Times letters: Role of Empire in creating Britain’s wealth

Sir, The debate over the benefits to Britain from its involvement in slavery and colonialism has failed to distinguish slavery from colonialism (“Badenoch accused of ‘culture war’ campaign after slavery comments”, May 2; “Badenoch: Empire did not make UK rich”, May 1). They were not the same thing, and in British Imperial Africa they did not even coincide. David Livingstone encountered and publicised the horrors of the Central African slave trade and saw Christianity, civilisation and commerce — in legitimate goods — as the only means of replacing it. Years later, white settler colonialism followed, inspired by Cecil Rhodes. Self-interested and flawed though British colonial rule here turned out to be, it owed nothing to slavery or the slave trade, which was abolished, by the British, half a century earlier (and 20 years before Rhodes was born).
Gardner Thompson, FRHistS
Author, A Critical History of Southern Rhodesia; London SE22

Sir, One of the roles played by the colonies in generating Britain’s wealth that appears to have been overlooked by Kemi Badenoch, David Olusoga and others is that during periods of recession, the colonies (and the United States) absorbed large numbers of unemployed people, thereby helping to ensure a stable political climate at home that contributed in part to the expansion of Britain’s industrial base.
Martin Vlietstra
Fleet, Hants

Sir, Reading your report (May 2) one of the most important facts consistently underplayed by those such as David Olusoga is the role of the Quakers and non-conformists in relation to the slavery issue from the 18th century onwards. This includes those such as John Bright, in relation to the American Civil War, slavery and his dealings with Abraham Lincoln, and also the work of the Quakers, not to mention William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson and Frederick Lucas. This is not only in relation to slavery but also the development and success of the British Industrial Revolution from Abraham Darby in Ironbridge through to the City of London. The professions and the banks, such as Barclays and Lloyds, not to mention the development of the building societies such as the Abbey National, were largely created by Quakers, who also had an extremely powerful role in drawing attention to slavery.

None of this has received the historic attention that it deserves. It really is about time that the role of the British Quakers and their colleagues was acknowledged by those who seem to want to ignore it.
Sir Bill Cash MP
House of Commons

Sir, As Kemi Badenoch reinterprets history to support her theories on economic growth she would do well to recognise that the most vibrant economies are generally those with the largest population: the United States, 340 million, China, 1.4 billion. The combined population of the EU states is about 450 million, but Brexit has reduced our domestic market to about 67 million. How can reducing your domestic market so drastically possibly promote economic growth?
Gerard Connolly
London SW11

Electoral blues

Sir, If I had a penny for every time a minister hauled in front of a camera to explain away a truly dire set of results for the Tories mentioned the Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen, I would be a very rich man. But it won’t wash. The result there actually represents a serious setback rather than a saving grace for Rishi Sunak. If repeated at a general election, the swing against Houchen would see a swathe of parliamentary constituencies in that part of the country flip to Labour.

Labour’s victories in mayoral contests in other parts of northern England and in the East Midlands also spell big trouble for the Conservatives, as do wins in places such as Redditch, Thurrock, Swindon and Milton Keynes. And as for the Blackpool South by-election, Reform may not have done as well as it had hoped but Labour romped home, with the Tories finishing a very poor second — a portent perhaps for the autumn?
Tim Bale
Professor of politics, Queen Mary University of London

Sir, After the disastrous performance of the Conservatives in the local elections there is the prospect of Labour achieving a huge majority at the general election. As a result I am beginning to think that proportional representation might not be such a bad idea after all.
Mike Jones
Lancaster

Sir, I fail to understand why the election of local councillors depends on party politics: surely the purpose of councillors is to ensure the efficient management of their communities? Parish councils achieve this but without the shackles of Westminster.
Henry Bennet-Clark
Bristol

Ranking councils

Sir, Your report “Worst-performing councils in England revealed — where does yours rank?” (Apr 30) offers an incomplete picture of local authority performance. The data it uses offers only a partial view of local authority activity: it excludes vital services such as children’s social care and homelessness services.

Even when data is available it may not be a measure of performance. There is, for example, no optimal level of council reserves. Ranking authorities from “best” to “worst” on this and other metrics is nonsensical.

