Your letters

BBC is part of establishment

Sir, — Today, the BBC’s flagship programme of news and current affairs, began last Friday with a stirring rendition of the National Anthem. It was the King’s 77th birthday.

It’s worth recalling at this point that in the early stage of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, King Charles III, on a visit to Broadcasting House, heaped fulsome praise on the corporation as embodying “the impartiality of the truth”.

Later in the programme, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was very positive about the BBC’s future in spite of the odd inadvertent faux pas and looked optimistically to the renewal of its royal charter in two years’ time.

With the exception of Martin Dew, of Reform UK, all the other great and good expressed similar sentiments (Standard, November 14) — Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo, Stefan Gawrysiak of Henley Residents Group and, of course, the outgoing director-general Tim Davie.

In the light of the latest revelations concerning the editing of President Trump’s speech on Newsnight and the latter’s lawsuit against the BBC for $1-5 billion, it will be interesting to see if the country’s and Henley’s politicians will be able to keep up their pro BBC blah blah blah rhetoric.

Trump has described the BBC’s editing of his speech as “egregious”. Well, you would think he would say that, wouldn’t he, with his reputation at stake and $5 billion. It’s a lot of baloney. It wasn’t because, after all, Trump did say the words attributed to him, albeit later in his speech.

I’ll tell you what was egregious in the BBC’s history of kowtowing to its masters — its shocking coverage of the Battle of Orgreave in the miners’ strike on June 18, 1984, when it really doctored the bloody events of the violent clashes between police and miners by reversing their time sequence to make it appear the police were responding to the miners’ attacks when, in real life, it was the other way around.

In its 100 years’ history and beginning with the 1926 general strike, not once has there been even a neutral interview on Today with strikers’ leaders. It’s the same with its coverage of Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, etc. The idea that the BBC is a “left-wing propaganda machinery” is too ridiculous for words, as also evidenced by its hunt for Reds within the corporation.

Ditto that it is anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian — if that had been the case Gary Lineker would still be presenting Match of the Day. The most egregious example of its coverage of Russia is its fawning over the all-female punk group Pussy Riot, which was guilty of dancing semi-naked at a Moscow cathedral in protest against Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.

A recent two-line letter in the Metro sums it up: “The BBC is neither left nor right; it is the mouthpiece of the state”. I would amend this to: “not so much establishment lackeys, as part of the establishment”.

It looks like the curse of the Henley Standard circulation area has struck again. Although not foolproof against dethronement, perhaps the next director-general should come from elsewhere. — Yours faithfully,

Alexis Alexander

Gosbrook Road, Caversham

Giving all the right signals

There was no TV signal in Henley on Wednesday last week so I contacted BBC Transmissions who replied and fixed the problem — many thanks BBC. — Yours faithfully,

Steve Ludlow

Station Park, Henley

Thoughtful speech

I was one of the first to complain about the Mayor Tom Buckley’s dress sense at various events he attended but, credit where it’s due, his speech on Remembrance Sunday was very succinct, respectful and raised a very valid point.

The poppy represents all those who didn’t return, having given their lives to keeping us safe. He reminded all of us that we should all realise peace is hard-won. I thank him for his thoughtful speech. — Yours faithfully,

Ann Dayton

Sonning Common

Odd view on poppy

Editor, — I found the Mayor Tom Buckley’s decision to claim the remembrance poppy should not be seen as a “badge of nationality” most odd given the campaign to sell them is run by the Royal British Legion and we wear to commemorate the fallen who died fighting for their country.

There is no shame in fighting to protect one’s country and no shame in specific commemoration of those who died in that effort.

Repudiating Britishness as part of that process and suggesting a need to separate it from “compassion, fairness and unity” is not a little distasteful.

One can recognise and even have pride in nationality while also being compassionate, fair and desiring wider unity. I would suggest claiming otherwise was the divisive act. — Yours faithfully,

Victoria Freeman

Peppard

We appreciate our soldiers

Editor, — I am writing to congratulate you for an excellent report on the Remembrance Service in Henley. Mayor Tom Buckley’s speech really was a triumph and I was delighted to see it repeated in full. In our meeting at Quakers on Sunday we discussed the speech with pride that we have such a Mayor. In fact, one Quaker had copied the speech to send to all her friends and family in the USA.

I was also pleased to see a list of organisations who laid their wreaths, until I spotted there was no mention of the wreath laid by the Henley Quakers. We were there in a group proudly wearing our red poppies along with our white poppies for peace. One of our elders stepped forward to place a wreath of white poppies on the steps along with others.

