Lest we forget: letter

What a shallow nation we appear to have become. The Queen and the Prime Minister find time to attend a football match (nothing wrong in that) but are then "too busy", along with the Secretary of State for Defence, to pay tribute to the war veterans of the Somme at the 80th anniversary ceremony.

The following day, the front pages of all the papers found the passage of an unknown British tennis player into a quarter-final of Wimbledon more noteworthy than coverage of a profoundly moving commemoration service, the last of its kind on such a scale, marking the anniversary of one of the most significant episodes in living memory. The dignity of the veterans was in stark contrast to the embarrassing and unworthy absence of top- ranking representation. One could be forgiven for thinking that the words "Lest we forget", normally associated with such an occasion, had a somewhat ironic ring.

While intending no disrespect to the place of sport in public affection, I can't help but wonder whether we really are as feeble-minded, fickle and frivolous as the priorities of our press, politicians and, in this instance, Palace, would suggest. Or is the phrase "Lions led by donkeys" as apt today as when it was coined?

Sierra Hutton-Wilson

Evercreech, Somerset