She brings the agony of her brave countrymen and women home to us, and the effect of dithering and equivocation by the West. As a volunteer with a refugee charity, I weekly admire the character of our Ukrainian clients, mainly older ladies who spend their time bringing us delicious homemade cakes, volunteering in charity shops and signing up to English classes at the local college. Sir: I have huge respect for Lord Sumption as one of the few people with the courage of his convictions to oppose state and judicial overreach, both during the pandemic lockdowns and, more recently, in suggesting Britain should consider leaving the ECHR.
It is all the more surprising therefore that he seems unable to see the same phenomena at play in the EU Diary, 13 April. Its regulators have turned the EU into a slow-growth corporatist paradise which this country is doing itself much economic good by leaving. And its leaders, in their fear of so-called populism, are now trying to stigmatise political debate about any of this. And women in prostitution absolutely despise the punters. Most women in the sex trade are particularly vulnerable to being trafficked.
The women scrub themselves raw when they go home. Women in prostitution often dissociate, to avoid confronting their hideous reality. We often call that rape of course, but the cash seems to sanitise this transaction legally and morally for these men. Prostitution is not a public service to be cheerfully reviewed: it is, always and everywhere, a human-rights violation against women and girls. The Spectator may be a magazine that publishes articles on all angles of life, high and low.
But it should never have published this piece. It makes you a sad, disgusting piece of work. Indeed I do, and am appalled at the furore that followed. It was Life as it should be, so thank you for allowing that excellent article to be printed. It takes place at weeks. They have picked out some names. Women seeking an abortion at such a late stage are surely not doing so due to indecision, but due to receiving dreadful news at the anomaly scan.
A radical alternative might be that all media adopt the simple first name and surname format. It should be noted that the ubiquitous Mr, Mrs, Ms and Miss titles are already near to extinction in media styles. A media world of simple David Cameron or Keir Starmer would be a truly progressive reform.
