Fr Alec Mitchell wonders what the Icelandic word for “schadenfreude” is (Letters, 29 June). It is þórðargleði, which literally means “the joy of Þórður”, who is a man mentioned in a work by the great Icelandic 20th-century non-fiction writer and essayist Þórbergur Þórðarson. This man, a farmer, would read newspapers and laugh about the misfortunes of others. I think we Icelanders are feeling no þórðargleði towards the English, as we have too much joy over our own good fortune.
Kári Tulinius
Helsinki, Finland
• The most shocking detail in Alan Travis’s analysis of the leave camp’s pledges (What a difference a week makes, 28 June) was the final sentence: “there is no code that requires political statements to be ‘legal, decent, honest and truthful’.” Why not? Are we content that politics should have lower ethical standards than the rest of public life?
Professor Brian Vickers
London
• Isn’t this whole Brexit fiasco an outcome of testosterone on both sides – just like the bankers? Now it seems just possible that we could have female leaders of our four main parties (Labour, Conservative, Green and SNP) and of the US. Bring them on and we might have a better politics; less high-risk-taking, more Merkelist. As a socialist feminist and despite being aged, I remain (as I voted) an optimist.
Sue Ledwith
Oxford
• “Muirfield golf club to vote again on female members” (28 June). You see – anything is possible; just extrapolate.
Charlie Leventon
Shrewsbury, Shropshire
• Terribly disappointed to find Michele Hanson missing from Tuesday’s Guardian. I was looking forward to her witty summary of the last few days. Please don’t tell me she’s left the country. Come back, Michele. We need you.
Margaret Pritchard
Edinburgh
• These bloody birds. Migrating here. Building nests wherever they want. Eating our worms. And waking me up at 3.55am!
Lorna Bartley
Sheffield
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