Letter to the I: Calais Border Issue

In answer to Paul Cross's letter, if Macron had taken lessons off of Trump he would be charging the refugees for the Calais border posts, not the UK.  The current border arrangement is due to the Le Touque Treaty between the UK and France, which is only valid if both parties consent to it.  Short of rebuilding the Angevin Empire in Normandy there is very little we can do if the French Government does not want to continue with this arrangement.  Instead of complaining about Macron's tough stance on this issue we should be matching him with shrewd diplomacy and ideas.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Annus Horribilis

The National Archives release, reported by i, regarding the Monarchy's "Annus Horribilis" is especially interesting considering what is already public knowledge.  Following Annus Horribilis the British Monarchy convened the Way Ahead Committee composed of leading Royals and their advisors.  This charted a very well crafted PR plan to recapture public support for the Monarchy.  This included maximising the publicity of the future marriages and children of the young princes before they even met potential wives and mothers.  This questionable, relentless selling of their private lives is the price the Prince's pay for the Monarchy surviving.  Perhaps we should ask; is this price not too high?

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Gerry Adams

The National Archives releases concerning revelations about Gerry Adams in the 1980s, while interesting, are not that surprising.  Investigative journalists have speculated that Adams may have conceived of the peace process with his fellow prisoners in Cage 11 in The Maze prison, .  With regards to the Loughghall ambush; the PIRA Tyrone Brigade that was devastated in the ambush were vocal opponents of Adams' leadership faction. This is a strong motive for a tip off to the British by them. With this in mind, it could be said that Adams was prepared to make tough sacrifices in the cause of peace.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: The Jerusalem Issue

With respect to Peter Lageard's letter with regards to Jerusalem, he should know that his idea has already been tried.  The 1947 UN Partition Plan for Palestine proposed that Jerusalem became an international city owned by neither the new Jewish or Arab States.  The reason why this plan didn't work is that the Palestinians rejected it, thus triggering the 1948 Israeli War of Independence.  While people have consistently pointed their fingers at successive Israeli leaders, it is really Palestinian leaders that have failed the test of leadership.  If a person with the charisma and foresight of Nelson Mandela was ever born in Palestine, I am convinced that Palestinian fortunes would of changed for the better long ago.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to The Economist: Diplomacy with the Russians

With respect to Sir Tony Brenton's letter regarding Russia, I appreciate that his job inclines him to seek greater diplomatic efforts.  However one could argue that Russia acts in such a way as to be hardly a trustworthy partner in negotiating on alleged common problems.  Take cyber crime for example.  With evidence of Russian troll farms and state-sponsored hacking the computer networks of democratic countries, it is obvious that our interests are very different.  Furthermore cooperation on tackling such problems should not come at the expense of the freedom of Russia's neighbours.  One only has to remember the shame our country still carries for offering Joseph Stalin the infamous Percentages Agreement.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Lost with Boris

I second Roger Turner's letter about Boris Johnson's meaningless warnings concerning the UK allegedly becoming a "vassal state".  His disappointing record has done much to diminish our influence in the world.  Meanwhile cuts to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and to the armed forces have diminished our soft and hard power respectively.  At the same time as our fixation on Brexit France under President Macron has picked up the diplomatic initiative.  If Boris focuses less on his vanity project and more on the UK foreign policy one, we may become a strong and independent nation.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Dark Day for Democracy?

I disagree completely with Tom Trust's assertion that the Commons vote for a parliamentary vote on the final Brexit deal was a "dark day in our democracy".  This government has tried to sidestep Parliament more than once on this issue.  It is entirely right that all parties should be able to examine the Brexit deal before it is passed into law.  Otherwise we are allowing Theresa May and the DUP  to write a blank cheque.  It is not too much to ask to look at it before it is cashed.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Vulnerability of the DUP

Theresa May should use her renewed confidence boost from the progression of the EU talks to ditch the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).  DUP leader Arlene Foster's tough stance on the last deal hides her party's political vulnerability.  May could easily rule by a minority government without a formal agreement with the DUP, since Corbyn's past association with Irish Republicanism means they can't cooperate with him.  The DUP leadership has also exposed itself to charges of hypocrisy.  They say they want the same treatment in law with the UK.  However they seem to make an exception of this when it comes to social policy such as that concerning abortion.  The Republic of Ireland is arguably a more liberal place than Northern Ireland thanks to the influence of the DUP.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Israel and Palestine

Donald Trump's decision to allow the US to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has likely put the two-state solution back by many years.  Perhaps at this stage a South African style one-state solution is just as impossible to achieve as a two-state one.  For the post-apartheid project both African and Boer Nationalism had to take a back seat to forge a new nation.  In this nation former enemies were responsible for each other's security.  The problem we face today though is that both Israeli and Palestinian nationalism is rampant and likely uncontainable.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Bargain with Brexiters

Brexiters are regularly accusing us Remain voters of trying to sabotage Brexit.  As a way of reaching a compromise with them I propose we leave the EU, but stay in the EFTA and have a written constitution for the country.  During the campaign Brexiters advocated staying in the EFTA, before they moved the goalposts after winning, but I consent to their first broken pledge.  Since the EU laws copied over in the EU Withdrawal bill can simply be overturned by an act of Parliament, I want our rights to finally be enshrined in a clearly codified constitution.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol 

Elected Head of State

Roger Simmon's letter displayed both a worrying contempt for democracy and a woeful lack of understanding about republicanism.  If he is afraid that a politician who is an elected Head of State may abuse their powers, why do we not just give them similar powers to our unelected Head of State?  The Republic of Ireland has an elected Head of State with similar powers to our monarch and the arrangement works well.  It should also be noted that we already have a politician as Head of State, just one who is unaccountable to the electorate and able to lobby for their vast private interests in secret.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Royal Tourism Letter

There seemed to be more biased presumptions than facts in the "Fact Check: Do Tourists Visit Britain because of the Royal Family?".  Most European countries that are now republics still attract tourism with their aura of history.  The so-called "Fact Check" also avoided discussing an inescapable irony faced by monarchist Brexiters.  They are seemingly comfortable to vote for Brexit to allegedly not have foreigners dictate how we are governed, but are happy for them to choose our Head of State to sell our principles for tourist pounds.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Republican Alternative to The Crown

I entirely agree with Jessica Barrett that there is a danger of us facing a Royal media overload.  I suggest to counter this that Netflix invests in a series about the humble and courageous Irish republican Michael Collins.  While the cast of "The Crown" are concerned about their characters' opulence, Michael Collins was more frugal and rather homely.  He was born in a simple farmhouse.  He worked in 9 to 5 administration jobs to support his family.  He loved playing practical jokes on his friends and he defeated the British Empire from the back of a bicycle.

