Shelley’s broader intention in his magnificent poem The Masque of Anarchy, written in response to the Peterloo massacre, is not always clear. At times he seems to be calling for violent revolution; at others, the message sounds more like peaceful protest against the triumvirate of oppression: “God, and King, and Law”.
What he definitely did not mean was the kind of vicious xenophobia and casual disregard for basic human rights espoused by Suella Braverman in her conference speech on Tuesday (Suella Braverman claims ‘hurricane’ of mass migration coming to UK, 3 October).
Shelley’s appeal to the “Men of England” to “Rise like lions after slumber / In unvanquishable number” has been quoted by socially progressive speakers and movements from the Chartists onwards. To hear it misappropriated for Braverman’s narrow-minded populist purposes really is grossly offensive.
Robin Jarvis
Emeritus professor of English literature, University of the West of England
• The new qualification that Rishi Sunak wants to introduce faces all the problems your report mentions (Sunak’s plan to ditch A-levels is out of touch with reality, says union, 4 October), but there are two others. First, whatever the new qualification is to be called, it cannot be Advanced British Standard because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have their own educational systems. Britain and England are not synonyms, and to suggest otherwise is to betray basic ignorance.
Second, it would be a massive mistake to build the new qualification partly on T-levels, which a recent Ofsted review has severely criticised for inadequate industry placements, unqualified and inexperienced staff, poor teaching quality and high dropout rates. T-levels exacerbate the failure to develop a high-quality technical/vocational path.
Frank Coffield
Emeritus professor of education, UCL Institute of Education
• Reading about the weirdness of the Tory party conference reminds me of what now appear to be the very wise words of Arthur Balfour. When asked if he took note of the views expressed at the party conference, he said he would rather take advice from his valet. In those days the leader never attended the party conference, only speaking to the members the day after the conference finished. Given the events of the past few days, returning to the past and dissociating the leader from what has become the madhouse of Tory politicking as seen at this year’s conference might be the best way forward for the party.
Derrick Joad
Leeds
• You report that the transport secretary, Mark Harper, believes that HS2 contract cancellation costs will be balanced by income from selling land previously acquired for the project (Sunak’s ‘spiteful’ sale of land intended for HS2 dashes hopes of revival, 5 October). Such a zero-sum outcome would be great, if only the government hadn’t already paid for the land, so it’s spending twice (land and cancelled contracts) and raising revenue once (selling land). Perhaps the plan to make people learn maths all through their education should start with the cabinet.
Tim Exton
Seattle, Washington, US
• I note that some of the £25bn savings Rishi Sunak hopes to make from curtailing HS2’s Birmingham to Manchester leg will be spent on filling and smoothing potholes in my area of the south-east of England, of which there are many of varying size and depth. This must be what the Tory party meant by levelling up.
Paul Franczak
St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
• How are the Tories going to come up with future policies when there are no fag packets?
Paul Thomas
Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire
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