Letters

4 July 2009

Spectator readers respond to recent articles

The first Iraqi units involved in fighting during Monday and Tuesday had a hard time of it, but the situation turned decisively with the deployment of American and then British Military Transition Teams (on the Wednesday after essential equipment had been issued).

In truth, the success of the operation was determined by a very changed situation; the Basrawis wanted the Iraqi army to rid them of the militia, the Iraqi army was undertaking a mission they had been set by their PM, and they had invited us along to help. If we had not been able to turn the situation round in these circumstances we would deserve your criticism, but we did.

Brigadier Julian Free CBE
Formerly Commander 4th Mechanized Brigade

Suspect list

Sir: In a notable letter to the Spectator in November 1983, Kingsley Amis rode to the rescue of another novelist, Elizabeth Taylor, who had been patronised as being unimportant. ‘Importance isn’t important,’ he wrote. ‘Good writing is.’ What he would have made of something so self-consciously grand as 50 ‘essential’ films hardly bears thinking about.

The selections were designed to start an argument, so here goes. You chose the wrong Bergman, the wrong Woody Allen, and the wrong Preston Sturges. There was only one film apiece by Billy Wilder and John Ford, and not even one by Robert Altman. Despite placing a premium on ‘wit, Britishness and intelligence’ there was no room for Bringing up Baby, All About Eve, His Girl Friday, Strangers on a Train or Goodbye Mr Chips. There was no Chinatown and, unbelievably, no Third Man!