Regards

Zac Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Royal Morality

With respect to Valerie Crew's letter insinuating that the British Monarchy is getting more humane. I beg to differ.  The institution is inhumane by design.  It is inhumane in that it takes away people's rights to choose their own destiny from birth.  In this way it is essentially a human sacrifice.  The divorce issue Ms. Crew mentioned recalls the King Edward VIII abdication.  During this episode the British public and class were more disturbed about Edward marrying a divorcee than being a Nazi sovereign.  An institution that warps public morality so badly has to be questioned.

Regards

Zac Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Brexit Fanatics

Kevin O'Neill's letter had all the hallmarks of Brexit fanaticism which is evident today.  If this was 2008 I am sure they would listen to the advice of economic experts and commentators.  But because unlike in 2008 they are the cause of the economic uncertainty they can't stand any negative news.  I applaud Ian Birrell for stating the facts on the ground as they are.  Pro-Brexit hysteria is the new McCarthyism; a cause for shouting down dissenting opinions.  The problem is the more they shout, the more they look desperate they look than certain in their convictions.

Regards

Zac Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: African Military Coups

Sam Masters was right in his commentary piece to question the motives of the Zimbabwean Military.  In addition to their involvement in the Gukurahundi massacres, much of the higher ranks have enriched themselves from the Congo wars.  However African coups do not always end the same way.  Nigeria has endured vicious and corrupt dictators.  However Ghana was for a time more unstable under civilian rule than military rule.  After a period of "house cleaning" Flight Commander Jerry Rawlings left power, leaving the country with a stable democracy.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: A Future for DFID

While today's headlines have been dominated by the controversy around the former Minister for International Development's conduct, their portfolio is too often scorned by the public.  Perhaps the public would be more supportive of the work of this department if it sought to address the links between underdevelopment and terrorism.  Economic problems in the Middle East push hundreds of aimless young men towards the clutches of terrorist networks.  Recent academic studies have provided evidence to support that this is happening.  If this would stop the public and the media using DFID as a political football then I would support this change in focus.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: British Overseas Territories

The case of the Paradise Papers reminds us of our divided opinions on British Overseas Territories.  There was a lot of sympathy for these territories during the hurricane season.  However much of the time we find fault with them over their tax practices.  We can't blame these territories for using the few means at their disposal to make a living.  Perhaps if these territories had representation in Parliament they could get in on a wider conversation about their future.  Then maybe they can move away from a future reliant on offshore finance.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Returning ISIS Fighters Letter

Robert Readman's letter concerning the fate of returning British ISIS fighters seems to promote emotive argument over common sense.  Frankly I feel that those who speak so openly about bringing back the death penalty would be lacking in the steel to pull the lever themselves. This fixation on punishment would close the door to the possibility of leveraging certain returnees to become double agents.  It also ignores the remarkable examples of those ex-jihadists such as Maajid Nawaz who have turned their backs on extremism to become true believers in the democratic ideal.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Thinking About Brexit

Keith O'Neill's letter shows the depth to which Brexiters are addicted to the idea of thinking "positively" despite the obvious red flags around Brexit.  My friend has an independent haulage company.  His main routes are between this country and France and Germany, so Brexiter promises about sacrificing EU trade in favour of the Commonwealth does tend to make him think negatively.  Much like Climate Change deniers ignoring all scientific evidence proving that it exists, Bexiters refuse to listen to the economic forecasts presented by professionals.  If you are headed over  a cliff sometimes gravity tends overpower positive thinking.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Brexit Negotiation Stance

It would seem that many of those who support Brexit have substituted their empathy and common sense for so-called 'patriotism'.  While originally sounding open to a Norwegian or Swiss style deal, we are suddenly against it.  We treat EU citizens rights post-Brexit cynically as a bargaining chip.  Only when talks are at a deadlock do we give some thought about our future relations with the EU. At the same time we threaten just to walk out of talks, giving mixed signals about how important we see them.  Negotiations are built on trust, and this record shows that there is little reason for the EU to trust us.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to The Economist: 50th Anniversary of Che Guevara's Death

Your article concerning the 50th anniversary of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's death was an interesting read.  I would suggest though that the rise of militant leftism in Latin America, during Che's time, has much to do with the poor state of democracy and the right wing's seeming lack of concern for widespread poverty on the continent.  It should be noted that the violence of left wing militant movements has much to do with the rise of right wing military regimes in Latin America.  Why Che's mythic status for the left prevails, is perhaps explained by the few examples of successful moderate leftists on the continent.  Even the once legendary President of Brazil Lula has been mired with the vice of corruption.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol, UK

Letter to the I: Trump and the Queen

With regards to Janet Street Porter insinuating that US President Donald Trump and the Queen do not have much in common, I beg to differ since they share many similarities.  Both of them earned and retain their positions through calls to archaic forms of nationalism.  Both of them live in their own privileged lives and are mostly cut off from reality.  Both of them have earned their privilege by dishonest means.  Both of them are surrounded by advisers and colleagues who are essentially 'yes' men, there to enhance their egos and cults of personality.  However they have one crucial difference.  Trump's career is answerable to a democratic mandate.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Brexit Article

I found much to agree with Stephen Bush in his article about what Remain voters face with Brexit.  I would add though that Leave voters constant demands for us to conform to their position, is undermined by them shifting exactly what that is.  Not long before the referendum a Norwegian type of deal was perfectly acceptable to them, now it is heresy.  Given their defiance and bullishness I believe us Remain voters are well entitled to harden our stance.  Stephen Bush compels us to watch and complain, I compel like-minded people to refuse and resist.

Regards

Zachary Barker 

Letter to the I: Anniversary of Che Guevara's death

On the 50th anniversary of his death there appears to be two main reactions concerning the legacy of Ernesto "Che" Guevara.  One side mainly hailing from the left portray him as a selfless freedom fighter.  The other side generally from the right see him as a murderer and supporter of totalitarianism.  The man was not without his faults.  He was a man of contradictions who had a fixation on violence as a way of attaining social justice, but undoubtedly was deeply emotionally effected by human suffering.  However the most important lesson he taught us was to see the world less in terms of borders and more in terms of common values and challenges.

Regards

Zachary Barker  

Letter to the I: US Gun Control

I applaud Paul Cross's creative thinking with regards to giving US citizens 18th century medical care for gunshot wounds to go with their similarly aged gun rights.  However I would point out to him the hazard of wounded innocent bystanders not getting the healthcare they deserve under this plan.  Instead I propose that the only firearms legal under the US Constitution's Second Amendment should be 18th century firearms.  It would be hard to carry out mass shootings or gangland drive-bys with muskets.  But if they were good enough to keep away the British Redcoats, surely they are good enough for self defense?

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Nationalism in Catalonia

While I am a sceptic about the merits of nationalism I do believe in the UN recognised principle of self-determination for those seeking their own nation-state.  The way the Catalan nationalists have brought about the referendum has taken lip service to the principle of democracy.  However the violent response by the Spanish state will only serve to fuel the fires of Catalan nationalism.  The Spanish Government would do well to learn from the way the UK addressed nationalism by political means within it's different nations.  They should beware what JFK said; "Those who will make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable".

