Plus: Labour’s economics exposed; NHS record-keeping; support for Ukraine; funding state education; and the three kinds of cider
SIR – I was deeply moved by the remarkable dignity of the public statement delivered by Mark Nowak, the father of Henry Nowak, following the sentencing of Vickrum Digwa for his son’s brutal murder (“Police left my son to die and gave his killer a meal, says victim’s father”, report, June 2).
The case, and the release of body-worn camera footage from the incident, raise important questions about how policing confronts incidents in which race is – or may be – a factor.
There needs to be an inquiry that goes beyond the investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the actions of the individual officers, which led to a young man in his final moments being handcuffed and treated as a suspect instead of receiving the care and support he deserved.
This inquiry should address the belief, held by many, that the fear of accusations of racial bias has weakened operational objectivity and undermined trust in policing. If the Prime Minister wants to avoid further accusations of presiding over “two-tier policing”, he should support such a move.
SIR – It looks as if the first instinct of the police at the scene of Henry Nowak’s murder was to give priority to an accusation of racial abuse over the far more serious claim by the victim that he had been stabbed and could not breathe.
If the IOPC reaches the same conclusion, it will suggest that the anti-racist training of the police is just another example of the long march of wokeism through the public sector and beyond.
This sloppy – if usually well-meaning – philosophy is now woven almost ineluctably into our institutions. It is too often counterproductive, and will take a generation to weed out – if any government has the courage to start the process.
Don Webber
Bembridge, Isle of Wight
SIR– Nigel Farage has spoken for many people regarding the shocking treatment of Henry Nowak (“Henry Nowak’s murder should be a wake-up call for Britain”, telegraph.co.uk, June 2).
I am unable to find words sufficient to express my horror and sadness at the state this country has reached when police officers treat a dying young man with such cruelty and disdain.
Miranda Gudenian
Honiton, Devon
SIR – These days the police are given to addressing all manner of individuals as “sir”.
Why was Henry Nowak repeatedly addressed as “mate”?
Alan Sabatini
Bournemouth, Dorset
Labour’s plan exposed
SIR – The release of the Mandelson files lays bare Labour’s political bankruptcy.
The admission by Pat McFadden, now the Work and Pensions Secretary, that every meeting he had with members of the Parliamentary Labour Party revolved around one question – “Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?” (report, June 2) – shows a lack of moral purpose and intellectual seriousness.
Labour’s plan is simply to redistribute working people’s money.
P J Carroll
London SW17
SIR – John F Kennedy famously challenged his fellow Americans by saying: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Compare this with Sir Keir Starmer, who gave in to his own backbenchers over welfare reform.
Soon Sir Keir will be replaced by an even more Left-wing politician, who will further encourage Britons not to lift a finger. Rather than service and sacrifice, entitlement is now the name of the political game.
Gerald Heath
Box, Wiltshire
Fund state education
SIR – Sir Peter Lampl stated that I went to one of the “great British boarding schools” (News, May 30). This is not correct. I went to state primary and secondary schools, neither boarding.
Perhaps Sir Peter was confused because I went to Harrow County School (as did Michael Portillo), which he probably thought was the private boarding Harrow School. The fees at Harrow were far beyond what my family could afford.
Both my daughters went to state primary and comprehensive schools, and the three of us had a very good education and teachers, but the schools were always short of money. One daughter became a full professor in particle physics and the other a senior producer in sports television.
The best way forward for all our children, and for the future of our country, is to fund state education better, so everyone can achieve their best, including the most able, regardless of their family’s income.
Sir Paul Nurse
London SW1
Invisible indicators
SIR – Mark Olsen suggests that motorists are failing to indicate while using roundabouts (Letters, May 30). However, it may not be motorists who are to blame: indicator lights on some new vehicles are practically invisible.
Often tiny, they are overwhelmed by blinding brake and rear lights. I’ve frequently prepared to overtake an apparently stationary car, only to get nearer and spot blinking indicators.
