Readers reflect on the writer’s legacy after the publication of his last regular weekly column for the Guardian after 41 years on the staff
How much I shall miss Martin Kettle, even while I disagree with him (The world of today looks bad, but take hope: we’ve been here before and got through it – and we will again, 15 January). Last August, hundreds of union flags were fastened to our streetlamps overnight and without permission. Demonstrators at our market clock with a Palestinian flag were regularly abused. So, in the first week of January, some Quakers hosted a meeting of political and religious leaders to discuss the growing incivility of political discourse.
The pro-Palestinian group leader was followed by the Reform parliamentary candidate. Then various contributors from other parties and local churches spoke at length about what we had in common. A retired diplomat concluded that Britain is resilient. We are still more tolerant than most others. . The local vicar emphasised a “clear, common concern to express differences with tolerance and kindness”. There was no point in holding a plenary, so the final 20 minutes, we all spoke to our neighbours about why we had come and what we had learned. Frozen winter turned to thaw.
Geof Sewell
Thirsk, North Yorkshire
