• Democracy in Zambia
Sir: There are undoubtedly dubious countries in Africa but Daniel Kalder (‘Mr Blair goes to Kazakhstan’, 5 November) is wide of the mark in including Zambia among them. It may not be perfect but its record in terms of human rights and relative freedom from corruption is one of the best on the continent. Zambian presidents since independence have respected the will of the majority when their time was up. The recent election that led to a change of government is a shining example of the country’s political maturity, one which Mr Blair might usefully point to in his conversations with his more authoritarian clients.
Brian Neill
Edinburgh
• Supporting the diggers
Sir: My old friend Charles Moore (Notes, 5 November) has been misinformed. It is untrue that under this government DFID refuses to support projects in extractive industry. In fact, this is a key area of our work. To give just one good example, in Afghanistan we are supporting the Ministry of Mines to ensure mining revenues are a huge source of income. We are also lobbying to raise international standards, not least by supporting the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Managed well, mineral extraction in poor countries will boost economic growth, create jobs and enable resource-rich poor countries to pull themselves out of poverty.
Andrew Mitchell
Secretary of State for International Development, London
• The truth hurts
Sir: Dennis Sewell (‘The generation game’, 5 November) makes a good case for the bewilderment of the older generation, who see themselves as innocent targets. But he protests too much. The Intergenerational Foundation has simply pointed out the uncomfortable fact that we have a housing crisis that is causing the younger generation to delay marriage and families or seek their fortunes abroad, and that one third of homes are under-occupied. This is hardly ‘beating up the elderly’.
Antony Mason
London
• Dissing the dissenters
Sir: Many of us who are unable to accept the Church of England’s innovations on priestly ministry would agree that the long road to women bishops is filled with bad logic and disruptions. Where we part with Ysenda Maxtone Graham’s spin on women in the episcopate (‘Revving up’, 29 October) is in her proclamation of the myth that the modernising elements have any interest in working together, let alone in forging respect and friendship for those who dissent. Across the Anglican Communion, where this innovation has been introduced, assurances of an honoured place for those unable to embrace this change have been abandoned and a policy of marginalisation and exclusion has been pursued.
Fr Martin Hislop
St Luke’s Vicarage, Kingston upon Thames
• Balancing the books
Sir: My former colleague Peter Jones presents a one-sided view on the development of Newcastle University library (‘Shelf hatred’, 29 October). The library does like to be welcoming and friendly, and is rightly proud of its achievements in this area, but it is also serious about supporting research and learning. That involves exploiting new technologies to the full, and providing a scholarly environment that suits a wide variety of study needs for students and staff alike. Striking a balance between tradition and ‘moving with the times’ is an issue on which the library has consulted widely, and the vast majority of academic staff and students have been overwhelmingly supportive of the current approach.
Professor Eric Cross
Dean of Cultural Affairs
Newcastle University
• And so on
Sir: So Mark Mason doesn’t like people to start sentences with ‘so’ (‘It’s so annoying’, 5 November). So how does this mini-compulsion differ from ‘like’, ‘well’, ‘now’, and all the other such countless phatic attentional aids that have proliferated from time immemorial? So they upset him. So they distract him. So what?
Michael Grosvenor Myer
Cambridge
• Unfortunate acronyms
Sir: Your Barometer (5 November) on the acronym that dare not speak its name reminds me of a story popular in military circles about the creation of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus. Allegedly, when the force was initially deployed its chief logistics officer was given the splendid title of Commander United Nations Transport. Only when his office sign was produced in abbreviated form was it recognised that he was better titled as Commander Transport United Nations.
N.J. Ridout, Lt Col (Ret’d)
Lincolnshire
• Who bores wins
Sir: ‘No, I tell a lie, it must have been the Tuesday’ is far too funny to win any competition for most boring imaginary title for an autobiography. If Matthew Parris’s friend (29 October) wants to run a competition for the most boring newspaper headline, here’s my entry. In Vienna in the winter of 1977, when there’d been discussion of unusually warm weather, in capital letters across the front page of one paper: ‘The weather is completely normal’ (Das wetter ist völlig normal). Beat that.
Christopher Wyld
Foreign Press Association, London WC2
• A thrifty Christmas
No sign of an end to the world’s financial troubles, so do readers have any tips on how to economise this Christmas? Please send helpful hints to letters@spectator.co.uk and we’ll print the best in our Christmas issue.
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