Bless you, Howard Jacobson (There is no excuse for a man not to wear a suit, Weekend, 14 October). No longer do I feel so alone. Years of attending concerts and ballets surrounded by people who cannot conceive a public space as being anything other than an extension of their own living room had been starting to get to me. To the charge of scruffiness, though, I’m afraid that we are going to have to add food consumption, phone use, talking, explosive coughing and a sprawling posture as further indications of this lack of concern for anyone other than themselves in the auditorium. Please don’t give in, though, Howard. Don’t stop going out. In fact, join me in Edinburgh for a concert. We can acknowledge each other’s presence and feel a little bit better about life. Don’t wave, though. A slight inclination of the head would be just fine.
Martin Collins
Meigle, Perthshire
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