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Labour Leader Letter

With regards to Jane Dale's letter about Labour MP's concerned with the direction of the party, the points she made flies in the face of political reality.  She asserts that Labour MPs should leave due to their concerns or conform completely.  It is worth pointing out that much harm has been caused in this world by people blindly following directives they know to be wrong.  It is also worth pointing out that one Jeremy Corbyn MP was in the minority in his party for many years and was against New Labour.  Should he have left then too?

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Emma Dent Coad MP Letter

Simon Kelner's article concerning the Labour MP Emma Dent Coad's comments about the Royal Family spent far too much time echoing tabloid condemnations as oppose to seriously analysing the points she has made.  What is true that according to independent research our Royal Family costs the country over £300 million a year.  This is hard to justify during times of austerity.  I doubt Mr Kelner's claims to have republican leanings, since he has never written anything to back up this claim.  However I do take him on his point though that if we British republicans are to successfully advance our cause, we need to avoid giving the tabloids ammunition against us.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Kurdish Independence Letter

Patrick Cockburn's article about the vote for Kurdish independence by the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) was very thoughtful and balanced.  I do not blame the Kurds for not listening to the many Western Governments and commentators who are discouraging a vote for independence.  Western Governments have been using Kurdish groups to fight as proxies for years, only to betray them when they need reciprocal help.  Commentators hypocritically talk about how it was wrong for the West to dictate Middle Eastern borders and then deny the Kurds their own borders.  We need to respect the Kurds' push for independence, not undermine it.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Guns Vs Butter

With regards to the letters from Mark Taha and David Buckingham about defence spending, with all due respect they are both wrong.  It is wrong of Mark Taha to expect people to politically support taking away public funds from everything to solely support defence.  Mr Buckingham is wrong to dictate defence spending by what our current territorial threats are alone.  As a permanent member of the UN Security Council we need the capability to mount international military operations.  We should aim to recapture the spirit of David Lloyd George's pre-WW1 "People's Budget".  It was this genius innovation which proved the irrelevance of the "guns vs butter" argument.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Defence Cuts Letter

While Eleanor Doughty's article on defence cuts was very thoughtful, she seemed squeamish in trying to understand the public's apathy with regards to their significance.  Frankly the war in Iraq and the ongoing one in Afghanistan the British people are growing war weary and cynical with regards to defence matters.  Such attitudes are made worse by an unholy alliance of Corbyn's Labour on the left wing and many, though not all, supporters of Brexit on the right wing.  While thus distracted the government seems to be content with making us a hollow military power as oppose to a serious one.  With much of the public wanting to stay out of harms' way internationally, they have little reason to raise any objections.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Disarming NK with Kindness

Those who Trump directed his inflammatory rhetoric at during his UN speech were thoroughly deserving recipients.  However it could be the case that the tactics he advocates to tackle so called "rogue states" are actually making their leaderships more powerful.  Sanctions on such countries tend to make their people poorer and therefore more reliant on their governments for everything including food rations.  This is exactly what happened with Saddam Hussein's Iraq and is still happening with Cuba under the US trade embargo.  Perhaps unrestricted trade would instead kill such tyrannies with kindness.

Regards

Zachary Barker 

Letter to the I: Jacob Rees-Mogg Letter

Laura Perrins' article about Boris Johnson MP and media speculation with regards to Jacob Rees-Mogg MP made for interesting reading, but it is ultimately misleading.  Jacob Rees-Mogg MP is not a potential candidate for the cabinet and the leadership of his party for two main reasons.  The first reason is that his rhetoric backed up by his behaviour shows that he is committed to being a hard working constituency MP, which Boris should try sometime.  But most importantly contemporary Britain is on the whole completely out of step with his hard-line social conservatism.  Social conservatism is dying out in this country, and I for one will drink at it's funeral.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: UK Foreign Aid

With regards to Robert Readman's letter I find the practice of using UK Foreign Aid as a political football distasteful.  I would remind him that the UK government has already made a commitment to reduce and then cease the payment of foreign aid to China and India.  UK Foreign Aid is very important to promote development in countries that may otherwise send more migrants to our shores in search of work.  Underdevelopment can often breed extremism.  Foreign Aid is also important to help spread our country's influence around the world in a peaceful way.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Syrian Civil War

I believe that Patrick Cockburn is too one sided in his reporting on the Syrian Civil War.  He seems to go out of his way to minimise the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's responsibility for the current state of affairs while putting the majority of the blame on the West.  He barely mentions Al-Assad's quickly resorting to violence against legitimate and peaceful protests.  He also neglects to mention the legitimate causes that groups like the Syrian Democratic Front and the Free Syrian Army fight for.  More widely he does not seem bothered by the prospect that the widespread hatred of Al-Assad in Syria may not be conducive to a long term and sustainable peace.

Regards

Zachary Barker 

Letter to the I: The Cost of Royals

With regards to Chris Vaite's letter concerning Yasmin Alibhai-Brown's mention of funding the Royal Family and their palaces, I believe he was being disingenuous.  Yes of course if we had an elected Head of State under a British Republic they would have costs to.  However this would not involve paying for the lifestyles of their extended family, which the current system does for the Windsor family which is still growing.  A lack of a royal family to house in palaces means more room for tourists.  The proud republics of France and Germany have outperformed us on tourism for the past several years.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Representation for British Overseas Territories

With regards to Christopher Jackson's letter I don't think the British Caribbean deserves to be neglected because of the way they run their affairs.  As long as these self-governing territories do not have a say in British Parliament, they will not be able to chart a more productive course beyond being tax havens.  With MPs representing their interests they could stake bigger claims to develop their economies and get provision for better defences against hurricanes.  In this way we could emulate the French who treat these territories as a part of France.  Given their brush with nature the voters on these islands will have an interesting insight into the issue of climate change.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: In Defence of Tony Blair

Most comments about Tony Blair's foreign policy record, in response to his recent media appearance, have varied from being very unfair to being hysterical.  It should be remembered that Tony Blair's timely intervention into the Sierra Leone Civil War in 2000 saved many lives.  As did his decision to intervene in Kosovo the year before.  He also invested a great amount of political capital in securing peace in Northern Ireland.  In light of this, it is unfair that his legacy should begin and end with the Iraq War.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Jacob Rees-Mogg Letter

The public's response to Jacob Rees-Mogg's opinions about  pregnancy and abortion caused by rape is very telling and disturbing.  The public, in their current fatal attraction to populism have fallen in love with conviction politicians.  But just because you strongly believe something strongly does not make it moral or relevant to real life.  The same goes for opinions derived from scripture.  Accepting people's right to voice opinions is one thing.  However we can't allow the religiously inclined or anyone else to deny people their freedom merely because of their strong convictions.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: France and Security Letter

