Letters: Battle of Agincourt

Jerome Taylor makes significant representations regarding the Battle of Agincourt ("Once more into the breach", 1 November): it was hardly a "military masterstroke" on Henry V's part to rely upon an enemy being so stupid to attack frontally 5,000 troops with long-range weapons. Far from being "the first time that cheaply trained archers ... were able to bring down knights on horseback in such great numbers", the French had the unfortunate examples of their forefathers at Crecy and Poitiers to dissuade them from repeating the tactic.

While the killing of prisoners at Agincourt might not have counted as a war crime by contemporary standards, it's not universally acceptable to celebrate ruthless force in history just because it worked. Subsequent English generations have saluted (and misrepresented) Henry V's happy few as exemplars by their own higher criteria. Laurence Olivier's 1944 film was dedicated to Allied soldiers of that time, effectively linking the men fighting to liberate continental Europe with predecessors seeking to subjugate and despoil it.

Shakespeare displayed an evil genius in depicting the English as victims and the offended party ("I was not angry till I came to France"), and has been echoed to this day by imperialists and geopolitical aggressors of all persuasions when their enemies have the temerity to fight back in their own countries.

What often goes unmentioned about the Harfleur/Agincourt campaign was that it was a logistical disaster for the English, most of the army dying while making no notable gain, and the climactic battle only enabling the remainder to flee home.

BRYN HUGHES

WREXHAM, NORTH wales

Ross and Brand seta boorish example

I believe the appalling treatment meted out by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to Andrew Sachs and his granddaughter has a direct correlation with the yob culture that pervades British society. It does not take talent to eff and blind, behave immaturely or insult people on the radio; we can experience that kind of conduct any day of the week in the street.

This style of "comedy" is a sad reflection of the boorishness displayed by many of the younger generation, who think it funny to spit on the pavement, litter the streets, vandalise property and abuse – often assault – anyone who has the nerve to protest. We can see evidence of the latter already, when certain performers of the ilk of Brand and Ross complain that, "they can't see what all the fuss is about".

Tommy Cooper, Bob Monk-house and other performers of that calibre never had to resort to foul language and personal abuse to raise a laugh because they had genuine talent, and were far more gifted than any of the present crop of overpaid, so-called entertainers. To put things into perspective, if Ross is worth £6m a year, Ken Dodd must be worth £6bn.

Terence Roy Smith

Biggleswade, Bedfordshire

Adrian Edmondson in his article (1 November) demonstrates a total lack of understanding about why so many people find what was said by Ross and Brand to be extremely offensive. He justifies his view that it was right to broadcast the episode by saying Andrew Sachs and his granddaughter are the only people who should be upset, presumably because they are the only two people who are directly involved. What was done was a cruel humiliation of an elderly man and his granddaughter.

And adopting Edmondson's argument would mean that the BBC would be justified in showing an act of child pornography (for which I am sad to say there would be a significant and enthusiastic audience) on the grounds that the cruel humiliation suffered by the child would just be a matter for the child and the paedophile, who are the only people directly involved.

John Charman

Birchington, Kent

Well, surprise, surprise; the BBC want to draw a line under the Brand/Ross affair. Of course they do; they just want it to go away. Just like they wanted the misrepresentation, lying, cheating and fraud of the phone-ins to go away, just like they wanted the scandal of the fake footage of the Queen to go away, and now they want the obscene and offensive behaviour to an old-age pensioner to go away. They mean until the next time, of course. Well, it won't go away, because every time Ross is screened or heard, he and Brand will forever be related to the misuse of public broadcast to humiliate an old man.

The BBC must sack Ross, as an example of what we will not put up with. These "New Age" comedians rely on vulgar crudity in place of talent, and the BBC is paying these cretins with my money. If the BBC are accountable as they say they are, let's hold a referendum on whether we should retain the BBC at all, because it is obvious that the producers and executives are just not up to the job.

J H Moffatt

Stockport, Cheshire

Celebrities such as Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand are part of a cavalier elite who believe themselves immune from the consequences the rest of us live by, and temporary suspensions (smacked wrists over brandy and cigars) will only reinforce their superbrat images.

This celebrity behaviour has far-reaching effects in our media-driven and have-and-have-not world, such that basic codes of conduct are seen as dour trivialities for low-income "nobodies". There is a terrifying lack of moral awareness in many children today, partly because a good few look up to the behaviour of people such as these as something to strive for.

The remedy for this must come from many angles, but broadcasters must play their part by making permanent sackings that actually mean something. With powerful messages from the media about how human beings are meant to relate to each other, we Brits might finally shed our scum-of-the-earth reputation and rediscover the qualities we used to be admired for.

Chris Mills

Market Harborough, Leicestershire

Full deposits inour blood banks

Johann Hari claims that blood banks are running low ("People are dying because gay men can't give blood", 13 October). This is untrue; there has been a safe and sufficient supply of blood in this country for many years, although the rate of blood donations is subject to fluctuations, which is when we make particular efforts to ask people to give blood.

The reasons why the National Blood Service asks men who have sex with men not to give blood are based on epidemiological evidence from the Health Protection Agency and set out clearly on our website. As Mr Hari agrees, the safety of the blood supply is paramount.

