Letter: Give ethical diplomacy a try

Sir: Rupert Cornwell's cynical piece ("A graveyard of good intent?", 13 May) should not surprise us after so many years when egocentricity has been the only orthodoxy.Yet here we are in these remarkable first few days of a new administration where suddenly it has become possible to become a human being again and to consider the social dimensions of our existence.

In Robin Cook's initiative we are being presented with an opportunity to develop a new and exciting role for Britain which will at last transcend our neurotic colonial nostalgia. I refer to the development of ethical world leadership and international relations at a time when the unfettered enthusiasm for global capitalism has led us to the brink of moral bankruptcy. For goodness sake, let us give it a try.

Dr JOHN ASHTON

Liverpool