Robert Jolly's letter seemed to recall the stereotype of the French as 'cheese-eating surrender monkeys' most unfairly.  Far from being timid in terms of security, the French have actually been quite active and forward thinking in recent years.  The French launched Operation Serval, the intervention in Mali against Islamists in 2013, thus saving Mali from collapsing.  To follow this up the French have embarked on Operation Barkhane, a multi country anti-terror operation across west Africa, which is ongoing.  It should also be noted that the election of President Emmanuel Macron has brought in perhaps the most critical speaking Western leader against the scheming of Putin's Russia.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Democracy in North Korea

Ian Birrell's article on North Korea made an interesting reference to technology starting to breach that isolated country.  It is true that a sort of secret middle class is developing in North Korea that has access to smart phones and is linked to a black market.  Hillary Clinton made reference in her memoirs to the US State Department supporting pro-democracy activists with such technology.  What is to say the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office cannot do the same?  Sadly this US State Department initiative is threatened by President Trump's budget cuts.  If such initiatives are supported, perhaps the North Koreans will have the opportunity to tear down their rotten system from the inside.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Women in Afghanistan

I would like to thank Kim Sengupta for his thoughtful article "West Must Not Fail Women on Afghanistan again".  His reference to the anti-war left's opposition to our involvement puts them with interesting company.  The UKIP right wing and the American Alternative Right under Steve Bannon are also against Western involvement in Afghanistan.  But as Mr Sengupta wisely pointed out, there are consequences to inaction as well as action when it comes to our footprint abroad.  The US and the UK leaving Afghanistan to burn will just make Afghans mistrust the West even more.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: British Monarchy PR letter

With regards to Emilie Lamplough's letter, I believe she takes the British Monarchy's PR moves too much at face value.  The British Royal Family need to constantly emphasise how relatable they are to our lives to ensure the very survival of their institution.  If they didn't do this we the public would be left to wonder how such an arcane institution is still relevant to our lives.  Queen Victoria was hardly down-to-earth, since she had a scornful attitude to women's rights and immodestly took the title of Empress of India.  She only took this title because her daughter was made Empress of Germany.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Troops in Afghanistan

With regards to Valerie Crews' letter I beg to differ with her on our involvement in Afghanistan.  Very simply; we broke it, we bought it.  It is unfair on the Afghans to give them a chance of freedom only to snatch it away. For the first time women are going to university.  For the first time their culture is starting to flourish away from Taliban censorship.  It is disingenuous to say that we want our troops to leave because of current Afghan civilian casualties.  If the Taliban takeover the country again there will be plenty more of them.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Bill Clinton Letter

With regards to Timothy Stroud's letter, I believe the Clintons are unfairly blamed for US President Donald Trump's election.  Former US President Bill Clinton's important achievements are too quickly dismissed because of the indiscretions of his private life.  Bill Clinton's terms had the highest levels of sustained post-war economic growth, with a healthy budget surplus as a bonus.  Clinton also managed to pass an Assault Weapons Ban.  His timely humanitarian intervention in Kosovo also saved many lives.  Trump won much the same way as the Trump Organisation won success.  This is by making promises that are too good to be true, then using deception to get out of delivering on them.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Democracy Letter

With regard to Kenneth R. Jarrett's letter, I believe he is wrong to lay the blame for the rise of UKIP and the Far Right on the "political class".  The hard truth is that we hold up the political class with our votes and all too often our apathy.  Voter apathy and unwillingness on the public's part to stand for election where veteran politicians have failed is what has caused our democracy to "wither on the vine".  We cannot teach our children to take responsibility for their actions if we do not do the same.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Trump Letter

With regard to David Mazza's letter he is unfairly allowing Donald Trump to operate by double standards.  When terrorist attacks were perpetrated by Islamist extremists during the Obama Administration, he publicly called on Obama to resign unless he cited specifically "Radical Islamists" as responsible.  I agree with Mazza that extremist violence is unacceptable whichever source it comes from, but that is not the issue.  The issue is that Trump's earlier comments were a shameless attempt at identity politics to rally those who dislike anything remotely connected to Islam.  His recent comments were likely tactically shaped since many of his supporters have much in common with the terrorist in this attack.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Corbyn and Venezuela

With regards to Steven McNamara's letter, he seems to be deflecting the issue of Venezuela to give cover to Corbyn.  Instead of addressing the issue over whether Corbyn was wrong to support Venezuela's Government, he randomly changed the subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  As a man of principle who once claimed that it is everyone's right to fight oppression, surely Corbyn should be supporting the protestors against the government?  If Corbyn and his supporters want to embody the New Politics of honesty, I don't think reverting to the Old Politics way of avoiding answers to difficult and embarrassing questions is credible.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: North Korea Letter

I very much doubt that US President Donald Trump's recent blood curdling threats to North Korea will do much to change their position.  China's support is mainly responsible for allowing North Korea to whether successive sanctions.  They support North Korea because they fear a collapse of the country will result in an occupation by American troops.  If Trump was shrewd he would publicly disavow any such occupation, perhaps in the form of a written treaty with the Chinese.  The grim reality is that a Chinese annexation of North Korea may have less of a risk of nuclear escalation than a US attack on the country.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Trump Letter

I am becoming more and more convinced that the seemingly chaotic way that President Donald Trump runs the White House is by design and not by accident.  Every time a major resignation or sacking takes place the news cycle goes into a frenzy over the recently departed official.  This conveniently blanks out coverage of the disturbing testimony starting to come out of Congress's probe into the Russian scandal.  His supporters are likely to put up with this style of ruling for a while, since it fits into his narrative of governing unlike any other President.  I feel their support will only waver if the US economy faces a severe downturn.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Green Taxis

With regards to David Gant's letter regarding Taxis, I believe he is being a bit unfair to Taxi drivers.  Many Taxi drivers are self employed and are thus vulnerable to extra costs.  In my home city the council has unfairly burdened them with the cost of painting their Taxis blue, in a scheme to lessen the use of unlicensed Taxis.  Forcing Taxi drivers to buy an electric car would be a hefty cost on them.  Governments could be the vehicle for easing such transitions, by instance offering loan schemes to buy such vehicles.  To make our economy competitive and green we need to support self employed people during the technological transition.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Royals and the Military

I applaud Jane Jakeman's letter denouncing Prince Charles ' shameless posing with military medals he has not earned.  I would point out though that the British Royal Family making a mockery of our armed forces has been going on from at least when the Duke of York mishandled his command during the Napoleonic Wars.  Prince Harry and William have pirouetted from one military service to another, at great cost to the taxpayer.  The former had much more protection from enemy fire more than his fellow squad mates.  The Americans would go mad if the Trump's treated their armed forces so flippantly, so why do we allow our Royal Family to do so.

