Letters: In defence of the Revd Paul Flowers, cyclists vs lorry drivers, and more

Scandal at the Co-op

Sir: Martin Vander Weyer makes a good point. The Revd Paul Flowers may be a flawed individual, but he is not responsible for Co-op Bank’s woes (Any Other Business, 23 November). His appointment might be symptomatic of a complacency about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ banking that suited certain politicians, but surely now we need a full inquiry into the Lloyds takeover of HBOS and the Co-op takeover of Britannia. I would also like to see the terms compared to the Santander acquisition of Bradford & Bingley. The true scandal is the collusion of politicians, regulators and senior bankers. In the meantime, I hope Paul Flowers gets the help he needs.
Andrew Bristow
London SE11

Sir: One point to be said in favour of the ‘Crystal Methodist’ Paul Flowers: he has made cocaine and crystal meth look naff to anyone under (and probably over) 50. Expect usage to plummet.
Peter Allmark
Sheffield

We don’t do God

Sir: It is mistaken to assume that the great majority of Tory voters are Anglicans (‘Beyond belief’, 23 November). Many lifelong supporters of the party, myself included, have never subscribed to the God hypothesis, let alone devoted any part of our lives to prayer. One of the attractions of Mrs Thatcher as party leader was her refreshingly secular approach to government. Many Conservatives long to see complete separation of church and state, while contriving to lead a reasonably moral existence.
Basil Purdue (Dr)
Iwerne Minster, Dorset

Power to the people

Sir: Daniel Hannan has correctly identified the problem with our sovereign Parliament being able largely to overlook our Bill of Rights (‘How we invented freedom’, 23 November). However his suggested solution, of strengthening Parliament, would make matters worse! Power does indeed reside in Parliament, having taken it from the monarch, but the solution is now to pass power to the people by recognising them as sovereign.