Congratulations to the Republic of Barbados for having the confidence and maturity to dispense with the Ruritanian nonsense of monarchy (Report, 30 November). I live in hope that one day we will see the same thing happen here.
Tim Barker
Eastington, Gloucestershire
• Dr Brigid Purcell is correct: ink freezes in sub-zero temperatures (Letters, 29 November). This is why Edwardian-era Antarctic explorers used pencils for writing records once they had left the warmth of the ship or base hut. See the British Library’s website for a photograph of Robert Falcon Scott’s final journal entry, and you will see that those famous last words, “For God’s sake look after our people”, were written in pencil.
Karen May
London
• Marina Hyde rightfully identified Archie Hamilton in his heyday as a contender (Britain, the Stupidest MP contest is back. But who will get your vote?, 26 November). But spare a thought for the voters of Epsom and Ewell in finding that his successor was Chris Grayling. Neither, however, seems to have the necessary level of stupidity to qualify for Johnson’s government.
Sam Philps
Epsom, Surrey
• Marina Hyde asks “Who will get your vote?” Step forward, Nadine Dorries. The competition is closed to further entries.
Rod Price
Banbury, Oxfordshire
• Nick Fletcher MP is worried that young people are no longer seeing appropriate gender-specific role models (Report, 25 November).What is his concern, when they actually have Boris Johnson and Priti Patel to exalt?
Graeme Innes-Johnstone
Elland, West Yorkshire
• The letter above from Karen May was amended on 1 December to restore the words “once they had left the warmth of the ship or base hut”, which had been lost in the editing process.
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