As Quakers we appreciate the loss of soldiers in war, and are saddened by so many brave deaths, which is why we buy and wear both white and red poppies. Our faith in working for peace is why we like to have our white poppy wreath included. — Yours faithfully,

Val Johnstone

Friend at Henley Quakers

Proud of our community

How great it is to live in a town that commemorates remembrance so well?

As usual, there was an excellent turnout in the town centre on Remembrance Sunday for the service. It was lovely to see the march-past full of adults and young people alike.

The Mayor’s speech was personal and eloquent and very well received.

Henley has once again been very generous in supporting the Poppy Appeal. As I write we still have not quite finished the count but it looks like beating last year’s Remembrance total of £40,000.

We had more volunteers out than previously but fewer retail statistics. The latter was a Royal British Legion directive — not to give tins to shops that took small amounts last year — so, if any outlets wondered why they didn’t have a box this year, that is why.

However, the manned stations took up the slack very successfully. Thank you to everyone who gave their time and energy to volunteering, we couldn’t do it without you!

I would like to say a special thanks and welcome to Invesco, which was new to volunteering for the appeal but provided many willing volunteers. — Yours faithfully,

Richard Pinches

Chairman, Henley branch, Royal British Legion, and Poppy Appeal organiser

Why is ban still in place?

Why is this area still subject to a hosepipe ban? — Yours faithfully,

Sophie O’Sullivan

Henley

Arguments were valid

I am indebted to Ms S Arnaboldi in last week’s letters for fact-checking my Thought for the Week (October 31). I am suitably apologetic.

However, I know what I was told by the Royal Berkshire Hospital patient and it was explained as a Giro collection via his girlfriend’s bank account. As detected by your reader I am sufficiently long in the tooth (and I still have them) to know that where the state is involved there is theory and practice in systems and procedures.

Human behaviour does not run on railway lines and desperate people will resort to desperate measures when for them, their own welfare is of paramount importance.

As for an invitation to a volunteer shift with the wonderful and worthy Reading Street Pastors I think I will pass. As a “war-baby” my days of pounding the streets in search of the deserving needy are over. I have reasoned that any positive impact on my part now can only be through the power of the written word and not through my declining physical presence.

I trust that in her correcting letter on the benefits system, Ms Arnaboldi is not missing the thrust of my arguments in my prior article. It was entitled, “Why is it so difficult to help some people?” and with particular reference to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

As we come up to the November budget there will be intense conversations about the allocation of scarce taxpayer resources.

Why do some people feel that they have a divine right to these resources without fulfilling their side of the nation’s social contract by making any help delivered as smooth as possible?

Treating Royal Berkshire Hospital as a hotel for their own purposes or abusing the staff while being helped is certainly not an efficient nor grateful use of limited taxpayer resources.

Perhaps, the words of the great President John Kennedy spring to mind: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

When we receive benefits and services let us be grateful and mindful that we — the people — have provided and built them over a long period of time through taxation and our cooperative group endeavours; any abuse of these benefits and services by a selfish minority are an insult to every citizen and forefather of our great country.

Being down on your luck and disadvantaged is never an excuse for selfish and abusive behaviour or squandering
precious taxpayer money. — Yours faithfully,

Dr Barry G Wood

Peppard

Unpleasant consequences

Sir, — Richard Govett (Standard letters, November 14), in response to Philip Collings’s letter (October 30) explaining his atheism, appallingly likens him to a devil-possessed pig, regards him as being linked to a group of “vicious zealots” and suggests a connection to Moloch, an Old Testament Canaanite god who demanded child sacrifice.

It seems that Mr Govett sees himself as heaven-bound because of his belief in his God. I can only say that I would not find his company at all congenial and would much prefer any other destination.

Mr Govett concludes by stating that the ideas of the godless will “go out of fashion and mankind will see the truth”. Perhaps he could explain why his omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God has allowed a “fashion” to develop that deprives mankind of the “truth”, with all the apparent, unpleasant consequences. — Yours faithfully,

Douglas Kedge

Lea Road, Sonning Common

Explanation for trees

Sir, — Sarah Pye’s beautiful picture of silver birch trees (Standard, November 14) caught my eye.

I think that I can explain how they got there. In the 1987 gale the trees in that part of the wood were all blown down.

Silver birch is a pioneer species and produces many wind-blown seeds which colonised the resulting bare ground.

I have watched these trees grow since 1987 and now they are making an interesting feature in the wood. — Yours faithfully,

Andrew Hawkins

Berkshire Road, Henley