Express & Star

Peter Rhodes on sex and guns in the staff room, lessons from Salisbury and the passing of an old friend

Will Boris end up apologising?

Published
Droning on

AS the Salisbury nerve-agent incident develops, lessons will be learned. The most important point, wisely made from the outset by Jeremy Corbyn, is that in crises such as this you should never rush ahead of what the evidence is telling you. Theresa May was far too hasty to blame the Russian state. Boris Johnson was irresponsible in pinning it on Putin. Can anyone else see this ending with an apology?

SOME members of my own hallowed profession could have egg on their faces, too, including the Daily Telegraph. This is what a senior police officer actually said: "We believe the Skripals first came into contact with the nerve agent from their front door." This is what the Telegraph reported: "Russian hit squad put poison on Sergei Skripal's front door." I despair.

WE might also ask where the Daily Star got its theory that Mr Skripal and his daughter "could have been sprayed with the nerve agent from a remote-controlled drone hovering above them as they sat on a bench in Salisbury." This Mission Impossible yarn was attributed to "intelligence sources." Yeah, right.

AN old friend of mine has just died. Harry was 87 and a retired architect, part of that generation that re-built Britain after the Second World War. He was an authority on Norman churches, a bellringer for 70 years, a guitarist in a band and excellent company. When his wife died four years ago, we kept an eye on him and either met at the pub or invited him for lunch every couple of weeks. He was lean and active and proud of living independently. Our last conversation was during the cold snap when I offered him my arm for support on an icy slope. "No," he smiled firmly. "I don't want to start that." Like so many old 'uns, Harry would rather struggle than be seen accepting help. A few days later, while making his breakfast, he collapsed and died. At a time when the world needs all the kind, generous, cultured and creative people it can get, another one passes from our sight.

MEANWHILE, in the Land of the Free, a California teacher who also serves as a reserve police officer was demonstrating gun safety to his class when, well, you can guess what happened next. The gun went off and three students were wounded. It's a reminder that few things are as unpredictable as people and guns.

FOLLOWING this incident a reader, worried by plans to arm US teachers, wonders how long it will be before a maniac deliberately targets a fully-armed school to see how many teachers he can kill before they kill him - a variation on the "suicide by cop" madness.

BUT I suspect the first death-by-teacher killing will be less dramatic. There's nothing like a handgun on your hip for escalating a trivial argument to homicide. Be prepared for a US teacher killing another teacher in a staff-room dispute over who washes the coffee mugs or who's been dallying with whom in the stock room.