‘Sir!' Frederick Forsyth wrote sizzling letters to the Telegraph for 30 years. Here are the best
He was not, by and large, a writer who got stuck into debates on the correct way to boil an egg, say, or the waning strength of English mustard. (He did once enter a discussion about cars, in 2015: 'When I spent the year 1963-64 as Reuters' – and the West's – sole correspondent in East Berlin, I had a Wartburg. It was a disgusting pink colour but it was compulsory.') No, he was a thunderer, and he was very good at it: robust and mordant, with wafer-thin patience for (to use a favoured phrase) 'blithering incompetents'.
Here, then, are a few of his greatest hits – beginning with his first letter to the paper, on the theme to which he returned most frequently over the following decades.
Forsyth was an unyielding Eurosceptic. But after the referendum – which he had long demanded – he became an equally trenchant critic of our leaders' efforts to extricate Britain from the EU.
It came from a place of care, but Forsyth found himself routinely exasperated by the Conservative Party – and two of its members in particular.
In truth, for Forsyth, no Tory leader could measure up to the Iron Lady. (And, as far as she was concerned, no thriller-writer could hold a candle to him.) When she died, he was dismayed by the reaction.
While it's possible to detect a begrudging admiration for Tony Blair's election-winning powers, Forsyth was deeply sceptical of the New Labour project, its high priests and its footsoldiers. (Siôn Simon – regularly arraigned – was MP for Edgbaston from 2001 to 2010.)
During those bizarre days in 2020, Forsyth was unpersuaded by the government's injunction to 'stay at home'.
Forsyth's final contribution tackled the biggest subject of all. And on the question of assisted dying, he was as forthright as ever.
He was a true giant of the Letters page. We won't be able to replace him. The fax machine has been stood down.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
CIA director teases more files on alleged Russiagate links to Hillary: ‘Finally coming to light'
CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Sunday teased plans to publicly disclose additional files that allegedly help tie Hillary Clinton to the false claims of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Ratcliffe specifically hinted at 'underlying intelligence' referenced in the annex of the Durham report, which scrutinized probes into the Clinton vs. President Trump match-up and is currently undergoing a declassification process. 'What hasn't come out yet and what's going to come out is the underlying intelligence,' Ratcliffe told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on 'Sunday Morning Futures,' referring to Russiagate. 4 CIA Director John Ratcliffe claims that the 'good guys' are in charge now. AP 'And what that intelligence shows, Maria, is that part of this was a Hillary Clinton plan, but part of it was an FBI plan to be an accelerant to that fake Steele dossier, to those fake Russia collusion claims by pouring oil on the fire, by amplifying the lie and bearing the truth of what Hillary Clinton was up to.' During the 2016 election cycle, an opposition-research file against then-candidate Trump and compiled by ex-MI6 spy Christopher Steele was circulated within the intelligence community. 4 Hillary Clinton's campaign helped pay for the development of the Steele dossier. The Washington Free Beacon, Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee ultimately ended up paying for the research Steele conducted into Trump during the 2016 cycle. The largely debunked Steele dossier was reviewed by investigators in the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane probe into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. Former Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed by the first Trump administration, investigated the FBI probe and criticized the bureau's handling of the inquiry in a report released in 2023. The unclassified portion of his report is public. 'In the summer of 2016, U.S. intelligence intercepted Russian intelligence talking about a Hillary Clinton plan, a Hillary Clinton plan to falsely accuse Donald Trump of Russia collusion, to vilify him and smear him with what would become known infamously as the — as the Steele dossier,' Ratcliffe recapped. The CIA boss said he combed through predecessor John Brennan's handwritten notes on the matter to discover the 'underlying intelligence behind it that revealed exactly what happened. 'All of this evidence that's been hidden and buried from the American people is finally coming to light,' Ratcliffe said. Some key figures from the Obama administration, which was in power at the time, have denied that the Steele dossier was the impetus for the FBI's Russia investigation into whether the Kremlin was communicating with Trump's 2016 campaign. 'There is no doubt in my mind that the people that we just talked about conspired. They conspired against President Trump. They conspired against the American people,' Ratcliffe said. 4 Former CIA Director John Brennan was a key figure in promulgating the Russiagate narrative. AP He noted that both he and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have made referrals to the Justice Department pertaining to their findings. 'I don't think statute of limitations are going to impact [it] because, on the conspiracy, the statute of limitation doesn't start to run until the last act in furtherance of that conspiracy,' he said. 'The people behind this are still furthering the conspiracy. 'They're refusing to admit or acknowledge what they did … was wrong.' Gabbard revisited Russiagate earlier this month with a series of public disclosures on previously classified information, such as a 2020 House Intelligence Committee report which determined there wasn't enough evidence to conclude Russia favored Trump in 2016. 4 Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has been revisiting the Russiagate controversy and declassifying key intelligence documents. Anna Wilding/ She also released material indicating that top intelligence bosses had evidence that Russia did not hack 2016 voting systems in a way that allowed them to change the election outcome. US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a 'strike force' last week at the Justice Department to parse through the referrals made from Gabbard and Ratcliffe on Russiagate.
