Kate Moore - Here We Go Again...: Unpublished Letters to the Daily Telegraph

UNPUBLISHED LETTERS TO EDITED BY KATE MOORE Crisis? Which crisis? Anyone writing to a newspaper in 2022 needed to be specific. So much happened, and kept on happening, that even the shrewdest observers might have struggled to keep up. The first four months alone saw mass protests in Canada, spiking Covid-19 cases, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fuel shortages, Storm Malik and Storm Eunice. By the summer, inflation and tempers were rising with alarming speed. With much of the public sector in disarray, the British people took in refugees, battled on through strikes and baked under a heatwave. In Westminster, an array of scandals (most of them ending in -gate) threw the Government into chaos and unseated Boris Johnson.

Wherever one looked, something seemed to be falling apart. In their letters to the editor, Telegraph readers prevailed on Larry the Downing Street cat to intervene. Others began constructing their own fantasy Cabinets to restore harmony, perhaps drawn from the Common Sense Group of Conservative MPs or better still the cast of The Repair Shop. Everyone, regardless of background or political affiliation, became sick of the word unprecedented. Regrettably, no other word would do. There were lighter moments, if you looked hard enough.

The Wagatha Christie libel battle kept headline writers and lovers of soap opera happy for months. The Winter Olympics briefly turned everyone into curling fans, and Glastonbury went ahead for the first time since 2019. The nation came together to mark 70 years under Queen Elizabeth, with knitted corgis and Union flags in abundance. Paddington Bear had a leading role in the celebrations, his antics doing much for the reputation of marmalade. But in good times and grim, the Telegraphs letter-writers have carried the day. Whatever the subject, they have responded with acuity, opening up ever more avenues for debate.

Why, someone wonders, cant Vladimir Putin emulate another megalomaniac and retire to play billiards on St Helena? Can a prime minister really be ambushed by a cake? And what happens to coronavirus variants after we polish off the Greek alphabet? We on the Letters Desk have benefitted from all manner of insights. One reader finds a parallel between the Tory leadership candidates and the Gloster canaries that he once bred for show (its all in the hair). There is wry recognition for Neil Parish MP, who got into trouble looking for tractors. Nicola Sturgeon, the England mens cricket team, Sir Tony Blair, Will Smith, Chris Pincher and Raphael Nadals underpants have all come under scrutiny. Few, if any, have emerged unscathed. Naturally, there is life beyond the headlines.

Within this volume you will discover Telegraph readers thoughts on everything from sex to gardening; the aesthetic benefits of masks and the delight of an encounter with ones GP; the trials of getting fit, getting older, getting sober (or getting drunk); the battle to stop nouns becoming verbs and chairmen from becoming items of furniture; the struggle to kick a serious Wordle habit, and the perils of being improperly dressed for a food fight at a formal dinner. In a tumultuous year, the letter-writers have maintained their good humour and best of all their delightful eccentricity. I hope you will enjoy their company as much as I have. As ever, I must thank all our correspondents and my colleagues on the Letters Desk in particular the Letters Editor, Christopher Howse. Thanks also go to Rachel Welsh for casting her legal eye over everything; to Matt for his cover illustration; to Katie Bond, Jennifer Barr and all the good people at Aurum, and to Melissa Smith for her wisdom and guidance in the crucial final stages. Kate Moore London SW1

SIR The message from call centres appears to be: Your call is important to us; please continue to hold until it is no longer important to you. Nick Jones Cardiff SIR In future, callers to my number may be told that I am unable to come to the phone right now as I am experiencing an unusually high volume of things to do. David Fishwick Wallington, Surrey SIR Should BT Openreach be renamed BT Outofreach? June Green Bagshot, Surrey SIR I asked my daughter to brush her teeth. David Fishwick Wallington, Surrey SIR Should BT Openreach be renamed BT Outofreach? June Green Bagshot, Surrey SIR I asked my daughter to brush her teeth.

She replied: Ill think about it. Ill get back to you in three to four working days. Mark Solon London E1 SIR Although I am retired I am happy for my name to be put forward for a job at the DVLA. As I understand it, I can stay at home, get paid a full salary and will not get disturbed by my boss. Should I get chosen I will speak with my wife to see if she is also available for work. Idris White Sevenoaks, Kent SIR In the early days of working from home, my wife, on the phone to Sainsburys, complained about the background noise.

Oh, said the man, thats my brother cooking his dinner. Roy Miller Wakefield, West Yorkshire SIR Perhaps the enthusiasm for working from home would be reduced if it was renamed living at work. Perception is key. Guy Bargery Edinburgh SIR With apologies to William Wordsworth: For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood. When wicked Wordles pass me byAnd daytime telly has been viewed, No daffodil tempts me to roam. Tis better far to work from home!Penny Dorritt Walmer, Kent

SIR According to the Mental Health Foundation and Independent Age, coronavirus restrictions have caused over-65s to suffer from negative emotions such as loneliness, despair, fear and grief.

They forgot blind incoherent rage. Philippa Lloyd London SE17 SIR This morning I received a text message from NHS Test & Trace informing me that I had been in contact with someone with the Omicron variant. This was astounding news as I have been in Doha, Qatar since January and had absolutely no appreciation of the global reach and coverage of our world-beating Test & Trace system. That was 37 billion well spent. Trelawney Ffrench Doha, Qatar SIR Yesterday, towards the end of a week-long river cruise in France, I learnt that I had tested positive for Covid. I now face isolation for seven days in a Bordeaux hotel.

I had no symptoms before the test and to date I have not experienced any of the common after-effects. However, for the first time in my 72 years, I woke up last night with the urge to write pandemic poetry. Have any other readers experienced this? Is there a cure? And can anyone help with a word that rhymes with JVT? Brian Duckworth Hucknall, Nottinghamshire (but temporarily in Bordeaux) SIR If, as reported, the going rate for administering a booster Covid-19 jab is going to be 15 with a bonus for working at the weekend, I would like to volunteer my services. There is one caveat: of the 40,000 or so jabs that I have administered, only about six have been to another person (my late wife). I am a Type 1 Diabetic.