Independent letter about Churchill

Jane Merrick is mistaken to agree with Paxman about Churchill`s inelectability in the present political climate.(We say we want our politicians to be more human-but we damn them when they are,21/01/15) Of course, Churchill "would never be elected today" but not because "Westminster is so dominated by spin and PR polish", but because we have already far too many right-wing candidates in this year`s election with views which outrage the majority of the electorate? Churchill`s anti trade union views are being duplicated by at least two of the main parties, whilst his views on other races, the female sex, and the usefulness of chemical weapons are probably too extreme for public airing.

    Why would the British people want to cast their votes for the man, who almost singlehandedly increased the fear of the Russians with his "Iron Curtain" speech in 1946 to such an extent it led to the Cold War, and its accompanying nuclear arms race? At a time when foreign policy needs to be based on compromise and caution, when the threat of terrorist attack has to be met with conciliation rather than armed conflict, the last thing Britain needs now is Churchillian aggression.

   Paxman seems to have forgotten that Churchill was "unelectable" in 1945, and the millions, who have benefitted from the NHS and the welfare state since then, have reason to be grateful for the wisdom of the postwar vot