Los Angeles Times
7 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
U.S. and European Union announce a trade framework
EDINBURGH, Scotland — The United States and the European Union reached a tariff deal Sunday after a brief meeting between President Trump and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. A White House deadline was days away from imposing punishing import taxes on the 27-member EU, which is America's leading global trading partner. 'It was a very interesting negotiation. I think it's going to be great for both parties,' Trump said. The make-or-break talks were meant to head off trade penalties — and promised retaliation from Europe — that could have sent shock waves through economies around the globe. Trump and Von der Leyen held private talks at one of Trump's golf courses in Scotland, then emerged a short time later saying they had reached an 'across the board' agreement. In remarks before the session, Trump pledged to change what he characterized as 'a very one-sided transaction, very unfair to the United States.' 'I think the main sticking point is fairness,' he said while also noting, 'We've had a hard time with trade with Europe, a very hard time.' Von der Leyen had said the U.S. and EU combined have the world's largest trade volume, encompassing hundreds of millions of people and trillions of dollars. Trump said the stakes involved meant a deal should be pursued. 'We should give it a shot.' Von der Leyen said Trump was 'known as a tough negotiator and deal maker,' which prompted the president to interject, 'But fair.' She said that, if the agreement is successful, 'I think it would be the biggest deal each of us has ever struck.' For months, Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in hopes of shrinking major U.S. trade deficits with many key trading partners. More recently, he had hinted that any deal with the EU would have to 'buy down' the currently scheduled export tax rate of 30%. The Republican president pointed to a recent U.S. agreement with Japan that set tariff rates for many goods at 15% and suggested the EU could agree to something similar. Asked whether he would be willing to accept tariff rates lower than that, Trump said, 'No.' As for the threat of retaliation from the Europeans, he said: 'They'll do what they have to do.' Their meeting came after Trump played golfed for the second straight day at his Turnberry course. The president's five-day visit to Scotland is built around golf and promoting properties bearing his name. A small group of demonstrators at the course waved American flags and raised a sign criticizing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who plans his own Turnberry meeting with Trump on Monday. Other voices could be heard cheering and chanting, 'Trump! Trump!' as he played nearby. On Tuesday, Trump will be in Aberdeen, in northeastern Scotland, where his family business has another golf course and is opening a third next month. The president and his sons plan to help cut the ribbon on the new course. Joining Von der Leyen were Maros Sefcovic, the EU's chief trade negotiator; Bjorn Seibert, the head of Von der Leyen's Cabinet; Sabine Weyand, the commission's directorate-general for trade; and Tomas Baert, head of trade and agriculture at the EU's delegation to the U.S. The deadline for the Trump administration to begin imposing tariffs has shifted in recent weeks but was now firm, the administration said. 'No extensions, no more grace periods. Aug. 1, the tariffs are set, they'll go into place. Customs will start collecting the money and off we go,' U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told 'Fox News Sunday.' He added, however, that even after that, 'people can still talk to President Trump. I mean, he's always willing to listen.' Without an agreement, the EU said it was prepared to retaliate with tariffs on hundreds of American products, including such diverse items as beef, auto parts, beer and Boeing airplanes. If Trump eventually made good on his threat of tariffs against Europe, it could mean that items including French cheese, Italian leather goods, German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals would be more expensive in the United States. The U.S. and Britain, meanwhile, announced a trade framework in May and a larger agreement last month during the Group of 7 meeting in Canada. Trump says that deal is concluded and that he and Starmer will discuss other matters, though the White House has suggested it still needs some polishing. Weissert writes for the Associated Press.
Politico
10 hours ago
- Politico
'Donaldddddd': Foreign leaders schmooze Trump on his personal cell
Those leaders include French President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who Trump will meet for a round of golf in Scotland on Monday, according to the person and two others familiar with the calls. The three, like others in this story, were granted anonymity to discuss private talks. The informality of these conversations, although hardly different from the off-the-cuff style Trump often showcases in public settings, can still be striking to aides listening on the other end of the line. A person familiar with one of the president's conversations with Macron recalled the two leaders 'bro-ing out' as they greeted one another. 'It was oddly amusing — Trump would say 'Emmanuellllll' and really draw out the l and then Macron would go, 'Donaldddddd' and draw out the d,' they recalled. 'And it sort of went back and forth.' Foreign officials credit their ability to adapt to Trump's freewheeling style to improved personal relationships, which, they say, is leading to more favorable outcomes. One European official pointed to last month's NATO leaders summit in The Netherlands where Trump announced that he'd changed his mind about the alliance after meeting with cohorts he lauded as 'great leaders.' He told reporters that he was departing feeling 'differently' and had determined that the cause of European security was 'not a rip off.' And since then he has agreed to authorize more defense aid for Ukraine so long as Europe foots the bill. 'There's less friction and more alignment in some cases,' said the European official. 'Some of that is the result of a lot of leaders being more hands-on with Trump, and, yes, more solicitous in private.'
