I am full of admiration for Phil Scraton, who has refused an OBE as a protest both against those who failed to admit responsibility for the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and also those who remained unresponsive to efforts to establish the truth (Report, 30 December). Perhaps his action will help to bring the end of these discredited and ridiculous awards. The establishment will do nothing to effect change unless good people refuse to accept the awards or return those already accepted.
Brenda Banks
Teignmouth, Devon
• Your correspondent on this issue (Letters, 29 December) refers to research that indicates that learning from screens is non interactive and therefore not productive. My 10-year-old grandson, who quickly became bored with one-to-one guitar lessons, and could never be induced to practise, has become an adept and enthusiastic electric and acoustic guitar player from watching YouTube videos of his preferred 70s and 80s rock guitarists. He plays all the riffs by ear and for pleasure for hours. (Perhaps not quite so much pleasure for his grandparents!)
Pat Staples
Southampton
• The plea (Letters, 30 December) to review the use of “to sleep with” reminds me of the exchange heard many years ago: “Did you sleep with him?”. “Not a wink.”
Philip Browning
Newport, Shropshire
• The confusion over plurals (Letters, 30 December) extends to the creeping use of kudos as a plural, imported from America, where a single kudo is often metaphorically awarded to someone. What next? A short pause is a hiatu?
Karl Sabbagh
Bloxham, Oxfordshire
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