Regards

Zachary Barker 

Letter to the I: Queen's Retirement

With regards to Nicholas Winch's letter which recommends the Queen retirement, with respect to him I think he misunderstands her motives in persevering.  I am convinced that the Queen means to follow the tradition of the other allegedly "great" Queen that was Queen Victoria and die in office.  In so doing the mourning period will neatly cover the transition period to the successor, which will most likely be the more controversial Prince Charles.  The British public are well within their rights to see past this cynical PR manoeuvre and consider democratic alternatives to an institution that is much more frail than our aging monarch.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Prince William Letter

We are to believe according to the coverage from this newspaper and others that despite him leaving his job, that there is much to admire in Prince William.  His record however tells a different story.  He resigned from the RAF after only a few months after basic training, avoiding a penalty for this because of who he is.  He had a Cambridge University course designed for him, which he didn't complete, because of who he is.  The lesson of his life surely can't be to get by on one's own dedication to hard work and perseverance?

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Talking About Policy Letter

I read Nick Clegg's article about caricature politics with great interest.  I think one of the main reasons why political discussion has been reduced to sloganeering and caricatures is because of people's reluctance to discuss policy.  People feel embarrassed about talking about politics already, never mind policy, because they feel intimidated about getting in to such detail.  And yet who is best to judge the cause and effect of policies, but those who live with their consequences?  The BBC can help encourage wider discussion of politics and policy by not scheduling programmes discussing them on so ridiculously late in the day.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the Sunday Times: Royal Children Letter

Sarah Baxter's article touched on an important issue with regard to the decided destinies of the Royal children William and Charlotte.  However let us not be disingenuous, the British Monarchy is a giant system of child sacrifice, which is entirely supported by their parents.  These children will not be the last to have their destinies decided before them.  We have no right to say how objectionable this is, unless we are brave enough to take the step that will ultimately set them free; declare a British Republic.  The entire system is archaic and wrong in principle and no amount of PR spin or change in Succession Laws can hide that forever.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Liberal Values Letter

Amid the cheerleading coverage of the Royal visit to Poland, one issue that has been left at the wayside is promoting the values of liberal democracy abroad.  In Poland especially the values of both democracy and liberalism are under attack, with a government that is securing control of the judiciary and rolling back women's rights.  Royal visits do nothing to promote these values and cuts to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will only make this task harder.  To make matters the US State Department, which helps activists all over the world, is having it's budget slashed.  Our motto in promoting these values should be the same of the Polish who fought for independence; "for your freedom and for ours".

Regards

Zachary Barker 

Letter to the I: Politicians Letter

With regards to David Price's letter about British politicians I found it frustrating and disingenuous.  How many times in this country have people called for politicians coming together only to punish them for doing so?  The Liberal Democrats were decimated after being junior partners in a coalition.  The last General Election was largely a two horse race.  The public have consistently shied away from voting reform that would lead to representations in the commons more inclined towards coalition politics.  The public needs to stop punishing politicians from working together if they want them to do so.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Monarchy Coverage Letter

I read with great interest i's article about the British Government covering up the secret Nazi plot to install the Duke of Windsor in a puppet government.  This is a rare piece on the Royals which does not show them in a glowing light.

     It is the duty of the press, the i included to hold all government institutions accountable and this includes the British Monarchy.  And yet most of the time this paper, in common with others, either omits critical coverage of them or reduces it to insignificance.  In this country, sadly, some are born to be leaders.  However none should be free from accountability.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Charlie Gard Letter

I am very skeptical as to the good intentions of US Congressmen and the US President taking an interest in the court case over baby Charlie Gard.  I don't think it is a coincidence that at a time that the US Congress is struggling to pass a healthcare law to replace Obamacare, these parties are suddenly opening up the wonders of US healthcare to a British baby.  Charlie is being used as a political pawn by US Republicans to whitewash the callous and contradictory system that is US healthcare.  If their political games cause Charlie further suffering they should beware, because causing harm to innocents for political reasons can be interpreted as terrorism.

Regards

Zachary Barker 

Letter to the I: Luke Rutter Letter

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Luke Rutter who died in action fighting with the Kurdish YPG to liberate Raqqa of the Islamic State (IS).  I think it is about time that the government gives anti-IS fighters like Mr Rutter the respect they deserve.  There is simply no moral equivalence between those fighting for IS and those fighting against it.  While the former fight to take away life and freedom the latter fight to preserve both.  And yet thus far the government has treated anti-IS fighters like terrorists even though they are fighting the same enemy.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: German Democracy Letter

I believe that Nick Clegg has too quickly hailed Germany as the new leader of democracy in the West.  Being a leader of democracy means not just practicing democracy but also standing up for it.  Unfortunately Germany's modern history has encouraged an enduring pacifist tradition that leaves the country and wider democratic Europe vulnerable.  The main German political parties are reluctant to stand up to a resurgent Russia even as it changes the map of Europe by force of arms.  The end of the Cold War has encouraged a complacent attitude to defence spending in Germany.  It is with some historical irony that the survival of European democracy now relies on a renewed German commitment to it's armed forces.

Regards

Zachary Barker 

Letter to The Guardian: Trump and Russia

The subtext of US President Trump's  call for "constructively engaging with Russia" is really a call for the West to sweep Russian imperialism under the carpet.  It is meaningless for Trump to talk about "saving lives" by negotiating small ceasefires in Syria when the main perpetrator of violent deaths there, the Syrian President, is given political cover by his Russian backers.  What is even more striking is how the ongoing and violent conflict in Ukraine, amidst Syria and the US election scandal, has fallen off the agenda completely.  Could it be that Trump's new apparent willingness to talk about the scandal is a strategic manoeuvre to control it, while taking more bloodier issues off the table?

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Public Transport Letter

Those who have backed Brexit criticise the EU for standing in the way of business.  And yet we have the EU to thank for keeping competition fierce in terms of air fares to keep prices low.  So we have proof that we can get sensible prices with sensible regulation for public transport.

     The reason why we don't have such a good outcome in terms of train fares is because our government is frankly too spineless to implement real competition between the train companies.  Failure to deliver must cost for these companies, otherwise they will not learn the cost of ripping off their customers.

Regards

Zachary Barker

STEM subjects Letter

With regards to David Batty's letter I felt that it was dripping with snobbery and contempt for non-STEM students.  Unlike him I see artists and academics as just as important for our country as scientists and businessmen.  Some students want to make a career out of academia, but thanks to cuts in funding at institutions in favour of STEM subjects this career is quickly becoming the preserve of the well off. 

