Britain And Australia

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31543, 4 December 1967, Page 12

Britain And Australia

Sir,—May 1 make a few polite comments on the rather splenetic article in the “Sydney Bulletin 1 ’ quoted by you this morning? It is natural for young people to disown an elderly aunt who is no longer rich enough to produce largesse, but is there any need to taunt her about it or scoff at her out-of-date garments? My experience of Trooping the Colour and other traditional British ceremonial is that they attract large numbers of spectators from other English-speaking countries, while snobbery, HeaVen knows, is not exclusively « British characteristic! Australia’s financial wizards should know as well as anybody that devaluation is invariably carried out secretly. Baiting and insulting Britain is now a favourite international sport, and Australia, as a forward-looking country, must happily join in it, but I would point out that contempt is a profitless quality which is usually mutual—and should therefore be avoided.—Yours, etc., I. S. TREW. November 30, 1967.