Which will be trashed next?

ridiculous. There seems to be a growing appetite to label all our public services as racist, homophobic and sexist. Largely, it would seem, from those who like to feel morally superior while sitting safely behind their desks. God forbid they actually get out of their chairs and contemplate putting their own safety at risk for others (remember Grenfell?). And then they wonder why these services struggle to recruit and retain good people!

All our public services are being attacked one after another by the same band of people. It has to be stopped. This is a total waste of public money pandering to the politically correct and woke movement. Who next?

moralise the vast majority of firefighters, police officers etc who are honest and do a hard job very well.

Which British institution is going to be trashed next week? This is getting beyond

Firstly, firefighters do a difficult and dangerous job ­ nobody doubts this. Nobody says otherwise. Firefighters demonstrate bravery, courage, self sacrifice etc. They can be, and frequently are, saints, but that is not a job requirement. The willingness to run towards a fire when everyone else is running away, and to keep returning until everyone inside has been rescued and the fire extinguished, as well as a technical insight into controlling fires from different sources, are the primary characteristics. We are fortunate that such men and women exist and put their lives on the line for us. They may not always behave as squeaky­clean choristers, but they get the job done.

First it’s the Met, now it’s the fire and rescue services throughout Britain. Where will other revelations of racism, misogyny and bullying in sordid corners of British society be exposed next? The NHS? The Coastguard? The Monarchy?

Good grief, are the justices of self­righteousness making it their mission to denounce every last British public service as ‘hotbeds’ of bad behaviour? How profoundly demotivating for the many fine staff members in all our emergency services.

How I love being told who to dislike every week! Who do I get to hate next week?

Nora Johnson’s 12 critically acclaimed psychological suspense crime thrillers (www.nora­johnson.net) all available online including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, audiobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

David Worboys Thinking Aloud

YOU can do it! How many examples have we seen of personal victory over adversity achieved through pure determination and courage? Throughout history, in many different fields, success has been attained against all the odds.

It’s no different in the world of music. Two of the greatest examples are from the unlikely pairing of Beethoven and Sutherland. Each had to overcome huge obstacles to produce the pinnacle of their art.

Beethoven’s triumph over tragedy and his journey from adversity to eternal glorification is one of the most inspiring in history. As a child he was bullied by his drunken father who was his first musical tutor and who beat him and locked him in the cellar whenever he made a mistake. From early childhood he suffered intestinal problems and was dyslexic ­ unable to read or write properly. His beloved mother died a lingering death when he was young. At 24 he developed a lung infection and then started hearing a buzzing noise in his ears. At 34 he had a fever for several months, abscesses in his jaw and finger and a septic foot.

For the rest of his life, his hearing suffered a gradual deterioration until he became