Crucially, the rankings overlook vital context. Council funding is still below 2010 levels, with the most deprived councils the worst affected. Meanwhile, demand for social care has accelerated. These factors have forced all councils into difficult choices, making them prioritise some services and cut others.
Stuart Hoddinott
Senior researcher, Institute for Government

Faith school cap

Sir, Your leading article “Keeping Faith” (May 2) rightly describes the soon-to-be-abolished cap on faith-based admissions to faith schools as procrustean, counterproductive and otiose. Today such schools have a responsibility and an exceptional opportunity to promote respect for other faiths and, a greater challenge, for a secular approach to life, even among a religiously homogeneous pupil body. At Quaker schools generally only 1 to 10 per cent of pupils come from Quaker backgrounds. The wide mix of pupils’ other religious and secular values is supported by the schools’ ethos that “There is that of God in every one”.
John Dunston
Former head, Sibford and Leighton Park Quaker Schools; Oxford

Sir, I disagree with your editorial’s support for the ending of the cap on the number of religious students in faith schools. Here in Northern Ireland we see the hugely corrosive effects of segregated schooling. Faith schools by their very nature entrench social division, mistrust and disharmony.
Stewart Moore
Portrush, Northern Ireland

Assisted dying flaw

Sir, Paul Larsmon (letter, May 3) says that “proper rules, carefully supervised, can control assisted suicide”. The abortion legislation of 1967 incorporated such rules and supervision mechanism, and was never intended to result in abortion on demand, but that is effectively what we now have. I see no reason to believe that today’s legislators would be any more successful in avoiding similar mission creep in relation to assisted dying.
Dr Bob Bury
Leeds

Radcliffe’s bravery

Sir, Daniel Radcliffe says that he is “really sad” about his fallout with JK Rowling over her transgender views, adding that it would have shown “immense cowardice” not to have said something (news, May 2). Perhaps he might consider that he could have shown immense bravery by disagreeing with her views but robustly defending her right to hold them.
Thomas Heaton
Chorley, Lancs

Student shoplifter

Sir, I felt annoyed by the Gen Z shoplifting article (“I’m a Gen Z shoplifter. Here’s why I do it”, May 3). The writer justified her frequent stealing as an act of rebellion against big companies but this is still theft. I could excuse a single mum on a low wage perhaps, but not a relatively affluent young woman. All she is doing is pushing up prices for the rest of us.
Linda Miller
Dereham, Norfolk

Hymn to survival

Sir, Cecil Frances Alexander wrote nearly 400 hymns and poems; most have fallen into disuse. Of the 14 hymns that she wrote addressing each of the articles of the Apostles’ Creed, included in her book Hymns for Little Children, only three have survived the test of time: Once in Royal David’s City, There is a Green Hill Far Away and All Things Bright and Beautiful (letters, Apr 30, May 1-3). It is probably true to say that they have appeared in almost every UK denominational hymn book published in the 21st century and many other books besides. In an age in which it is increasingly difficult for the church to bridge the disconnect with an increasingly secular world, we should give thanks that, after 175 years, All Things Bright and Beautiful still speaks to people today.
The Rev Robert A Canham
Secretary, Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Sir, As parents we occasionally attended morning service in the college chapel, and once were in the pew in front of the headmaster’s wife. She had a lovely voice but in the middle of All Things Bright and Beautiful she stopped singing. Afterwards I asked why: she replied that she could not stomach the words. These were, of course: “The rich man in his castle, / The poor man at his gate, / God made them high and lowly, /And ordered their estate.”

Even though this verse is now omitted in many churches, Lord Lisvane may have a point.
John Radcliffe
London N1

Biggest catch

Sir, I applaud the capture (and release) by Darren Reitz of a 143lb catfish in Essex (May 1). However, it is certainly not the biggest fish ever caught by rod and line in a British lake or river: there have been sturgeon caught in the Severn and its tributaries weighing comfortably more than 400lb, and measuring more than the combined armspan of two anglers standing side by side.
Gareth Howlett
Edinburgh

Barbecue breed

Sir, Regarding your report “Naturalist tackles the ndovu in the room” (news, May 3), I was playing golf in Mombasa when a beautiful impala-like deer roamed across us. I asked the caddy what it was called: he replied nyama choma. Days later I saw another and, proud to show off my new Swahili skills, said: “Look — a nyama choma!” The caddy laughed and said that, yes, it was the best “roasted meat”.
Rob Hubbard
Leigh on Sea, Essex

Miniature red cow

Sir, Your fascinating article on regional dialects (“Are you a cuddy-wifter, a dardledumdue or a gobslotch? Here’s how to find out”, May 1) mentions “God’s Almighty cow”, a Dorset expression for a ladybird. Interestingly, the Welsh equivalent, “buwch goch gota” — literally, little red cow — hints at a possible explanation of the black markings resembling that on cows (only with a red, rather than white, background). Thankfully, the collective noun — a loveliness of ladybirds — fully explains the prefix and helps to banish all bovine bemusements.
Wynne Lewis
Arbonne, France