John Gray observes that if the US retreats from the Middle East, Gulf states that “were under US protection will waver between shades of neutrality and forging coalitions against a resurgent Iran”. But this was already happening before the conflict with Iran. Before the US intervention, the Gulf states (Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain) were largely pursuing policies of niche diplomacy towards the West, China and Russia.
The UAE, among others, has assisted Russia in evading sanctions and has hosted intermediaries who were supplying Russia with Iranian-built Shahed drones. Ironically, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also demonstrated diplomatic ambivalence by signing defence cooperation agreements with Ukraine (which will likely diversify defence procurement away from the US). If the United States were to retreat from the Middle East, it would only serve to entrench these patterns.
Jordan Scott, Newcastle
The Don’s trollocks
Emperor Donald Trump might be around for far longer than John Gray expects. Other emperors seem to be heading for far deeper trouble. Vladimir Putin has taken a critical hit with the loss of a key supporter in Hungary. A botched invasion of Taiwan by Xi Jinping might bring his reign crashing down. While wish-fulfilment-style predictions about the collapse of the US as a global power and the fall of its president continue to be popular (especially in liberal circles), their credibility is beginning to wear thin.
Ivor Morgan, Lincoln
It has been a relief to read the increasingly negative remarks about Trump in the New Statesman. British politicians seem to be reluctant to face up to the reality of his behaviour. However, we could thank him for inspiring a new addition to our vocabulary: “Trollocks”, in the sense of “Trumpian truth”.
Philip Jackson, Rushden
Now that Trump has revealed himself to be the Son of God, will he confirm his new identity by walking on water? The Strait of Hormuz might be a suitable location.
Tom Stubbs, Surbiton, Surrey
Views of the litterati
What a contrast between the editor’s criticisms of a litter-infested UK and John Gray’s relentless urge to define trends in world politics. It’s an interesting question: which of the two issues will influence voters at the next election? Will it be the bottom-up view of a country now unable to keep itself clean, tidy and organised that motivates voters to move right (or left), or will they be moved to vote by the notion that the American empire is now at an end?
Chris Robson, Newcastle upon Tyne
Please don’t disparage tarmac. Paving slabs may be more attractive but are invariably uneven. Those of us who have had falls after tripping over such slabs are happy to see a stretch of smooth-surfaced tarmac where we can walk without continually watching our feet.
Miriam Greenwood, Barking, Greater London
Green Prosperity redux
Labour can tackle the Greens by reinstating the ditched £28bn Green Prosperity Plan. Britain’s need, in the face of the fossil fuel implications of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, to ramp up its renewable energy and insulation capabilities is obvious and urgent. Tax Justice UK and Patriotic Millionaires UK have invited Labour to tax wealth, reckoning it could raise £50bn a year. Labour’s £28bn-a-year green plan would then become affordable and doable in shorter timescales.
David Murray, Wallington, Surrey
Pay and display
I, too, explored the National Gallery in London in my youth, then spent the next 50 years working in Scotland and visited its galleries for free. Now I have moved south, a visit to the National Gallery and others galleries are on the cards. Whether we should charge for access, and who, is a dilemma. Perhaps we need an overheads fund that visitors could give to: “We need to keep the lights on for you, so you can see what you own.”
Derrick Anstee, Norwich, Norfolk
In response to Andrew Marr’s concerns about paying to see our national art collection, I wonder if the answer could be a national art card, issued free to anyone with a UK postal address. This would give British citizens free access to our national galleries, perhaps funded by a sponsor. Visitors from outside the UK would pay, as Brits do when visiting most galleries abroad. Many of our galleries already have ticketing facilities for paid-for exhibitions, so the infrastructure already exists.
Peter Halsey, Radlett, Hertfordshire
Cheques and balances
Will Dunn has once again delivered the goods, although I think one question was missed: who in government really knows what it is they are buying when procuring AI contracts? Who actually has the expertise to make informed decisions and resist the encomiums of the AI “revolutionaries” (Tony Blair included)? I suspect, contra Rachel Reeves’s promise to cut the number of government-hired consultants by half in this parliament, that more will be drawn in to advise ministers on AI solutions for their problems. That revolving door between the public and private sector is soon to be replaced by a spinning top built by AI companies. The consequences of this unchecked rush have not been weighed, but I’m sure certain bank balances have.
Colin Challen, Scarborough
Down the rabbit hole…
While I very much enjoyed the Sketch by Will Dunn, I feel I must contribute to the trend of pedantry among your readership by pointing out that a rabbit (and therefore, presumably, the Easter Bunny) is in fact a lagomorph and not a rodent. My sincerest apologies.
William Morgan, Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire
Cross my heart
Adam Penwarden is quite right to note that James I and VI created the Union Flag in 1606, and instructed all naval vessels to fly it. However, it would not quite have been the Union Flag as we know it. The 1606 design was a cross of St George with white fimbriation superimposed on a white Saltire on an azure field. The red diagonal cross – the Cross of St Patrick – was not added until 1801, following the 1800 Act of Union with the hitherto separate kingdom of Ireland. The Cross of St Patrick was created by the College of Arms for the purpose, deriving it from the insignia of the Order of St Patrick (and the arms of the pro-union Fitzgerald family). It is also something of a solecism; St Patrick was not a martyr and therefore, by convention, has no right to a cross. The flag in the Palace of Westminster painting is almost certainly the 1801 version.
I must agree with Mr Penwarden on two points. First, it is extraordinary that there is so scarce mention of the flag in legislation, and second, that Rachel Cunliffe (Future Perfect, 27 March) is excellent – although it is possible I am biased on that point.
James Douglass, Rachel Cunliffe’s husband
The wit in the woe
I got to Nicolas Lezard’s Down and Out late this week – the Easter Special was, after all, an especially bountiful edition. Special commendation to Faye Curran for her devastating exposé of the CIA agent who remade herself as a life coach.
Lezard’s tales of plenary sometimes feel inauthentic, given I remember him as the man about literary London of a couple of decades ago. But the final two paragraphs of this week’s tale of woe had me whooping with laughter. So thank you, Lezard, for providing joyful relief in a week of tension.
Margaret Bluman, London N19
Write to letters@newstatesman.co.uk
We reserve the right to edit letters
[Further reading: Meet the Angry Young Women]
Content from our partners
Related
This article appears in the 15 Apr 2026 issue of the New Statesman, Angry Young Women
Join the debate
Subscribe here to comment