LETTERS – SEPT 2024
No way out?
Sir
The Democracy Forum debate on the Israel-Palestine conflict was rational, fairly impartial, considering the topic, and the participants posited intelligent potential solutions, based on realities on the ground and a sound knowledge of the conflict/region’s history. Importantly, they also all listened to each other and, where they disagreed, they did so graciously.
But events that soon followed in the Golan Heights, Gaza and Beirut sadly show that no amount of reason and calm dialogue can override unbridled hatred and ideological fervour.
Name and address provided
Shreds of sympathy for Sunak
Whilst I found MJ Akbar’s article on the downfall of Britain’s last prime minister a compelling piece of writing (‘The Unmaking of Rishi Sunak’, August issue), with several insightful points made about Mr Sunak’s failings and the warp and weft of Britain’s socio-political fabric, I feel I have to say at least a few words in his defence.
Mr Sunak took the reins from his short-lived predecessor Liz Truss, and his time in power has been inextricably linked to many of the problems triggered or exacerbated by her notorious mini-budget, eg high interest rates, spiralling mortgages, further cost of living pressures. Yet Mr Sunak did not cause this, and indeed he took a firm line against unrealistically easy-sounding solutions to economic difficulties.
Additionally, under his premiership, Britain’s relations with the European Union improved, having been frosty over the Northern Ireland protocol, among other issues.The relationship got something of a reboot via the agreement on the Windsor Framework of Feb. 2023, which began to be implemented in early October of that year and opened up important research programmes with Europe. Mr Sunak’s government also embraced a more pragmatic approach to EU alignment than the harder lines of those that came before, which had a positive impact for trade and business.
Yes, as Akbar rightly says, he was elitist, rendered out of touch by his life of privilege and wealth, and undoubtedly lacked the imagination to read the room on several occasions, or even to be a truly effective leader of either his party or country. But he did bring a few positives to the job. For sure, worse came before him and, as some questionable Conservative Party leadership hopefuls line up, I fear worse may also follow.
LD Grainger
Woking, Surrey
Sinister similarities
Thank you for your excellent Editorial contrasting autocratic and democratic governance styles, as illustrated by China and today’s United States, and the repercussions for a country’s stability (‘Gains of ‘grey’ governance’, August issue).
How true that these two extreme ‘bookends’ are not proving particularly edifying for either nation, and that the apparently uninspiring ‘grey zone’ which so much of the rest of the world inhabits might in fact be a place of greatest safety.
However, I wonder if, should Donald Trump win the American election – in light of his recent comments to the Christian summit that voters ‘won’t have to do it [vote] any more’ if he becomes president – American ‘democracy’ and Chinese autocracy will turn out to be alarmingly similar.
Kristina Klestrup
Copenhagen
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