Letters: Brown's Cabinet

Does the Brown Cabinet really represent a fresh start?

Sir: A brief moment of optimism engendered by Gordon Brown emphasising the word "change" evaporated as soon as I checked out the voting patterns of the new members of his Cabinet (www.theyworkforyou.com). All showed up as "very strongly for" all the key policies of Tony Blair's government, including the war with Iraq, identity cards, foundation hospitals, top-up fees and Trident. So what will change?

JUDITH STRONG

TWICKENHAM, MIDDLESEX

Sir: The fundamental advice of the suggested manifesto (28 June) is, surely, to take a lead on Europe. To deal with China, USA, India, Russia on equal terms we need the economic and, indeed, political weight of the EU. And the Union, especially those countries which joined recently on terms which protected entrenched interests of the founder members, yearns for more equitable leadership.

JOHN ROMER

LONDON W5

Sir: If there is room for another item on the manifesto for Gordon Brown, could it be to develop and instigate a long-term strategy for reducing global terrorism by addressing and alleviating the factors which stimulate it, instead of relying only on a short-term policy of trying to prevent its attacks.

SIMON BRIDGE

HOLYWOOD, CO DOWN

Sir: How amusing to hear our Scottish Prime Minister give health and education as his two key areas of focus. Both of these areas are under the control of the Scottish Parliament and the Prime Minister's own constituents need not worry about his position on either of these - unlike those of us in England who of course didn't vote for him, and cannot vote against him in the next general election.

PAUL D SMITH

ENFIELD, MIDDLESEX

Sir: School mottos are fine and aspirational - mine was "Justly, Skilfully, Magnanimously". However they are never immune to the spinner's guile. Gordon Brown's predecessor "tried his utmost" to convince us of the righteousness of his foreign adventures, which his Chancellor might have tried to block had he not been at pains to preserve his status as heir.

THE REV PETER SHARP

PENRITH, CUMBRIA

Sir: What a breath of fresh air at No 10. Sarah Brown: modest, genteel and ladylike. A very welcome successor.

JUDI MARTIN

MARYCULTER, ABERDEENSHIRE

The irony of Blair's peace mission

Sir: Tony Blair's undoubted skills in the achievement of what seems to be a potentially lasting peace in Northern Ireland can only be applauded even by those of us who have found his approach to foreign affairs less to be admired.

Such skills might be put to good use in the Middle East. It may turn out to be the height of irony if his efforts turn out to be perpetually frustrated by his now indelible attachment to Bush and the United States.

Worthy though the cause may be, the majority of those parties at each others' throats in the numerous areas of conflict hold the Americans to be ultimately culpable. Blair may, in the minds of some, only seem to be acting in furtherance yet again of transatlantic imperial ambitions.

BARRY BUTLER

BIRMINGHAM

Sir: Adrian Hamilton, in his column of 28 June, suggests Angela Merkel, among other Western leaders, just wishes that the Muslims would go away and leave Westerners alone. I am sure I, among other Muslims, would willingly oblige Angela Merkel provided the Western powers withdraw from our lands and leave us and whatever resources we have under our sand alone.

This would restore peace between Muslims and westerners for a long time to come. It might bring about a revolution in the West, but hey, it will give us all peace that we so badly need.

NAEEM MALIK

BIRMINGHAM

Sir: A question for Mr Blair: Isn't it time you started learning Arabic?

P J STEWART

OXFORD

Sir: Is that "peace envoy" as in "Attila the Peace Envoy"?

STEVE MAINWARING

BATH

Sir: The recent history of education, health, pensions, devolution, "sofa" government, democracy, military activity, smoking bans, government inquiries and political party funding show that we have endured the most corrupt Prime Minister in our lifetime. The Labour Party has done nothing to contain this series of corrosive activities and no criminal prosecution seems likely.

As Mr Blair steps down , I urge that at the next general election we can recall this litany of abuse and ensure the Labour Party are not returned to office for many years to come.

