Good on the BBC for taking racism seriously – Danny Baker had to go

Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

I welcome the news that BBC Radio 5 Live has sacked Danny Baker for his racist tweet ridiculing the new royal baby. It’s what he deserved and a rare example of a mainstream broadcaster taking racism seriously and acting on it.

I only wish the people behind BBC’s Question Time and Newsnight would be as diligent. Racism is a social poison. Those who would disseminate it must be challenged and stopped.

Sasha Simic
London N16

Torn apart by Brexit

The recent letters published in The Independent are good examples of both sides of the Brexit argument being categorical in their assertions that their side is in the right, and the political parties are suffering because they have failed to uphold their particular wishes.

Anyway, it’s good to hear that the instigator of this horrible mess, David Cameron, has just bought an (environmentally unfriendly) hot tub for £8,000. Sensitive of him.

Penny Little
Great Haseley

Resurrecting Iraq’s war graves

Robert Fisk’s article yesterday highlights some of the challenges facing the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) in Iraq.

Your readers may be interested to learn that after an enforced absence of more than 12 years, staff from the commission made a historic return to Iraq in 2018 and that we are making progress in re-establishing our presence in the country.

The CWGC commemorates more than 54,000 Commonwealth war dead of the two world wars who lie buried or are commemorated at 19 locations throughout Iraq. Our enforced absence means that virtually all of these sites require significant work.

However, our cemetery at Kut has been completely rebuilt and we are currently restoring the cemetery at Habbaniya – the first steps in a long-term project to reinstate the cemeteries to a standard befitting the sacrifice of those buried and commemorated in Iraq.

Although the CWGC’s work is widely respected, there are occasions when external factors impact on our sites and our ability to maintain these places of remembrance. Even so, the CWGC maintains a watchful brief and acts as soon as the situation allows.

We are under no illusions that the project facing us in Iraq will be challenging, and these are just the first steps in what will be a long road, but we are optimistic that real progress is at last possible and being made.

Liz Woodfield, director of information and communications
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Peter Francis
Media and PR executive

To save the planet, we need a change of mindset

Bill Stevenson’s letter yesterday is correct but he fails to go the vital step further, and inquire into the deep psychology of greed, and the traumata and fear that unconsciously underpin and drive it. For the latter, we need to explore the work of authorities like David Wasdell on the species-wide early psychological experiences that generate the cultural behaviours like greed and rampant materialism that are substantially responsible for our despoliation of the planet upon which we all depend.

Unless this crucial further step in understanding is taken, any amount of policy interventions will just be fiddling with symptoms. It is a necessary condition for ensuring a viable, sustainable future for life on earth.

Dr Richard House
Stroud

Why I’m a Remainer

Why is it that the Brexit side of the divide in our nation attracts the nasty side of humanity (although admittedly it is only a minority). Threats to MPs, misogyny, racism, violence against “foreigners”, and hate speech, are all occurring on the Leave side. I accept most Leavers are peaceful, caring people, but I know which side of humanity I want to stay on, and refuse to be associated with anything that threatens the (peaceful) way of life in this country.

Steve Barnes
Downe

They think it’s all over(priced)

Football fans heading to Madrid for the Champions League final are in for a shock. Rocketing hotel prices are at extremely high levels. For example, one was nearly £6,000 at 5am this morning but by 11am it was £14,200 – includes breakfast though. Go to Barcelona and get the train!

Gary Martin
London E17