     We treat the arts and those who practice it with particular contempt.  We expect them to live on pennies or finance themselves, until we need them to perform for an Olympics now and then.  A vibrant democracy should have room for intellectual debate, artistic expression as well as innovation.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the i: Syrian Civil War Letter

The debate about whether the recent chemical weapons attack in Syria was instigated by the Syrian Government misses the point.  The fundamental one being that aside from the last chemical attack, the Syrian Government has managed to massacre thousands of it's own citizens with conventional arms alone.  The truth is that it does not matter what tools a tyrant uses to inflict death upon their own people, the fact that they are doing it is morally reprehensible.  The fact that certain politicians and media (including social media) are arguing for us to ignore this is also morally reprehensible and utterly disgraceful.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the i: Sovereign Wealth Fund Letter

With Theresa May dolling out money to the DUP and Corbyn dolling out money to pretty much everyone it looks like a "money tree" is much in demand.  The closest this country can get to having one is to form a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).  SWF's are private investment portfolios run by governments that invest their proceeds into long term public spending commitments.  Countries as diverse as Qatar, Canada and Norway have SWF's.  Norway invests it's oil money into it's own SWF, so there is a possibility that we could invest shale gas money into our own.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the i: Politics Letter

With regards to JS Chance's letter concerning Jeremy Corbyn being invited to Glastonbury, for the most part I share their concerns.  While I do not think it is right that a "single political ideology" was represented at the festival, I do support efforts to bring political discussion to the mainstream.  I feel my countrymen have a way of talking about politics like it is something to be embarrassed about.  On the contrary it is something to be embraced and explored.  However I fear that the hysterical hero worship around Corbyn is giving too much credence to personalities and vague principles.  What we really need to be passionate about discussing is policy ideas, an area in which fresh thinking is desperately needed.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Prince Harry Letter

Let us be frank about why Prince Harry suddenly feels like sharing his feelings across the media.  The public story is that the Prince wants to relate with his subjects through a common thing we call experience, the grief following the death of a loved one.  The motive behind it though is truly Machiavellian.   The motive is to keep the monarchy relevant at all costs, including turning the tragic death of his mother into grief pornography for the institution to exploit.  This shows the ultimate baseness of an institution that has to resort to such tactics in order to stay relevant in our lives.  It isn't, so the sooner we have a British Republic the better.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: EU Letter

Nick Gent's letter gave too much credit to Jeremy Corbyn for apparently standing in the way of Brexit.  Far from standing in the way of Brexit, Corbyn shamelessly opened the door to it by voting through Article 50 without amendments. 

     I would also take issue with the assumption that Brexit would automatically make us better off.  What interest does the EU have in giving a country that is leaving the organisation a better deal than for those staying?

Regards

Zachary Barker

Queen's Speech Letter

With regards to John Seabrook's letter I am not sure whether he was being sarcastic in congratulating the Queen on what she wore for the State Opening or not.  But the disturbing subtext behind this frankly giant waste of time is that our Head of State does not provide us with genuine leadership.   Her not being elected means she cannot say anything meaningful or controversial like a strong leader should be able to do during testing times.  Considering our Head of State is not only a lie, it also unhelpfully makes us feel as though our politics is something we should be embarrassed  about.  We like our Head of State instead should be taking responsibility for the state of our politics.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Royalty at Grenfell

With regards to Ann Craig's letter she was right to draw a critical comparison between Theresa May's sense of empathy and the Queen's.  The inconvenient truth is that the Queen needs the oxygen of publicity caused by such tragic events as the Grenfell Tower fire more than May does, since the survival of her archaic institution depends on it.  Considering that the Royal Family did not offer shelter to the public during the Blitz I doubt they will offer shelter to the survivors of this tragedy.  It is time we rejected an institution that displays fake compassion and robs us of our credibility and common sense.  It is time for a British Republic.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Class Letter

I am of the opinion that recently the raising of the issue of class is all too often done to score cheap political points.  Recently David Lammy MP alluded in a TV interview to "middle class viewers" not understanding issues around the recent fire at Grenfell Tower.  In fact class lines are blurred thanks to both the working and middle classes experiencing similar challenges in our stagnating economy, such as stagnating wages and spiralling living costs.  I myself hail from the middle class and yet I have experienced the indignity of having to move out of a poorly maintained rental accommodation for health issues directly exacerbated by my living environment.  Citing class is only productive if it promotes empowerment in place of divisiveness.

Regards

Zachary Barker  

Letter to the I: Afghanistan Letter

British public reactions to ongoing bad news from Afghanistan is setting an all too familiar pattern.  The overwhelming consensus is that we should never have gone to there in the first place and that all NATO forces should leave.  It has to be remembered that the Taliban far from being an entirely indigenous force in Afghanistan is a proxy of the Pakistani intelligence services, who have their own agenda.  The elected government of Afghanistan wish for NATO forces to remain and help preserve their important advances in democracy and women's rights.  The Stop the War Coalition  and it's supporters would be incredibly callous and cowardly to allow these advances to collapse to suit their warped consciences.

Regards

Zac Barker

Letter to the I: Brexit Negotiations Letter

Regarding John Salter's letter about the pre-EU referendum negotiations, the case he presents is very one sided.  Mr Salter presumes wrongly that the failure to reform the EU is the fault of Brussels alone.  We had many years to seek out allies within the organisation who had a common interest in reform.  Instead of bothering to create a compelling blueprint of reform or build a solid group of allies to support it, the UK Government stood on the sidelines and complained.  The same thing is happening again.  We are failing to present a positive case for UK relations with the EU post-Brexit.

Regards

Zac Barker

Letter to the I: Matters of conscience

I disagree with Geoff Chapman's letter on positions of conscience.  I do not think it is people's conscience that makes them want to roll back successes in LGBT and women's rights.  Instead such people feel a need to judge and interfere in lifestyles that either they don't like or simply don't understand.  These attitudes are ironically also held by those who say they want the government out of people's way but would still invite the same government into people's bedrooms.  Being liberal is one thing, but people who knowingly make the lives of others harder need to be held to account.  I for one accuse them of callous ignorance.

Regards

Zac Barker

Letter to the I: Theresa May Human Rights Letter

Theresa May displayed spectacular hypocrisy when she slammed Corbyn for retreating on foreign policy in the face of terrorism when she wants to do the same to our domestic policy, in the field of Human Rights.  Benjamin Franklin rightly said "Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither and will lose both".  May has started a race to the bottom in repressive legislation which has been ably joined by UKIP who, since losing Douglas Carswell, are on the way to becoming the 21st century's National Front.  Instead of lecturing May should listen to the security services who clearly say they need more resources, not more powers.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Military Letter

I profoundly disagree with David Ridley's letter.  Although it is of course very important that our security services have the resources to protect us from terrorists, it should not be at the expense our ability to stand up to nation-states.  To this end we still need to invest in our Trident nuclear weapons to avoid nuclear blackmail from adversarial nation-states.  In a wider sense it is also important for us to maintain an expeditionary military capacity in the event that we need to military intervene abroad.  We may need to do this in order to come to the aid of NATO allies or fulfill our obligations to the Genocide Convention or the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Terrorist Wars

Malcolm Pittock's letter was as offensive as it was callously untruthful.  His naming of our recent interventions as "terrorist wars" makes it sound as though our objectives were the same as those of terrorists we oppose.  On this point he is wrong and I am sure he knows it.  I need remind him that the war in Afghanistan happened in response to the 9/11 attacks only after the Taliban refused to turn over the plotters of those attacks.  The Taliban implausibly thought it was good enough for them to be tried by their courts.  Pittock's letter is symptomatic of the poisonous allure of Corbyn's brand of appeasement, pushing fanatics of his creed to revise history to support their arguments.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Politicians Letter

