temperatures rise every year, resulting in the wildfires, massive flooding and severe hurricanes we’re experiencing.
What else must we endure before we realise that we need to end the clear-cutting of forests? We must band together and act now if we are to prevent future pandemics.
Terrisa Tran
Rancho Cucamonga, California
E-scooters: a warning
I read with interest “How the reign of e-scooters has ruined my Paris” (Focus). Now our government has decided to allow e-scooters in the UK. Some rules have been set: the e-scooter user must have a driving licence, it must be a rental, riders must use the cycle lane, maximum speed is 15mph, and only one person is allowed on a scooter. But I have seen these rules flouted many times in recent months.
In Paris, Agnès Poirier described a “sharp rise in accidents, some fatal, involving e-scooters and pedestrians, e-scooters and cars, e-scooters and cyclists, e-scooters and trees, e-scooters and dogs”. This scenario will become a daily experience in cities throughout the UK as more people return to work.
A public campaign needs to be launched to educate e-scooter riders and the public, signs need to be posted to remind cyclists and e-scooters to use the cycle lane and not the pavement, and the laws must be enforced by the police to protect pedestrians.
Elliot Shubert
London SE9
Thank you, Alastair Campbell
I am sure thousands of people with less-than-perfect mental health are, like me, feeling grateful to Alastair Campbell for describing the daily “scoring” of his depression (“I’ve finally learned to live with my enemy”, Magazine). I’ve never articulated my level of struggle via a number, not even to myself, but I too have learned over decades when to avoid meetings, when to look after myself, when to celebrate a good day.
If his book (and his apparently eccentric but utterly sensible method) helps someone who is new to the depression game to acknowledge their illness and manage it, a great work will have been done.
Alison Carter
Lindfield, West Sussex
