Sir: On 14 May last you published a letter from
me Nod save Ulster') in which I called Britain 'Weak, seedy, down-at-heel, shabby'. I should very much like to retract these words now, and to apologise to you and your readers for them. There was no shabbiness whatever at the Jubilee processional, there was simply a noble and proud style, a style which I very much doubt could or would be matched anywhere in the world. Moreover, watching the service of thanksgiving for Her Majesty's Jubilee at St Paul's via BBC Television in colour (the BBC might well be congratulated for their wonderful presentation, which was also done with style and imagination) I was myself very greatly moved and indeed humbled. I think Her Majesty has been taken to a great many people's hearts, far more than the eye could see outside Buckingham Palace, and there she will remain.
May I add that it is, and always has been, a matter of regret to me that Eire did not join the Commonwealth, and I remember supporting Cardinal D'Alton when he suggested this course in the 'thirties. Today, I can only hope the people over there will pay attention to Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien's proposals, both as regards the Constitution and the IRA.
Ewart Milne 46 De Parys Avenue, Bedford
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