DAVID G HURFORD

LEWES, EAST SUSSEX

Sir: I found the events in Parliament regarding the departure of Tony Blair absolutely appalling. Whilst a certain amount of backslapping from some MPs at this time is to be expected, that almost the entire house got involved seems a terrible indictment of our political class. It would seem that whoever you vote for, and whatever the British government does, MPs are all the same, and interested only in congratulating each other. This is despite the disaster that is Iraq, and all the other serious issues which affect Britain, which they tell us never endingly, divide them. What is the point in voting?

NICOLAS BRACK

BRIGHTON

Sir: Quite apart from anything else, are others as irritated as I am by Blair's resignation as an MP the minute he was no longer in charge? Previous ex-PMs had the courtesy to sit on the back benches until the election. A telling gesture rounding off a decade of narcissistic contempt for Parliament and the electorate.

SIMON HEYWOOD

SHEFFIELD

Sir: I second the request by Mary Harris (letter, 28 June) for a whole issue without any mention of Tony Blair, but for a somewhat different reason. It would provide much welcome relief from the daily outpourings of the assorted brigade of Blair-haters which have for so long cluttered your letters page and which have sorely tested my patience with your otherwise excellent newspaper.

JEREMY LANSDELL

LONDON E1

Glastonbury loses its edgy freedom

Sir: Mark Ellen seems to be missing the point regarding the Glastonbury Festival (Opinion, 25 June). Glastonbury used to be a place where people could gather to revel and celebrate their freedom, if only for a few days. Until around 1990 the site was beyond the long arm of the law. Drugs were sold openly and it could be quite an edgy experience, especially for spotty youths from the provinces such as myself. It was the era of Thatcher and the cold war and proceeds from the festival went to CND.

Today the site is surrounded by a wall - echoes of Palestine. Tickets are issued like ID cards - echoes of Blair's Britain. We're told its all being done for our safety - echoes of Big Brother (Orwell, not Channel 4). The fans are now separated from the main stage by a vast and deep security barrier, a barrier that services the TV cameras and the so called VIPs, meanwhile keeping the crowd at bay - echoes of the super rich and their gated communities, protected by private security.

Perhaps Saturday's stage invasion by the muddy hordes, instigated by Iggy Pop, is a sign of things to come. Perhaps people have had enough of what Glastonbury has become.

ROBERT DAVIDSON

GLASGOW

Champagne with or without explosions

Sir: There are two principal methods of opening a bottle of champagne (letters, 25, 26, 27 June), known in France as the "Grenadier" and the "Nun's Fart".

For the Grenadier method you hold the bottle, undo the wire and push or twist out the cork - usually accompanied by a loud explosive release of gas and bubbles. In the more socially acceptable Nun's Fart method you hold down the cork while removing the wire and then twist the bottle while allowing the cork to emerge only slowly . This is accompanied by a quiet puff of gas and, occasionally, bubbles.

The quickest, if rather wasteful, method, is to shake the bottle and then strike the glass collar around the neck with your sword. The neck then flies off with the cork still wired to it.

JOHN GOFFEY

BERKHAMSTED, HERTFORDSHIRE

Kicking traffic wardens is no joke

Sir: As the UK's largest employer of parking attendants (often referred to as "traffic wardens") we were appalled to see Andrew Castle's comments (5-Minute Interview, 28 June) regarding his wish in another life to be a "warrior monk, kicking everyone's arse, especially traffic wardens".

When there are on average three serious assaults on parking attendants in London every week, such comments can only give validity to the small minority who think they are a legitimate target. Such opinions are becoming increasingly rare, but in the light of the horrific assault on a parking attendant in Wandsworth on Wednesday, they look shameful.

We hope Mr Castle doesn't really believe traffic wardens deserve to get kicked, and that in future, even for a 5-Minute Interview, he gives a bit more thought to his comments.

TIM COWEN

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS NCP SERVICES, LONDON W1

This no 'normal' climatic shift

Sir: I must take issue with Dr Etherington (Letters, 27 June). Climate does indeed normally have a time base of centuries, but I would suggest that what we are witnessing now is anything but normal.

