Dark forces
Sir: It is said that Himmler used to shed a tear whenever one of his pet birds would suffer an injury, but naturally he did not mind at all butchering thousands of people 'for a cause'. This thought crossed my mind as I was reading Mr MacShane's letter of 31 March, so full of spite and envy of a vastly superior talent. It is always those who threaten freedom and democracy the most that scream the loudest when criticised by others; even such eminently sensible, liberal and tolerant people as Mr Bernard Levin did not escape Mr MacShane's censure.
Let us observe how, with sickening pleasure, Mr MacShane proudly parades his involvement in all the strikes that the NUJ organised in the course of the last three years. Judging by the draconian and inhuman disciplinary measures that the NUJ applied to those of his own members who sensibly refused to go on strike, one must assume that many of those strikes must have been imposed on the union by the hotheads, rather than demanded or desired by the members; after all it is the latter who have to carry the can, stand in the picket line and suffer the obloquy of antisocial behaviour. I am sure that future generations will be grateful to Mr Levin for courageously exposing vile tyrannies wherever they occur; if it upsets some local 'dignitary', so be it. Bigger things are at stake in the unceasing fight for freedom and democracy and against the dark forces of obscurantism and reaction.
Before the war university professors in Germany failed to stand up to Hitler and, rightly so, were criticised for that. Let us not make the same mistake here and now.
P.A. Lindsay Professor of Physical Electronics King's College, University of London.
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