The Editor, Sir:

I am afraid that in his rather sharp slapdown of Ian Boyne, published in yesterday's Sunday Gleaner, Trevor Campbell fell into a well-laid trap set by your esteemed writer.

You see, Boyne's aim seems hardly ever to engage others in any meaningful debate, but rather to focus as much attention as possible on himself, by any means necessary, and to try to convince others that he is indeed a very, very, very bright man.

In fact, I have heard several people make the same observations about him as did Campbell - the name dropping of 'celebrity academics' and ubiquitous references to 'highly respected' this or that journal or tome, etc.; the penchant for self-flattery and the frequent challenging of others to a debate, that some see as an adolescent prankster pulling the tail of the tiger to evoke a snarl.

A real pity

Wherever Boyne sees someone or some groups of persons who are gaining some traction in public discourse or who appear to have the intellectual grounding that he wants others to see in himself, he picks a fight and then down the road praises them if they respond in kind or ignores him altogether. That's what happened with Carl Stone, Wilmot Perkins and Don Robotham, among others.

This is all a pity, really. For, if Boyne really would set his mind to it, he would have so much more to offer as the one-eye king in a country of many blind folks.

I am, etc.,

C. BARNSWELL

banswellc@yahoo.co.uk

Kingston 6