If the Prince Andrew saga spells the end of the monarchy, what do you replace it with?

Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

(AP)

Could the latest chapter in the Prince Andrew saga, in which new sexual assault allegations have been made against him, coupled with the concerns over “Queen’s consent”, mean the end of the British monarchy? If so, what should take its place?

British people are no longer deferential. They require – quite rightly – that people who enjoy great wealth and privilege should be seen to deserve this by the contribution they make to national life. The Queen, of course, is still held in considerable respect, but this surely can’t excuse her right to having a prior view of legislation to protect her private interests.

In the new constitutional settlement, which the UK badly needs, we must have a thorough review of what exactly we want from our head of state, including how and by whom this role should be performed.

The Rev Andrew McLuskey

Ashford, Middlesex

Real hunting horror

John Rentoul has stepped into the arena of animal welfare. He makes comparisons about the importance of different animal cruelty issues, brushing some aside because he regards others as more important. This is hardly an original approach – it is the standard practice of those who wish to denigrate the whole matter, and scorn the tireless efforts of animal rights campaigners. Imagine if this was done about human suffering!

But his worst offence in the article comes through his slavish devotion to his hero, Tony Blair, about whom he never tires of writing. He refers to Blair’s despicable attempts, soon after coming to power, to jettison his (vote-winning) pledge to ban hunting. Rentoul then says, “Blair never did see it as a priority, and he was quite right … Of course hunting is cruel, but foxes have to be culled somehow”.

This flippant claim that foxes need to be “culled” is antediluvian. Hunters have peddled these disgusting, obnoxious claims for decades, and it is shocking to see a newspaper of the calibre of The Independent casually repeating it as a justification for the hideous cruelty of hunting.

As a hunt monitor, I have seen hundreds of hunts and witnessed over and over again the horrors inflicted on foxes by people who are staggeringly arrogant and violent. I invite Mr Rentoul to accompany me and my fellow monitors to a hunt – cub hunting will start very shortly – and see if he is so indifferent to the cruelty after that.

Penny Little

Great Haseley

Covidiots

It is necessary to call out the Covid idiots, deniers, snake oil salespeople, the vaccine-hesitant and face mask refusers – they are helping to spread a disease that is killing people.

There are even worse stories out there, with a nurse in Germany replacing Covid-19 vaccines with useless saline solutions. Even if you don’t want it yourself, how can you deny it to the people who do want it? It’s not your decision or your right to stop people from protecting themselves.

Covid has killed many more than 4 million to date, so anyone who stops people from being safe should be jailed – not just fined – and they should be shamed. We have to face this pandemic with force and use all resources to defeat it.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne, Australia

Carbon credit

Vince Cable highlights the economic, environmental and moral dilemmas that need to be faced in light of the climate crisis.

One way to limit greenhouse gas emissions could be by allotting each person a yearly carbon ration encoded on a smart card and presented at every transaction, similar to a debit card. This allowance would be non-transferrable so wealthy people could not buy carbon credits from the less well-off and so avoid the limits. However, the credits could be carried over year by year so that energy-hungry activities such as a world cruise could be taken by “saving” credit over time.

Knowing that each activity would reduce the carbon credits available would prevent prodigal behaviour, such as jumping into the car for a journey that could be walked.

The technology already exists and the assessment of carbon “cost” for any activity can be easily calculated.

This system, like wartime rationing, would allow individuals to prioritise their consumption without facing a starkly austere lifestyle.

Patrick Cleary

Stonehouse, Gloucestershire

University challenge

Following Exeter University’s plans to pay students to stay away, Leeds has jumped on the bandwagon. Most universities have spent the last few years telling us they have no money!

Maybe it’s time they took the trouble to discriminate between applicants now that every Tom, Dick and Harriet receives A grades.

The re-introduction of widespread and skilled interviewing might be a start.

In any event, won’t the pay-off strategies merely postpone the problem until Autumn 2022?

Dr Anthony Ingleton

Sheffield

Time for climate action

It’s hard to ignore the images of apocalyptic proportions in Europe and America due to global warming, with the worst yet to come according to the UN’s scientific report on climate change. The consequences are being felt across the globe.

The UK is hosting the crucial Cop26 global climate summit this year. The government says it’s world-leading on climate change, but is it really? According to Greenpeace, the UK government is below expectations or failing on fossil fuels and green energy, forests and oceans, and plastic pollution, to name a few.

It’s time to take immediate action. We need to commit to ending new oil and gas licenses, come up with real plans to invest in green homes, green jobs, green energy, and green transport while preparing for a smooth, fair transition away from fossil fuels. Regulate banks and financial institutions to stop them funding climate-wrecking industries and introduce legally binding targets to reverse the decline of UK nature by 2030. Also, we should increase financial support for climate action abroad, to support communities on the front line of the crisis.

This year Cop26 must succeed for the sake of our own existence.

Jeannette Schael

Tadley, Hants