SIR – Nearly all the refugees so far have come to Europe by sea, either across the Mediterranean from Libya or across the short distance between Lesbos and Turkey. The sea is where the main tragedies have occurred: out of the 430,000 who have crossed so far, almost 3,000 have died.  Yet this is a pipeline, and like all pipelines it can be shut off. Immigrants could be rescued from the disastrous flotillas they sail on and then assisted to settle temporarily in properly resourced refugee camps.  Holding out the promise of quotas, which only encourages desperate people to risk their lives, is not only short-sighted; it is cruel.  SIR – Why should refugees not return to Syria when conditions are right?  To suggest that it would take decades for the country to recover even if the war ended today is nonsense. Many countries were left in ruins following the Second World War, but with foreign aid and the efforts of their populations they recovered comparatively quickly.  While it is humane to give Syrians asylum in European countries, this should be granted as a temporary measure – especially to able-bodied young men – so that when their country becomes more stable they can return to lead the rebuilding effort.  SIR – In comparative terms the countries of the EU are immensely wealthy. Its governments could pour billions of pounds directly into relieving the suffering in the Middle East without supporting the current paternalistic assumption that the only place worth living is within the EU.  Increased rail competition could benefit passengers Photo: EPA  SIR – Anthony Rodriguez is right to bemoan the lack of on-track rail competition, but he fails to acknowledge that where it has been allowed the results have been dramatic.  In a study of the East Coast Main Line, where “open-access” rail firms compete with the line’s franchise holder, the Centre for Policy Studies found that revenue rose by 57 per cent at stations where competition occurred, compared with 48 per cent at those without, while average fares increased by 11 per cent at stations with competition but by 17 per cent at those without.  The East Coast franchise has increased its profit from £46 million in 2010 to £266 million today. The open-access companies, which compete with the Virgin East Coast franchise, Grand Central and First Hull Trains, record the highest passenger satisfaction statistics of all British train companies. Grand Central also recorded the highest passenger growth last year.  Rail competition is in the interests of passengers, taxpayers, the Government and the regions. Supporting open-access competition alongside franchises is crucial. It avoids a situation where “railopolies” can raise fares without fear of passengers voting with their feet.  Tony Lodge Research Fellow, Centre for Policy Studies London SW1  SIR – Graham Jones suggests the alternative to “austerity” is bankruptcy.  I disagree. The alternative to bankruptcy is sensible economy, which is what we have. Closing the odd branch library when the residents can easily access the central town library isn’t austere. Nor is limiting the unemployed to twice the earnings of someone working full-time on minimum wage. It is common sense.  Dr Richard Austen-Baker Abbeystead, Lancashire  SIR – Peter Holme’s suggestion that robots could be prevented from taking over the world if they were programmed with Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics ignores the fact that all of Asimov’s robot stories showed how easy it was to circumvent them.  He also fails to address the key issue of future cyber conflicts. Currently, the security battle is fought human to human. One builds a cyber attack mechanism while another does the same on the defence side. The time lag between threat identification and neutralisation – a few nanoseconds’ delay may be too long – determines success or failure. We need artificial intelligence security officers. But how much latitude should we give them? Should they have the authority to launch a counter-attack, or even a pre-emptive strike, to neutralise a threat?  Security innovation needs to take account of its wider implications. The difference between a killer app and a killer may be only a line of code away.  Dr John Mitchell Paphos, Cyprus  SIR – It is odd how anachronistic words leap out at you. Anna, the maid in Downton Abbey, said she thought she was pregnant. I don’t remember my mother (born in 1902 on the border of County Durham and Yorkshire) ever using that word. Mrs So-and-so was always “expecting”.  John Lloyd Darlington, Co Durham  Dud note: Dick Van Dyke as Bert, the Cockney chimney sweep, in Mary Poppins (1964) Photo: Alamy  SIR – Although my accent is not heavily Cockney, it has a number of features that give me away.  There also remain phrases of rhyming slang deep within my psyche, such as “Gert and Daisy”, which is usually directed at a person who is at least a little eccentric.  However, I wish that actors – most of whom have never been anywhere near the East End of London – would not attempt the accent unless their efforts have been passed by a “proper” Cockney.  To the end of my days, Dick Van Dyke’s excruciating efforts as the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins will put my teeth on edge.  Terry Justice Chadwell Heath, Essex  SIR – Michael Hanlon lets his enthusiasm for the United States get in the way of the facts.  While America, and particularly California, may have led the way, it is not true to say that in Europe a vehicle’s green credentials are determined solely on the basis of carbon dioxide emissions.  It is certainly the case that fiscal policies have been used misguidedly to encourage a switch to diesel cars because of their better fuel consumption, but this has only been in effect in Britain since 2001.  By contrast, the maximum amount of the regulated pollutants that make up the “foul cocktail of carcinogens and irritants” allowed to be emitted from the exhausts of new vehicles has been regulated since 1992.  These limits have been progressively reduced ever since, with the latest reduction coming into force this month. Vehicles that do not meet the required standards cannot be sold in the European Union. Similar targets for carbon dioxide emissions have been introduced, but only came into force in 2012.  Richard J Smith Ufton Nervet, Berkshire  SIR – It has been decades since American vehicles were huge gas-guzzlers. While usually larger than cars in Europe, American cars have solved many of their “green” problems with more sophisticated engines, efficient transmissions, lightweighting and aerodynamics.  Really huge American cars were last on sale in 1979. When I moved to the Los Angeles area in 1982, it was barely possible to breathe, and you had no idea the city was surrounded by mountains, except during the winter. However, that has changed completely, and now you can see the mountains even on the hottest days of the summer.  George Peterson President, AutoPacific Tustin, California  SIR – Dementia and the general frailty that comes with age will necessitate an army of carers which the state will struggle to finance.  What I wish for in my old age is personal autonomy. This could be afforded by many if money spent on care was tax deductible, not just for the individual but also for the families that support their relatives.  Thus individuals could source their own high-quality care, pay a high enough wage to make being a carer a more enticing career choice and avoid being looking after by the state.  Dr Alexander Barber Camberley, Surrey  SIR – The latest analysis from Alzheimer’s Research UK paints a rather depressing picture.  A more positive approach could be to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles. For medical reasons I changed my diet 10 years ago, and also started to exercise more. Among other health benefits, I’ve noticed that my memory has definitely improved.  Illustration of the proposed Hinkley Point C plant Photo: EDF Energy  SIR – It is a shame that the generous guarantees offered to China for investment in the new Hinkley Point power generator were not available to a British company, Centrica, when it was EDF’s partner in the project.  Instead, prolonged dithering by the present Government forced Centrica to pull out of the arrangement. The losers are our private-sector pension funds and the British taxpayer in general.  SIR – In the early Sixties I joined the picture department of Christie’s as a very raw recruit and Brian Sewell was forced to have me as his secretary. He was exacting, patient, very kind, infinitely amusing and taught me all I know.  When I was reluctantly moved on two years later, he gave me three exquisite little pictures by Saverio della Gatta, wrapped up in a fiver,  with a card saying: “Do not be insulted by this note; it is for frames of your own choosing.”
Present situation must serve as a wake-up call; rail competition; fake   Cockney; car emissions; better care in old age; and portrait of a critic