'Why it was right that Starmer joined Macron in France '

I WAS surprised to read T J Ryder's letter to the Press (November 14), in which he criticises Keir Starmer for attending the Remembrance Day ceremony in Paris, rather than London.

Ryder asks: 'Has he no respect for the British people?'

It needs to be remembered that Britain did not fight alone in the First World War. We fought alongside the French, who lost about twice as many men as did Britain, and were the main force opposing the German invaders.

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discuss during commemorations marking the 106th anniversary of the WWI Armistice, in Paris, France, Monday, Nov. 11 2024. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP).

Had France lost its war, Britain would have been faced with the grim reality of a Europe under German domination, as happened in 1940.

So it was appropriate that Starmer stood by the side of president Macron on Remembrance Day.

In that war, men of many nations were killed or wounded. We should remember them, as well as our own casualties.

It is clear that Starmer remembers them. In effect, Britain stood side by side with France.

In today's dangerous world, it is as well to keep onside with our allies.

David Martin,

Rosedale Avenue,

Acomb,

York

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What's in a name

IN my impressionable youth there was an exotic Hungarian film actress called Zsa Zsa Gabor. She and her sisters were sort of ‘proto-Kardashians’…if there can be such a phenomenon.

That’s my earliest encounter with the word Czar or Tsar if you’re Russian…well, to somewhat stretch a point.

However, now Czars are almost ten a penny: not sure what that is in Roubles. There are so many Czars for this and that, generally appointed by the Government. I think they also have them in the USA. I believe they call them something else in Russia now.

Perhaps readers might consider coming up with Czars of their own. There’s plenty of scope, often ridiculous. ‘Fish ‘n Chip Czar’, ‘Pub Czar’ (any vacancies?), ‘Bike Czar’, 'Board Game Czar’, ‘Philately Czar’, ‘Church of England Czar’, ‘Clean Beach Czar' (a bit of a Cnutcase if you ask me). How about a ‘Language Czar?’ I can see the point in that. I could go on but you’ve suffered enough. The first Czar was a Roman meteorologist called ‘Hail Caesar’.

Some folk, including me, find it interesting, irritating even, when words are hijacked like this. Maybe we all fancy being czars though I’d hate to ‘tsar’ everyone with the same brush!

Perhaps there ought to be a czar for czars, a Czar Czar, but isn’t that where we came in!

Derek Reed,

Middlethorpe Drive,

York

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