As the atmosphere warms and surface sea temperatures rise, it is capable of holding increased amounts of moisture. These moist air masses move north from tropical latitudes and encounter cool polar air in the area of the British Isles, releasing energy in the form of wind and rain. What is becoming apparent now is the amount of rain falling in such a short space of time, ever more frequently.

China is now commissioning two new coal-fired power stations per week, tipping huge amounts of CO2 into an already stressed atmosphere. We really do need international agreements urgently to try and curb emissions.

PETER HILL

SCHOOL AYCLIFFE, CO DURHAM

The peaceful way to Cornish home rule

Sir: Robert Craig (letter 23 June) criticises Cornish MP Andrew George's suggestion that Cornwall should seek home rule. Mr Craig suggests that "Cornwall belongs to Wessex by conquest". He further suggests that independence can "only be granted by a Wessex parliament".

Surely it is not outwith Cornwall's powers to raise an army and conquer Wessex. In my opinion, Wessex has gone soft of late and is ripe for conquest. Alternatively, Cornwall may go for the easy option and seek a mandate from the Cornish people to sue for independence. Scotland appears to be heading in that direction so Cornwall (and any other Celtic/Pictish/Norse etc area of the UK for that matter which feels so inclined) should not feel that they will be alone in such a constitutional realignment.

JAMES BOYLE

GLASGOW

Reasons to wear a chastity ring

Sir: Geraint Harries (letter, 28 June) suggests that Lydia Playfoot's chastity ring is merely one more example of a pupil trying to flout a dress code. For two reasons, this is clearly false.

First: she and her friends are the very reverse of the type of pupil who flouts authority for the sake of it - they are seeking a tightening, not a loosening, of boundaries. Second: she has already stated her true (and commonsensical) motive, which is to encourage a more wholesome alternative to the normalisation of juvenile sex which is the unargued and self-fulfilling presupposition of what currently passes for sex education. The statistics of the last 35 years don't lie.

DR CHRISTOPHER SHELL

HOUNSLOW, MIDDLESEX

Prescott's dame

Sir, Kathleen Bell (26 June) defends Mr Prescott's pronunciation. But is not the last "e" in "Demosthenes" also an eta, that is, pronounced long? In that case, "Dame Osthenaze" would have been more consistent.

ROBIN ORTON

LONDON SE26

Friendly Cavern

Sir: The date on my now very faded Cavern Club membership card is March 1964. The Cavern was neither stinking, rat-infested nor a cesspit ("All you need is squalor", 28 June). It was tiny, dark, packed, tremendously loud with live music and absolutely wonderful. Wild at times it may have been but the best description of the atmosphere would be dead friendly. All this on soft drinks and 2/6 (12.5p) for a year's membership. Imagine!

ARTHUR BIRCHALL

ISLEWORTH, MIDDLESEX

Undefended tax haven

Sir: In the light of the nil defence provided by the UK to the Channel Islanders in the Second World War, I think many might find quite rich Johann Hari's suggested threat of "withdrawing military protection" unless the non-domiciled assets of UK residents are brought into the UK tax net (25 June). He should note also that non-domiciled UK residents pay taxes like everyone else on their income arising in the UK as well as any non-UK income they may remit to the UK.

MICHAEL DU PRE

ST CLEMENT, JERSEY

Not our fight

Sir: It's been well over five years since the Taliban were overthrown ("From liberators to occupiers?", 26 June). More than enough time for President Karzai and the chattering Kabul middle class to have persuaded their sons and, given the West's crusade for gender equality, their daughters, to join the Afghan army. It is their country. Let them sort it out. We shouldn't be fighting their battles.

YUGO KOVACH

TWICKENHAM, MIDDLESEX

Take no notice

Sir: My local Morrisons has designated spaces for "Parent and Toddler Parking". Yesterday I had a full load of both but the spaces were full of cars.

GREG HILL

BRIXHAM, DEVON

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