Religion strongly influences the thinking of a large proportion of the world’s population (Is Richard Dawkins destroying his reputation?, The long read, 9 June). It’s a subject that deserves serious, courageous discussion, and nobody has been more effective in stimulating that discussion than Richard Dawkins. I think that’s all that needs to be said.
Brian Eno
London
• I haven’t seen any opinion polls being cited in your newspaper for over a month. Any particular reason?
Irfan Husain
Devizes, Wiltshire
• I see your front-page headline compares Mr Osborne as similar in view to Mr Micawber (10 June). Curious as to my mind Mr Micawber is most famous for “hoping something will turn up”. Surely more the approach of Labour, SNP and Greens with their unduly optimistic view, not Mr Osborne.
Graham Ball
Downend, Bristol
• Well done, plucky little Belgium, for minting a €2.50 coin to mark the bicentenary of Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, 18 June 1815 (Report, 9 June). What about a British coin to celebrate the Battle of Agincourt 600 years ago this St Crispin’s Day (25 October)? Perhaps a £6 coin, being 600 pence.
Mary Jackson
Gilston, Hertfordshire
• Re the school trip to Barbados (Parents angry at £1,650 cost per child, 10 June). I don’t know what was more surprising to me: that schools now have trips to such exotic locations at great expense, or the fact that the school concerned has a director of human resources.
Andrew Langstone
Solihull, West Midlands
• Katrin McClure (Letters, 8 June) asks for more people to write to ministers to improve access to homeopathy. Surely she should ask an infinitesimally small number of people to do so for more effect?
George McLean
Manchester