A V Lofts
Salcombe, Devon
A lesson from the boss
SIR – In 1956 I got my first full-time holiday job at a market garden in the Surrey Hills (Letters, June 2). The main task was to dig a very long trench and then wheel in piles of steaming pig manure, replace the topsoil and plant marrows. I was paid 1s 6d per hour.
On the second day, the owner sat me down and proceeded to explain, with many Bible references, that the world was to end the following year. Over the next three weeks, many hours were spent trying to convince me how we should prepare for Armageddon.
Despite a pay rise to 2s and an offer of further employment, I did not return the following year.
Martin E J Curzon
Brompton, North Yorkshire
Ukraine must prevail
SIR – The response from European nations as missiles and drones cause ever greater danger to life in Ukraine raises the question: what has to happen before more action is taken?
Additional long-range missiles could enable Ukraine to win the war. Discontent is growing inside Russia. Vladimir Putin has failed, but only military defeat will stop him.
Camilla Coats-Carr
Teddington, Middlesex
SIR – Events in the Middle East have drawn attention away from Putin’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and the brave resistance of the Ukrainian people. They are in so many ways fighting on behalf of all free nations.
Yet our craven, incompetent Government cannot even make available the funds needed to implement its own defence spending review. It is time we stopped spending billions on benefits and increased funding for defence to at least 5 per cent of GDP. We should also honour our veterans and not hound them with lawfare, trying to apply principles of peacetime human rights legislation to the violent business of warfare.
Nick Green
London SW6
Hunt offences
SIR – If there is clear evidence of foxes being killed illegally by foxhounds during trail hunts (Letters, June 2) then the offenders should be prosecuted.
However, don’t ban a whole tradition because of these offenders. This is comparable to banning all drivers because some have been caught speeding.
Richard Beaugie
Ashford, Kent
Singular cider
SIR – John Sturgis’s article (“My round-Britain hunt for the golden apples of the sun”, Saturday, May 23) made me consider silver apples of the moon.
One hot afternoon on Vancouver Island, I ordered a glass of cider and was surprised to be presented with a clear liquid brimming with ice. The No Boats on Sunday cider was delicious, and has no apparent British equivalent.
Andrew Roberts
Oswestry, Shropshire
Seasonal blossom that comforts all year round
SIR – John MacLeod is right that the hawthorn is a praiseworthy tree (“May blossom lightens even the gloomiest occasion”, telegraph.co.uk, May 31). For him, the sight of May blossom is bittersweet, bound to the memory of his late father.
As well as being edible, May blossom makes an excellent infusion that is used as a traditional remedy for heartache. It is also a tonic during the long darkness of mid-winter. One recipe advises putting two large handfuls of blossoms and a tablespoon of sugar in a pint of brandy. Leave for at least a week, then strain, bottle and allow to mature until the autumn.
Julia Stoddart
Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire
The critical need to fix NHS record-keeping
SIR – The introduction of an NHS single patient record (SPR) is welcome (report, June 1). Before moving from one side of the country to the other, I had all my prescriptions, appointments and test results in the NHS app on my phone. Yet when I registered with a new surgery, almost everything had disappeared. No other supplier would be allowed to get away with such shoddy customer service.
SPRs will have huge benefits for the NHS: patients who can’t remember details of diagnoses, medications and treatments will no longer have to be asked at every juncture. My elderly mother, who had dementia, could not remember any of those things, and, when I was not with her, clinicians were at a huge disadvantage.
The SPR must be made a priority and implemented as soon as possible for the good of all.
SIR – If the introduction of a new digital service at my local health centre is anything to go by, then the attempt to consolidate patient records across the entire NHS will not be a success.
Using the NHS app, linked to the health centre system, or Patient Access, I could order medication, book appointments, check my medical records, and access documents, test results and digital correspondence. Since the new system went live, I can do only one of those things.
Graeme Brierley
Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire
SIR – Phil Taylor (Letters, June 1) argues that doctors should administer a PSA test for patients showing early symptoms of prostate cancer, but not routinely for symptomless patients.
Surely the main purpose of a targeted screening programme would be to detect cancers before they cause symptoms. In too many cases, waiting means that it is too late for treatment, and unfortunate patients face a terminal diagnosis.
Để lại một bình luận