Letter: The Blairs at play

Tom Lake
Monday 16 August 1999 00:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sir: Anne McElvoy rightly draws attention to Mr Blair's lack of caution in accepting the hospitality of an Italian politician. But she has missed a vital political thread.

The new commission president has proposed a compatriot as Commissioner for Taxation. "Italian" does not connote "rectitude in taxation" to most Europeans. That Prodi could suggest such a thing already shows the depths to which European government has sunk.

The issue is not yet lost; we have simply to insist on the unacceptability of this suggestion. It may be Prodi's method to suggest the outrageous in order to have something to concede.

But how unwise of Mr Blair to risk compromising his position at this particular moment!

TOM LAKE

Reading, Berkshire

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in