LETTER:Price of Far East's success too high for West
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.From Mr David Gordon
Sir: The depressing and superficial vision presented by David Howell becomes even more depressing when you remember that the author is an MP and chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Selection Committee.
He still uses economic growth as the sole yardstick of progress. This is a measurement for accountants, not politicians. Or are the rocketing youth suicide rate, the moral vacuum, obsessive consumerism and environmental disaster that is Tokyo today of no account, so long as exports are up 40 per cent in five years?
He invokes the Confucian adage of uniting work and recreation as an excuse for lifelong training "to encourage still further economic vitality". A brighter vision and one which the Master might be more at ease with, is one where co-operation replaces competition, happiness is rated above wealth, and jobs are shunned if they are not sociable, productive and contributing towards excellence. But this is probably too sunny a picture for Mr Howell's tired old work-ethic puritanism, even dressed in its new Eastern clothes.
Yours sincerely,
David Gordon
Allowenshay, Somerset
21 August
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments