Zimbabwe’s coup

SIR – Your two-page spread on events in Zimbabwe (November 16) said it all. The head of Zimbabwe’s army gets the nod in Beijing before returning to arrest President Robert Mugabe.

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, however, struggled to catch up, writing in another short essay of sparkling waffle (Commentary, November 16): “Our starting point is a profound sense of friendship with the people of Zimbabwe; we wish them well.” Sir John Weston

Richmond, Surrey