Halley’s Comet

Press, 26 December 1985, Page 12

Halley’s Comet

Sir,—An article by Brian Mackrell on comet lore (December 9) misquoted me. A suggestion that the advent of Halley’s Comet will coincide with “an atomic third world war,” were definitely not my words. I would have used the term “nuclear.” The expression Mr Mackrell uses went out with straw hats in the sixties. I think he has confused a prediction of mine for 1985 in which I said there was a very real danger of a threat to world peace in the Middle East, which could escalate into a nuclear war, commencing on October 7. That was the week of the hijacking of the Achille Lauro off Alexandria, which almost ended in a shoot-out between Italian caribinieri and sabre-rattling G.Ls on the shores of Sicily over the captured terrorists from the P.L.O. Having had that small beef, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the article and especially the description of the demise of Dr Halley — what a glorious way to go. May we all die with a glass of wine in our hands. — Yours, etc., COLIN AMERY. Auckland, December 20, 1985.

Sir,—l have a question arising fromjtbe heading “Irresistable (sic) blurbs on the book review page of

your issue of December 21. Vowel trouble is endemic to this region. Pens, pins, puns etc., are already infected beyond hope of cure. Is it being starry-eyed to hope to save Halley’s Comet from the same fate? Perhaps those who refer to it as “Hailey’s” Comet are revealing a Freudian desire to salute a heavenly body. But, sir, consider the implications. Would the residents of Wellington’s dormitory ever adjust to living in the Hutt “Vailey”? Or, conversely, what of the repercussions in the world of journalism if “daily” became synonymous with “dally”? This letter may be too nebulous to be of universal interest or to elicit an astronomical number of replies. But any reader knowing the answer is invited not to shillyshally but stand up and be cometed. — Yours, etc., W. R. ALLARDYCE. December 24, 1985.