Giles Fraser (Loose canon, 30 September) rightly criticises the lack of logic of rightwing Christians such as Donald Trump, who take biblical teachings on homosexuality literally while treating the Bible’s critique of wealth as a metaphor. How so unlike leftwing Christians, who love to quote the Bible’s view of wealth, while treating its repressive take on sex and sexuality as not to be obeyed literally. The consistently rational approach is, of course, not to take anything in the Bible seriously.
Albert Beale
London
• I am old enough to remember the uprising of the Hungarian people against the communist state in 1956, when Soviet tanks rolled into the streets of Budapest to suppress the people. For those able to escape to the west, a warm welcome awaited them. Memories, it seems, are short (Report, 3 October).
Chris McDonnell
Little Haywood, Staffordshire
• We have all become used to sourcing the Ottolenghi exotic ingredients and, believe me, neither nori seaweed nor arak are easy to find north of York. But “massaged kale”? Is Thomasina Miers (30 September) having a laugh? Would that be with aromatherapy oils and will it taste any less disgusting afterwards? Only asking.
Linda Maughan
Hartlepool
• All of us who knew Neville Marriner (Obituary, 2 October) will remember his mixture of charm and discipline. It’s no exaggeration to say that his work with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields transformed string playing in this country. He was perhaps too gentle for some music that required a lot of bite and aggression, but his insistence on high technical standards and respect for a composer’s instructions set an example that should be a model for all performing musicians.
Meirion Bowen
London
• Lancashire. October. Azalea in bloom. Should be a good summer this December.
Ray Chenery
Darwen, Lancashire
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