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Please be aware we may need to edit letters for reasons of space and we will only withhold names if this is necessary for the protection of the writer.

Critical thinking

Dear HIP

With all due respect to Neil O’Warne (A Threat to All in HIP 233), it is just as silly to say that all conspiracy theories are bad as it would be to say that they are all good. You have to be selective, that’s all: exercise a little critical thinking rather than indulging in blanket generalisations.

Take 9/11 for example: it is obvious there was a conspiracy. Everybody agrees on that. The question is, who were the conspirators? You can subscribe to the “official” conspiracy that it was all down to Al Qaeda, or to one of the alternatives, depending which you find more credible, but the truth has to involve one conspiracy theory or another. You cannot avoid that.

It may be of interest to quote from a book written by Arthur Naiman about the 9/11 event:

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“When knowledge leads to terrifying conclusions, people look for ways not to pay attention to it. Calling a clearly-reasoned, evidence-based argument a “conspiracy theory” fits that purpose admirably. Once you slap that label on it, you’re free to ignore it.”

Peter Bolwell

In defence of the Azur

Dear HIP

As a newcomer to Hastings and St Leonards, on many occasions I have eaten at the Azur. The food is certainly not “below standard, as was quoted by Francesca Rowe (letter in HIP 233).

I’m not sure where this lady has eaten in the past but, as I have eaten in some of the best places in the world, the food was first class: the seafood salad was the best I have ever had. The staff were very accommodating and very pleasant, with a great knowledge of wines.

Sarah Mills


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