Darren Wilson's letter raised many good points.  However the real reason for this dryly presented election is ultimately down to public hypocrisy about how politicians should present themselves.   In a nutshell politicians can do no right.  If they give a speech off the cuff it is either considered too amateur or too gimmicky.  If a politician speaks plainly about their personal lives people either find fault in them or find them too boring.  Often if politicians try to be funny they are seen as fake or cynical.  Maybe if we accept politicians as human beings as we accept ourselves, we will be able to see a more human portrait of them.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Jeremy Corbyn and the IRA

In the debate about Jeremy Corbyn and his association with the IRA there are two false narratives going on.  The first is that perpetuated by Corbyn that during The Troubles he was merely some sort of peace envoy, which seems hard to believe due to him virtually ignoring those who support a united Ireland by peaceful means alone, namely the SDLP.  The second is perpetuated by Conservative commentators who condemn his IRA links the most.  They wax lyrical about the IRA being evil and yet skirt over the Unionist dominated apartheid state that Northern Ireland once was.  The conditions of this state helped revive the IRA from being a dying movement.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Manchester Attacks

There is a depressing pattern that sets in after such awful terrorist attacks as that which happened at the Manchester Arena on Monday.  Not even waiting until the bodies of the victims are cold on the slab reactionaries use the shock of the moment to denounce "liberals" and "liberalism".  Not only that they have the gall to invoke the spectre of the victims or the grieving parents of those victims to push their half baked ideas.  They should remember that some of the least liberal countries in the world including Russia and China are not immune to terrorism.  They should think about more what freedom is worth before they sell it so cheaply.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Food Security

Bryony Nierop-Reading's letter referred to the problem of food security in this country.  With respect I believe they are too idealistic in believing that we can gain anything close to food self sufficiency. Our island has not been food self sufficient for centuries even when the population was much smaller than it is now.  This is bad in that strategically this makes us vulnerable to nation-states blockading our island nation.  But it is good in that no matter how much the nativists dislike it, we need to reach out to foreign partners to communicate and trade with.  Our geographic dilemma also means keeping in mind the importance of maintaining a strong Royal Navy.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: University Tuition Fees

I completely disagree with the Labour Party's policy to abolish university tuition fees.  Current legislation ensures that the repayments towards are reasonable and that this debt does not affect  credit rating.  The £11.2 billion could be put to much better use since it is nearly enough to reverse the austerity cuts, from welfare to legal aid.  I am a graduate who accepts that there are bigger priorities than my fees.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Corbyn's Foreign Policy

Sir Michael Fallon's branding of Corbyn a "pacifist" was a clumsy attack that allowed Corbyn to side step explaining the worrying contradictions in his foreign policy world view.  Corbyn has waxed lyrical about the alleged folly of intervening in Iraq and Syria against IS or the Assad regime.  Yet he has completely ignored the fact that not only has Iraq officially requested our help, in Syria a lack of intervention on our part has not stopped the Russians taking advantage of the situation.  Talking about acting through the UN to bring about peace in Syria is as good as advocating for doing nothing given the Russian veto on meaningful action.  What Corbyn should be asked is how far would he go to save many lives if there were no easy options?

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Nationalism

Patrick Cockburn's article discussing English nationalism asked some interesting questions.  I would say it is inaccurate to state that the political left don't really like nationalism since our country is home to three notably left leaning nationalist parties; Sinn Fein, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru.  These parties follow the 18th century concept of nationalism as a progressive movement calling for the building of a better future rather than for the return of a legendary past.  The main roadblock we face to this noble concept is that this country is fixated on the past to the point of obsession.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Prince Philip Letter

I am very grateful to this newspaper for being courageous enough in it's journalistic integrity to devote a whole 3 paragraphs of critical coverage about Prince Philip's retirement.  To balance it out it was accompanied by nearly four pages of coverage taking the opposite stance, and even hailed Prince Philip as a conservationist, despite his history of posing with endangered species he has shot as trophies.  This coverage proves that the cult of self censorship in reporting on the British Royal Family is still disturbingly alive within the British media.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: Theresa May Letter

I am not impressed with PM Theresa May's boast that she can be a "bloody difficult woman" and likely nor are her European negotiating partners.  Both her and Boris have played the heated rhetoric game to little effect.  Instead she could try to outflank her opponents by emphasising the case for a clan break that allows for the continuity of cooperation on mutually beneficial matters.  This wisdom comes from the alien ultra-capitalist civilisation from Star Trek; the Ferengi Alliance.  Number 76 of their Rules of Acquisition state "Every once in a while, declare peace.  It confuses the hell out of your enemies".

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Anti Islamic State Fighters

I was outraged to hear that the government has decided to prosecute the British anti-Islamic State fighter Josh Walker under counter-terrorism laws.  What outrages me more is how some British public commentators backs how the government has been treating him, claiming that he is just as bad an Islamic State fighter.  Josh went to Syria to help the Kurds fight to protect their lives and their freedom.  Islamic State fighters fight only to take away the lives and the freedoms of those who do not fit into their world view.  We should be supporting those who risk their lives in the cause of freedom, instead of arresting them.  Mr Walker deserves a medal, not a cell.

Regards

Zac Barker

Letter to the I: Macron Letter

Ian Birrell's article comparing French Presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron with the UK Labour Party provided much food for thought.  Corbyn's Labour Party has a worrying parallel to the French Front National by presenting a mostly negative view of globalisation.  Tony Blair had the right idea in emphasising the overwhelming net benefits in embracing a globalised economy while using the state to empower people enough to deal with its challenges.  Corbyn's attention meanwhile focuses too much on Labour interest groups such as jobs in industry and public sector workers, while Theresa May largely ignores either sectors.  The future lies in a vision that sees the big picture of the British economy though the eyes of all workers and not just interest groups.

Regards

Zac Barker

Letter to the I: Boris Letter

It was always a terrible idea to have a buffoonish opportunist like Boris Johnson be our Foreign Secretary.  He had the perfect chance to outline how Jeremy Corbyn's concept of British foreign policy is a threat to our country and blew it with name calling and bluster.  Jeremy Corbyn wants to live in a world governed by international law, but does not admit that it sometimes takes the use of force to uphold it.  Also for ideological reasons he rejects NATO which is not only the most successful military alliance in existence, but owes it's existence to one of our finest Foreign Secretaries in our history; Labour's Ernest Bevin.

Zac Barker

Bristol

Letter to the I: UKIP Letter

UKIP's policy on banning burkhas and hijabs shows that the party has no sense of irony.  They want to tackle a culture that tells women what to wear by enforcing a culture that tells women what to wear.  I remain unconvinced of the security arguments with regards to this policy.  For a start, all of the previous jihadist terrorists in this country have been men in western clothing.  What UKIP is really driving at is the feeling that many of their voters have that they just don't like how these clothes look.  Perhaps instead of criminalising women of a minority group en masse they should simply grow up and not judge people by appearances.  Is our law not founded on the notion that people are innocent before proven guilty?

