John Harris mentions “the arrival of Conservative MPs in such traditional Labour redoubts as ... Wolverhampton” (Labour’s crisis comes from the huge gap between politics and people, 9 May). Before the 2019 general election, Wolverhampton had had at least four Conservative MPs since 1970, including the long-serving Enoch Powell and his successor with similar ideological affinities, Nick Budgen. So I’m not convinced that “Labour redoubt” is an accurate description of the city’s political complexion.
Michael Cunningham
Wolverhampton
• My late father, Arthur White, was a proud compositor on the Manchester Guardian from 1946 until his retirement in 1984. When I was a child growing up in Moss Side, he told us that you didn’t read the Guardian but wore it. Ironically, he read the Express. He always encouraged me to take the Guardian as it improved his generous pension. I have had it delivered for 50 years, and would rather miss my breakfast than my paper.
Laura Hopkins
Manchester
• Congratulations to 92-year-old Scottish grandfather Gordon McCulloch on the success of his self-published poetry collection(Report, 4 May), from an 87-year-old English grandfather who has recently had his collection of over 100 poems, Life’s Lines, self-published via Amazon. Clearly, old is good!
Tony Mitchell
Keynsham, Somerset
• The union flag flying outside the Hartlepool Labour HQ (‘Obsessed with the flag’: Labour recriminations begin in Hartlepool, 7 May) is upside down, which signals “distress”. A huge mistake in a famous port. Oh dear.
Sue Rawson
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
• If thinking about a new name for the Labour party (Letters, 9 May), how about the Progressives?
Pat Lambert
Kenilworth, Warwickshire
• Why is the starling “notoriously” imitative (Letters, 6 May)? How about superbly, wittily, intelligently?
Nick Starling
East Finchley, London
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