Archer support
Sir: Of your two articles about Lord Archer last week, the one we should distrust is not Jeffrey Archer's self-defence but Michael Crick's attack ('The whole point of my life' and 'I blame the establishment', 13 June).
Mr Crick has used on television and in his writing an incident from over 30 years ago in which Jeffrey Archer got away with two false starts in an athletics match. But what does he think Lord Archer should have done? Gone up to the starter and said, `Excuse me, sir, but I think you ought to disqualify me'? The tone of the article 'he somehow managed to jump the gun again' and 'the authorities smiled on young Jeffrey' — and, for that matter, the rest of the article too, are condescending and sneery. Jeffrey Archer managed to jump it a second time? On purpose? Mr Crick seems to want us to suspect that Lord Archer knew in advance that he was not going to be disqualified. Even worse, some sort of collusion is implied.
Perhaps Jeffrey Archer was just an over- eager competitor with a poor sense of tim- ing, and the starter not up to his job. By digging up that incident Mr Crick has thrown no light on Lord Archer's fitness to become mayor of London more than 30 years later, although that is clearly his brief. Never having met Lord Archer, I am not defending his candidacy, but condemning an underhand attack. I also notice that the Times devoted two pages to downing the man, again largely by innuendo. As with Labour, so now with Tory: out goes princi- ple and in dance the spin doctors.
Denis Young
4 The Vineyards, Bath
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