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Asma Al Assad Letter

The suggestion that we should erase Asma Al-Assad of her UK citizenship betrays our lack of interest in meaningfully addressing the sins of her husband.  It is very telling of this country's lack of confidence and moral cowardice after the Iraq War that we have downgraded from confronting dictators to confronting their wives. 

     I have no love for her husband but believe she should keep her citizenship.  New Labour governments started an insidious trend in the early years of the War on Terror where they erased the citizenship of British terror suspects.  This was so they could be abducted and tortured with impunity via the US CIA's Extraordinary Rendition programme.  We should be brave enough to say that Human Rights are universal principles that shouldn't be taken away from anyone. And that includes from wives of husbands with blood on their hands.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Matthew Norman's Article

Matthew Norman's article in this newspaper on 12th April read too much like an apology to Putin's Russia for my liking. It appears  Matthew Norman is typical of many commentators who readily blame the West for shunning Russia, but fail to take into account the fault of Russia's policy.  Surely the impetus was on Russia to repair relations with their neighbours who had suffered years, sometimes centuries, of Russian imperialism?  Is Ukraine not a sovereign country that has a right to determine its own foreign policy?

     Matthew Norman is wrong to cite rhetoric being the problem, since our politicians are usually not courageous enough to take this issue on head on.  Actions speak louder than words, yet the West has not yet gathered the resolve to put punitive sanctions on Russia.  Instead of appeasing a rogue state he should perhaps speculate more on how to outmanoeuvre it definitively.

Regards

Zachary Barker 

Letter to the I: Middle Eastern Tyrants

I vehemently disagree with the suggestion Mr MacMillan made in his letter about giving tyrants of the Middle East a free hand.  His argument was also supported by a factually incorrect reading of recent history.  Iraq was not a stable and peaceful country.  The ruler of that country kept torture centres running non-stop, violently oppressed minorities and invaded his neighbours.  The alleged utopia of Libya was also run by a madman who sponsored a list of terrorist groups that would fill this newspaper's letters column in terms of size.

     This toxic and dishonest line of argument is being pursued by many arm chair strategists to try and justify isolationism in the face of evil.  Who are we to tell people to stop fighting against tyranny?  All countries without exception have had periods of turbulence on the path to democracy, none of them without any outside influence.  The UK has undergone several civil wars, abdication crises and rebellions (to name a few events) and we still do not have a full democracy.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Partrick Cockburn's articles

While I have respect for the work Patrick Cockburn puts into his journalism, although I tend to find his conclusions and analysis frustrating.  In the 10th April issue he alleged that relieving President Assad from power in Syria would not end the fighting and is not possible logistically.  Yet he neglected to point out that 6 years of him being at the helm during wartime have seen an intensification of the war, showing that his peacemaking skills are somewhat lacking.

     Patrick Cockburn in his series of articles about liberated Mosul again seems to go to unusual lengths to talk about how the Islamic State brought a certain order to people's lives.  But mentions less than most journalists about the grim price of that order.  I would like to hear more solutions from him than devil's advocate positioning.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Syrian Civil War

Colin Lester's letter very much exaggerated the success of the US-Russian chemical weapons disarmament deal in Syria.  It is evident now that Assad had never intended to give up his weapons.  He and Russia cleverly exploited the Western public's fear of intervention in the Syrian Civil War to give us the excuse we needed to go back to watching the carnage on television.

     I partly disagree with Peter Dorr's letter with regards to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's cancellation of his trip to Moscow.  What President Putin wants above all else is legitimacy.  We have to show that he can't have it by acting like a gangster.  But what we can do is tell Russia in no uncertain terms the only way out of Syria for them is a negotiated solution between their puppet state and the rebels.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Appeasing Russia

I am disappointed but not surprised to hear about the British Government's subtle moves towards appeasement with Russia.  I am not surprised since Theresa May in her previous cabinet post postponed the inquest into the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko  so as not to offend the Russians, against the wishes of his grieving widow.

     And now our destructive policy towards Europe has suddenly pushed May to embrace the most illiberal partners she can find including the Gulf States, Turkey and now Russia.  Any cooperation May pursues with Russia should be accompanied by a clear message; this does not absolve Russia of bad behaviour.  If they want respect then they must stop being a rogue state.

Regards

Zac Barker

Letter to the I: Gibraltar Comments

Why do members of the Tory Party feel such a need to express national confidence and resolve in embarrassing ways?  First we had Michael Fallon talking up our modest contribution to the fight against the Islamic State as the "Battle of Britain" and now Lord Howard is getting nostalgic over the Falklands War.  It seems that they do not feel confident in our own nations' capabilities to be strong and silent.

      It probably has something to do with the fact that this government is expert at hollowing out our armed forces while making them look nice and presentable, making us look like a paper tiger.  As for Lord Howard he should pay attention to Abraham Lincoln's advice:  "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt".

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: 3 Day Weekend Letter

While I admire the idealism and the compassion behind the Green Party's idea for a 3 day weekend, I do think this idea is somewhat unhelpful.  It is particularly unhelpful for workers in the emergency services who do not always enjoy the luxury of a weekend.  It is also especially unhelpful for those of us, myself included, who get paid on a per hour basis.  This coming bank holiday of two enforced days off will put a noticeable hole in my pay packet.

     If the Greens are genuinely worried about exploitation then perhaps they need to focus more on spreading awareness of workers statutory rights, particularly those workers who are not on permanent contracts.  Many of them are vulnerable to having their hours changed without consultation and face bullying and harassment from managers.

Regards

Zachary Barker

Letter to the I: Reply to Brexit Letter

Robert Readman's daily letter,  31st March edition, completely misses the point.  While Mr Readman chiefly blames the EU so-called "Eurocrats " for us leaving I believe the main blame lies with us.   We had 40 years to try and set out an alternative vision for the EU.  Instead of being constructive we used those 40 years just to endlessly grumble, complain and display unyielding pessimism about the course of the organisation.

     Claims like Readman's hide the real reasons why we are pursuing our current course.  The truth is that we are having an identity crisis, the consequences of which will hit our economy like a train crash, not to mention our public services in which EU migrants work.  Those who voted for Brexit because they regret how they voted in the 1970s should frankly get over it.

Regards

Zac Barker

Letter to the I: Brexit Letter

Hugh Bennett's article in favour of Brexit is an impressive example of rewriting history to suit one's, otherwise unjustifiable, argument.  Pro Brexit commentators wax lyrical about how much the Euro has apparently punished the economies of southern EU member states, but have completely ignored the structural weaknesses in these economies that have long been present in them.  Greece for one has a toxic culture of tax evasion throughout its elite that has nothing to do with the EU.

     Bennett's hint that the real forces of internationalism are behind Brexit fly in the face of reality.  Throughout Europe Brexit is not supported by dynamic internationalists but by preachers of the old nationalism that have worked hard to set our continent back decades.  I trust Bennett will not let the truth get in the way  of a good yarn on my account in the future.

Regards

Zac Barker