Churchill’s crimes

I agree with almost all of Priyamvada Gopal’s essay on the crimes of our wartime leader (“The Churchill cult,” June) and indeed most of the Tariq Ali book under review. But of course there was an immense amount of collusion in imperialist policy and attitudes across the political spectrum, permeating British political culture well into the 1950s.

This included Labour members of the wartime Cabinet during the Bengal famine, the pro-imperial attitudes of Ernest Bevin and many other working-class leaders (the Independent Labour Party was a notable but largely ineffectual anti-imperialist exception, and even it contained some imperialists), and what could arguably be called war crimes committed in Malaya during the “emergency” under a Labour government, before Churchill returned as prime minister.

Tony Judge, via the website

Gopal is well known for her dislike, verging on hatred, for Churchill and her article clearly displays this. Though of course everyone has the right to publish their opinions, there are certain dangers when academics in powerful positions do so with such forthrightness and determination to gain publicity for them.

Many (most?) prominent political figures who some members of the public quite rightly revere for the positive contribution made in the course of the nation’s history are likely to have held views and acted in ways that now with hindsight can be criticised. However, on balance they probably contributed more to our life’s betterment than Ali or Gopal, who seem to make a good living running Churchill down and whose life’s work will not be long remembered.

John Hawkes, via the website