Katie Stallard is right to warn about nuclear weapons in the hands of bad autocrats when the former guarantor of global rules can no longer be trusted (Cover Story, 31 July). Britain spends over 20 per cent of its inadequate defence budget on our (not entirely) independent deterrent. There are still doubts about the credibility of Armageddon weapons, but consider the case of Ukraine – one of the only states to have given up its nuclear weapons. They might have deterred Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Europe needs an independent deterrent – but do we really need two nuclear-weapon states in Nato Europe? Deployment of either British or French warheads would only be imaginable in the event of an attack, so a joint Franco-British European deterrent could be at least as effective as two national efforts.
A Franco-British nuclear force would require complicated negotiations and generate a lot of political noise. But such an enterprise could strengthen nuclear deterrence while also releasing resources for military personnel and clever new conventional weapons systems. Maybe we need to consider unthinkable ideas.
John Home Robertson, former Labour MP, Commons Defence Select Committee 1990-97
Nuclear postures
Thank you for putting the nuclear threat centre stage in your latest issue. Carlo Rovelli’s article (The NS Essay, 31 July) is a sobering reminder that the spectre of war has returned and that, despite the lessons of history, humanity is reluctant to learn.
I was particularly struck by his emphasis on fear. International security is shaped not only by military capability but also by fear, perception and miscalculation.
We know that nuclear war is not inevitable; the Cold War showed that even at moments of extreme tension, leaders could step back from the brink. Yet today we appear increasingly committed to rearmament rather than to reducing the risks of catastrophic escalation.
Rovelli asks whether there are “any adults in the control rooms”. It is a question that should trouble us all. True leadership is not measured by who can prevail in a nuclear conflict, but by whether we can summon the wisdom and restraint to prevent one.
Federico Forni, London SW15
The citizens of Ukraine may be surprised to learn that they never required military hardware to fight the invading Russian armies, but could instead have utilised the cheap resources of reason and shared human sentiment, as per Carlo Rovelli.
Rovelli may himself be surprised to learn that since the dawn of the nuclear era there has been a distinct lack of major-power conflict, something that was often civilisationally destructive without the use of nuclear weapons.
Nathan Bull, London E2
Carlo Rovelli is right that humans inflicted vast destruction on ourselves in the 20th century. However, the sort of world-rending industrial massacre European powers were getting quite accustomed to has not been repeated for two reasons: the ghastly but immutable logic of nuclear deterrence and the Nato alliance underpinned by US hegemony. We should not wish either away blithely.
Matt Finucane, York
Artistic licence
When I researched the whereabouts of the HQ of the Arts Council in Manchester – as referred to by Nicholas Serota (The Diary, 31 July) – I was delighted to discover that the “AI overview” lists the Arts Council’s London centre as a “regional office”.
Moira Sykes, Manchester
Dropping the ball
It was a wonderful, evocative essay by Luke O’Reilly (This Ireland, 31 July), about far more than Mayo’s victory in this year’s All-Ireland. To me, a fellow emigrant, though a generation older, Luke’s words spoke truth.
He mentioned his great-uncle, Cavan’s captain, commemorated in song as “The Gallant John Joe”. My recently deceased uncle, Johnny Cusack, was his teammate on the last victorious Cavan team, in 1952.
To underline the commitment required to play at that level, Johnny had missed an open goal against Meath in another All-Ireland final and subsequently suffered a nervous breakdown. Cavan’s wait for another Sam Maguire is now longer than Mayo’s – and there is no record of a curse.
John McEntee, London SW19
The good fight
I love Andrew Marr and think of him as a cultured, if at times slightly snobby, man; so it was surprising to read that he thinks the scenes at the end of film version of The Odyssey were put there for American movie tastes (At Large, 31 July).
Christopher Nolan’s tame fight with people bowing down to Odysseus is far gentler than the complete revenge featured in the original. I’d strongly recommend he takes a trip to his local library to read an amazing tale that is far deeper than the movie version and more rewarding for it.
Ian Jones, North Shields
Lines of fire
Paul Taylor’s vivid account of the wildfires sweeping France serves as a reminder that climate change is no longer an abstract concept, but a modern terror that is already costing lives and livelihoods (Letter from France, 31 July).
While I consider the New Statesman an essential source of intelligent analysis, the sprawling effects of the climate crisis have become something of a blind spot – and you are not alone. It’s time the mainstream media stopped treating climate change as an issue to cover only when lives are threatened by fire and flood, and started understanding it as a key pillar of geopolitics – from conflict over scarce water supplies to the green transition led by China and the likelihood that climate change will trigger the greatest surge in immigration the world has seen, as millions are displaced.
Nick Hughes, Hawkhurst, Kent
Bechdel blunder
As a relatively new subscriber, I savour reading your print edition every week. However, I echo the frustrations of fellow letter-writers on the gender imbalance that repeatedly exposes an editorial blind spot. Specifically, I am referring to the arts covered by The New Society. Almost every piece was written by a man about male art, and when female work is covered, again, we are given a male author’s gaze. Do better. Intelligent, political, creative and literary millennial women read your magazine too.
Emi Xant, Northumberland
Critical thinking
In his essay on Samuel Beckett’s Proust, Colin MacCabe notes that this was Beckett’s only piece of literary criticism (The New Society, 31 July). Perhaps a passage in Waiting for Godot explains why. Estragon and Vladimir exchange a vigorous series of one-word insults, culminating in Estragon’s “critic!”, at which point Vladimir “wilts, vanquished, and turns away”.
David Perry, Cambridge
A case for plant-based
I am glad to hear that Finn McRedmond sympathises with animals at the zoo (Silver Spoon, 31 July). As for her claim that animals are “reared, slaughtered, butchered and cooked by people who care about them”, I can recommend some Peta documentaries that might change her mind.
Ali Gridley, Cheltenham
Finn McRedmond paints an idyllic picture of how animals are butchered. That anyone with access to the internet should think this is the story behind their dinner seems silly.
Noah Pugh, South Wales
Cool as a columncumber
I’ve noticed that Nicholas Lezard is without a working fridge. Perhaps those readers who value Lezard’s weekly column would like to crowdfund with me for a working fridge for him? Maybe we can throw in a bottle of something from Waitrose, too?
Simon Read, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex
We reserve the right to edit letters
[Further reading: Even the Royal Navy can’t save Nigel Farage]