Will the police break up Armistice Day ceremonies on Wednesday?
sir – You were right (Leading Article, November 6) to challenge the legal ban on church worship and, in particular, the requirement, under coronavirus regulations, for Remembrance events to be held outside.
The exception for Westminster Abbey applies only for the service in the Abbey on Wednesday, November 11, to commemorate Armistice Day and the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior.
There is no exception to the general ban on gatherings for other services on Armistice Day, whether held in church or outdoors.
Thus, the holding of traditional acts of Remembrance on Wednesday at town and village war memorials around the country will be illegal.
This is shameful, even though I doubt whether the police would dare to seek to disperse such gatherings. The Government should act today to amend the regulations to allow such events to go ahead lawfully.
David Lamming
Boxford, Suffolk sir – There is something very wrong in this country, when the public are not allowed to attend the ceremony to commemorate our service men and women outside in Whitehall, while we can shop in our local supermarket indoors.
What a chance it was for Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, to stand up against these scientists and insist the ceremony went ahead as usual. But no, he has become subservient to his “advisers”.
Philip Hall
Petersfield, Hampshire
sir – Dr Keith Collard (Letters, November) criticises the scientific quality of the pronouncements by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
I wonder if the lack of science backgrounds in the Government could explain the ease with which Sage gets its unreviewed predictions accepted?
It is possibly not a coincidence that the two most successful European leaders of the recent past, Margaret
Thatcher and Angela Merkel, had science degrees, and were qualified to ask searching questions.
David Pynn
Malmesbury, Wiltshire
sir – Fraser Nelson (Comment, November 6) posed the question: “Is Boris Johnson really in charge of No 10?”
I carefully read Mr Nelson’s arguments for and against, considered the personnel involved, examined a number of relevant graphs and diagrams, looked at the science, took into consideration patterns of behaviour, modelled a number of scenarios and came to a conclusion.
The answer to Mr Nelson’s question is: “No”.
David S Ainsworth
Manchester
sir – Who is actually running this country – scientists or professional footballers? I think we should be told. Martyn Pitt
Hardwicke, Gloucestershire