Oliver Dowden is wrong to defend Ollie Robinson – but we shouldn’t be surprised

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England cricketer Ollie Robinson has been suspended (PA Wire)

The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, has rushed to the defence of statues commemorating slavers. So it’s no surprise that he has stepped in to defend cricketer Ollie Robinson from censure by the English and Welsh Cricket Board over historical racist and sexist tweets. Dowden has moved from defending the statues of historical racists to defending racism in the present.

Sasha Simic

London N16

Regarding the culture secretary’s comments on the suspension of England cricketer Ollie Robinson, it is worth noting that the British government has form when it comes to the selection of cricket teams. In 1933, Harold Larwood, a cricketer who allegedly bowled at the batsman rather than the wicket, was dropped from the Test team at the request of the then dominions secretary, JH Thomas.

The historian AJP Taylor commented that this was the first time a government minister had chosen a cricket XI. However, it appears it may not have been the last.

The Rev Andrew McLuskey

Ashford, Middlesex

SNP demands more and provides less

Shona Robison, social justice secretary, close friend of Nicola Sturgeon and failed former health secretary, demands the usual “more powers” to tackle poverty. In fact, the Scotland Act 2016 assigned Holyrood responsibility for introducing 11 new social security benefits. When given the opportunity to implement these, Ms Sturgeon’s regime requested that Westminster remain responsible for them until 2024.

They have been found out by Professor James Mitchell of Edinburgh University, who is on record as saying: “The Scottish parliament at the moment has got the powers to do an awful lot … Frankly, at the moment they have ample powers to be getting on with the job, and they’re not really using them. They’re not really addressing poverty with the kind of focus that the language and rhetoric would suggest. You have it in your gift to do a lot. Let’s see if you can get on with it.”

This sums up the SNP regime in a nutshell. They constantly demand “more powers” and focus on process – lining up their powers in a row to be admired – but they don’t make use of the “levers” (another favoured term) actually to achieve a difference. The SNP has had 14 years to lift Scots out of poverty. Instead, they have squandered money on failed projects and international grandstanding. It really is not good enough.

Jill Stephenson

Edinburgh

Anti-vaxxers are being beaten

As the recent Channel 4 Dispatches programme on the anti-vax movement showed us, the old adage that a lie travels around the globe while the truth is putting on its shoes is still as relevant as it ever was. That the falsehoods that surround the MMR vaccine still continue to perpetuate hesitancy and the needless deaths of children is a stain on the human condition and our collective cognitive shortcomings.

While social media has made the spread of misinformation so much worse, reaching those who would not necessarily seek it out in the first place, it’s been so heartening to see that the uptake of the Covid vaccines has continued as we’ve moved down through the age groups.

The NHS is rightly lauded for the amazing vaccine rollout, but credit must also go to the British public who, in remarkable numbers, have brushed to one side that tiny minority of dullards who share misinformation without any sense of social responsibility or indeed self-awareness.

The vaccine take-up may not just provide the victory against the worst effects of Covid but also make a big dent in the recent populist-led anti-intellectual movement. Along with the US insurrection, the pandemic has at least advanced the much-needed wake-up call for social media companies to stop the spread of deadly misinformation.

Paul Dalby

Lytham

Football should have come home

Paul Keeble (‘Beyond stupid,’ Letters, Monday) writes about the stupidity of holding the Champions League final in Portugal rather than the UK, the country of both finalists. However, from the perspective of the bigwigs in Uefa and the sponsors, who pull all the strings, Portugal, with its lack of Covid travel restrictions, was perfect for their attendance.

The cynic in me makes me wonder whether the short-lived appearance on our green list of countries was to help achieve this. As soon as it was over, back to amber.

Alan Pack

Kent