Nesrine Malik rightly places the Gary Lineker affair in the context of a wider attack on human rights in the UK (The Gary Lineker affair was a warning: the culture war will come for us all in the end, 20 March). Her fears seem wholly justified to me. There has been significant undermining of the right to speak out, and the obsession with immigration is stirring up hatred and fear. However, is it possible that her diagnosis of “listlessness among progressives” should be refined? The disease appears to afflict mainly those on the left seeking political office rather than the wider group of progressive people across society.
This is frightening and depressing in itself. But I am concerned that Malik risks undermining rather than invigorating a movement against the rise of racist, toxic populism. It is my belief that we need to emphasise the difference between progressives on the street and, for example, those Labour politicians who made shameful efforts to disagree with Lineker’s words while defending his right to say them.
Many people are speaking out against this slide into repression even while their would-be leaders collude with the dominant narrative. Their voices are a source of hope.
Shelagh Young
Edinburgh
• A great article again by Nesrine Malik, pointing to the failure of liberal progressives to stand up firmly to racism and xenophobia. This achilles heel of the left cost us Brexit and could be a critical issue in the next election. So far, in the face of the mandatory three-word rightwing slogan “Stop the boats”, Labour seems to be saying not much more than “Stop the boats efficiently”.
If we don’t reframe the issue as Gary Lineker has done, in terms of universal human rights and decent human and social values, then the electorate may choose the more credibly vicious racist option.
Gideon and Margaret Ben-Tovim
Liverpool
• Nesrine Malik is right. In the most safety-critical area of all, the NHS, where life and limb depends on free speech, whistleblowers have long been discouraged by a hostile environment or, if they do speak up, silenced without mercy. Patients and staff are sacrificed on the altar of organisational reputation and political expediency.
Dr David Drew
Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
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