Colourful Mo
Sir: I am surprised to read Charles Moore (The Spectator’s Notes, 24 July) opine that ‘in a better world’ there would have been no film about Mo Mowlam but instead one depicting the ‘heroic struggles’ of Owen Paterson.
Mo Mowlam was vibrant, colourful and exuberant — an authentic character who was in every sense entertaining. Her story captivated millions; her unorthodoxy was appealing and her eccentricities made for compulsive viewing. She spoke her mind, even when that mind’s capacity was in moving decline. A film about Owen Paterson, by contrast, would not only be irredeemably dull; it would be viewed in just two households — those of Paterson and (if he has paid his TV licence) Moore. And Pierce Brosnan would certainly have turned the part down.
Parliament needs more colourful, free-thinking, vivacious individuals such as Mo Mowlam. Sadly, all the parties seem to want at the moment are drab, grey, on-message, compliant clones.
Adrian Hilton
Buckinghamshire
Lunch with Ms Collins
Sir: Joan, Joan, Joan. Your diary (24 July), surrounding the regular box advertisement for Wiltons, extolled, not once but twice, the virtues of the Wolseley, and the ‘theatrical atmosphere’ of Club 55. In an edition when Wiltons sponsored the Cartoons Special as well, you could have been a bit more thoughtful.
May I invite you for lunch at Wiltons? There may not be Lucian Freud or Brigitte Bardot at the next table, but the fare will speak for itself.
Jamie Hambro
Chairman, Wiltons, London SW1
Smart Alex
Sir: During his tenure as City editor of the Sunday Telegraph, where I also laboured, I came to respect and like Alex Murray a lot. So I was appalled at his abuse by Special Branch airport security personnel (‘My Gatwick hell’, 17 July).
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