The uproar over Huawei has nothing to do with security – this is about self-serving politics
The reaction of the Tories over including Huawei as a supplier on the UK 5G network seems to emphasise that concerns have very little to do with UK security. This is politics and dogma. A rejection of globalisation. A naive bleat about protecting our sovereignty and some cringe-worthy grovelling towards the USA.
The accusation from the US is that by continuing to include Huawei as a supplier in our 5G network, we would be allowing the fox into the hencoop. Continuing the rustic theme of metaphors, by excluding Huawei we would actually be bolting the stable door with the horse some distance down the road. Huawei already has sufficient knowledge of our approach to 5G to be able to patch back doors into our network. But why pick just on Huawei? What about US suppliers? Or those from any other "nasty" foreign country? Are they really any more trustworthy?
In the nationalist world that we sadly now inhabit, all countries will spy on each other. Plus, lets face it, the US seems more concerned with the protection of their commercial domination of technology than any potential security risks.
Time for pragmatism. Time for a clear and cogent statement of intent from our prime minister. Now that really is a concern!
Bernard Cudd
Address supplied
If the US is refusing to allow Huawei to build its 5G services and is seeking to prevent other companies from doing likewise, I wonder if there just might be a US company lined up to do this work in the US and elsewhere?
G Forward
Stirling
Post-Brexit Britain
On 23 June 2016 at around 3pm, my husband and I were walking along Mission Bay Beach in New Zealand, having come to greet our new grandchild in Auckland.
The radio was on and we heard the result: 48:52. The Leave vote had won!
In spite of thousands of broadcasting references referring to the British people "clearly voting to leave", I did at that moment find a phrase of comfort which I firmly believe to be true. This is what I said on that day:
“Not to worry. Awful as it is we must understand that it wasn’t a huge majority. Forty-eight per cent of British people had enough sense to vote to Remain. We will never be geographically separated from Europe and the potential loss to our country will be beyond anything that the Leavers may have imagined."
What is good and hopeful is that once the Leavers and all the hype that has been excitedly pushed on us has ended and the confident buffoons in charge have messed up the Britain that we know – take heart – all will be well!
We've endured many periods when silly people in power have pushed in the wrong direction throughout history. But what always follows is that educated, loyal and able people slowly but surely step up to restore the UK.
We’d already watched the news leading up to the vote from across the world as reporters renounced the Brexit project for and laughed at nonsensical reasoning from top politicians parading outside Westminster.
We will, in time, survive and overcome this unhappy day. The number of people I have consoled with this thought is refreshing, please pass it on!
Tricia Creamer
Dorset
Donald Trump and media threats
On Sunday, Donald Trump called for the firing of longtime New York Times columnist Paul Krugman in a tweet.
Hmmm, whose side should I take? A Nobel Prize-winning economist? or the founder of Trump University, who also filed for four bankruptcies?
I don't remember former Barack Obama ever making threats against people or telling newspapers to fire reporters who criticised him during his eight years in office.
Mahmoud El-Yousseph
Westerville, Ohio
Languages can broaden horizons
As a teacher of French and Spanish, it was interesting to read that girls are "more than twice as likely" as boys to achieve a pass in language GCSEs.
Choosing to train through Teach First and teach in a disadvantaged community, I find that boys in my class show just as much enthusiasm in languages as girls. However, the students can find it hard to relate to the subject matter in general.
One way we’ve tackled this is through a pen-pal project with a partnering Spanish school, which means we bring the subject to life, so pupils can use the skills they’ve learnt in a real-life context.
While persistent gender gaps are worrying, attainment gaps between disadvantaged and advantaged children must be tackled. We need to get to a point where every child sees languages as something that can broaden horizons and take them wherever they want to go – whatever their gender or background.
Charlotte Evans
Birmingham
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'Get Ready for Brexit' £46m campaign 'failed to prepare' public
