RAPID RESPONSES
Don’t be beastly
The recent Greek vilification of the Germans has been indicative of the attitude taken by the bankrupt Hellenic state. Rather than taking the difficult decisions and paying for previous largesse, Greek papers instead feature depictions of Angela Merkel in Nazi uniform and protesters wave swastika flags. Stipulating that the Greeks adhere to the conditions of the initial bailout before an additional tranche of largely German-backed funds is not tantamount to pushing for world domination on two fronts. It’s simply sound economics.
Matthew Chang
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If it ain’t broke
Marc Sidwell is right to say Dickens was more complex than many take him to be [Don’t allow politicians to read Dickens for us, last Friday], but I’d argue he was indeed the propagandist for state interference in education that his supporters suggest. Writing Nicholas Nickleby, of Dotheboys Hall fame, was intended to effect political change. Dickens was born poor and became literate prior to the reforms he was pushing for. One can only wonder at what he would be calling for today to “fix” our awful state schools. However, if born poor today he would likely not be literate enough to express such views.
Stephen Ellis