Our position is supported by the Terrence Higgins Trust, the leading HIV and Aids charity in this country, and reviewed regularly by the Department of Health's independent Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs.

Hari refers to the risk posed to patients transfused with blood older than 14 days. The limited evidence on stored red cells was generated in the US and has been strongly challenged by other investigators. In any case, its relevance to the UK is unclear, because we remove the white cells from donated blood before storage, which greatly improves the quality. Prospective randomised trials are needed to answer this question and we await the outcome of such a trial in Canada with great interest.

Dr Lorna Williamson

Medical Director, NHS Blood and Transplant, Cambridge

GPs should chargeup-front payment

I must comment on Patricia Wilkie's denunciation of Dr Pauline Brindlecombe (letters, 30 October). Of course Dr Brindlecombe is aware of the true cost of a GP consultation. The point I am sure she was making, is the apparent freedom from charge, as opposed to paying a fee to a vet or dentist.

Having been a GP for 30 years, I have no doubt that an up-front payment would quickly deter those who see the GP as free and therefore of no value, thus to be abused or used cheaply.

Dr Tim Lawson

Cheam, Sutton

Murky scandal at Guantanamo

News that the Attorney General will examine the case of Binyam Mohamed, the UK resident held at Guantánamo Bay, is welcome but long overdue (report, 31 October). The murky process whereby this man was interrogated in Pakistan, apparently by UK officials as well, then sent by the Americans to Morocco (allegedly to be tortured) before being deposited in Guantánamo, is far from clear.

Binyam is in deplorable conditions at Guantánamo and may still face an unfair "military commission" trial. With the US snatching of six Algerian men from Bosnia who are also in Guantánamo (Robert Fisk, 31 October), the scandal deepens almost daily. Whoever wins the US election should commit themselves to early closure of Guantánamo, as well as freedom or fair trial for all its prisoners.

Kate Allen

Director, Amnesty International UK, London EC2

Benefit of being in the eurozone

Steve Richards ("At this rate it won't be long before we join the euro", 28 October) is right. Sterling has dropped 20 per cent against the euro in little over a year, returning to its historical post-war status as a weak currency. The UK is used to paying for imported energy in dollars and, given the weakness of the dollar, paying in euros would bring more stable, and lower, energy costs. Even the eurosceptics know the economic crisis originated in the US; we are now in recession with almost two million unemployed. Even for many erstwhile enthusiasts, the reputation of the US model of capitalism is irreparably tarnished.

The recession is likely to affect the UK more than the eurozone, which appears to offer relative stability in inflation and interest rates, while the UK is back to the familiar landscape of boom and bust. Finally, there may now be a growing understanding that the socially constructed European model is more just and more sustainable than the rampant individualism of the past 20 years. Instead, judicious state intervention and government responsibility for core services provides a more stable environment to benefit all society, including private enterprise.

When British governments remained aloof from the euro experiment, it was often said that joining the euro was a risk. It was less commonly said that remaining outside was also a risk. We made the wrong choice. One day, the UK may reconcile itself to a European future.

Simon Sweeney

Head of Programme MA International Studies, York St John University

Profit puzzle

BP report £6.2bn profit for three months of trading and say this is due to the rise in oil costs. In the world of competitive business, where I have spent 54 years, when the cost of your basic raw materials increase, this reduces your profit. Or am I missing something?

stan valler

Purley, Surrey

Mine's a cold one

Yet another report by a medical study group demands action against alcohol similar to the action against smoking, to curb binge drinking, after a link between alcohol and dementia was found. Those of us who drink but do not smoke realise what an addiction smoking is when we see smokers outside pubs and clubs in the cold. Let's hope we non-binge drinkers will not forced to go into the cold just to enjoy a drink.

Peter J Brown

MIDDLESBROUGH, CLEVELAND

African hero

Sir: If Alison Sutherland expects educational charities in Africa to be neither religious or non-religious, logic ensures she will keep hold of her money (letters, 1 November). To depict the Mustard Seed School in Busota, Uganda, as an anti-religious endeavour is a cruel caricature of Moses Kamya's brave attempt, against the odds and in a sea of well-sponsored indoctrination, to educate children of all faiths and none, and to cultivate and accommodate free inquiry and human rights.

Peter McKenna

Liverpool

Painful paradox

There's something not right about a society that will allow termination of a baby in the womb up to 24 weeks, but will arrest those who feel obliged to help a loved one die with dignity (letters, 1 November).

Emilie Lamplough

Trowbridge, Wiltshire

It's arrogance

"So invariably misplaced is the moral indignation of the public that we have a duty to be offensive." So says Howard Jacobson (Comment, 1 November. What an arrogant and misanthropic generalisation. Those of us who are of "the public" should remember that our moral indignation is invariably misplaced, and we need funny men like Howard Jacobson to look down on us.

Kathy Stephen

Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Doesn't wash

While driving up the M1 at the weekend I spotted a dirty white van, with the following emblazoned across the back in typically cheeky fashion, "Can't afford to clean due to the credit crunch".

Marc Doyle

Barnsley, South Yorkshire