Government moves to reduce Short money and to make it harder for trade union members to give subscriptions to the Labour party are blatant gerrymandering (Labour fears £6m funding crisis, 11 January). I could accept it if there were similar curbs on political donations by companies that meant I was not forced, without any say, to make donations to parties that I did not wish to support simply because I own shares in or make purchases from particular firms.
Michael Miller
Sheffield
• In defence of democracy and to prevent undue influence, it would be wise to limit all political donations to not more than the average national monthly earnings.
John Hughes
Liverpool
• There has just been a London schools Shakespeare festival with the children performing at the Shaw Theatre (In defence of Shakespeare’s difficult bits, 6 January). Lily, our 10-year-old granddaughter, was cast as Hamlet in her primary school’s offering. Although the play was cut to a manageable length for 10-year-olds, not a word was simplified or changed. Lily learnt Hamlet’s speeches with ease. She had no problem with the meaning. She can’t understand the need to change the language and thinks it’s a great pity. Emma Rice please note.
Annie Macdonald
London
• I have not seen the new production of Cymbeline, but I do know that in Geoffrey Grigson’s comprehensive book The Englishman’s Flora he writes that in Warwickshire “chimney sweepers” is a name for the ribwort or ribgrass, surely something the bard would have known from childhood. In The Illustrated Flora of Britain and Northern Europe, by Marjorie Blamey and Christopher Grey-Wilson ribwort plantain is described as “flowers brown … in short blackish spikes”.
Doreen Fryer
Birmingham
• In the Warwickshire of Shakespeare’s day dandelions were known as “chimney sweepers” and they most certainly “come to dust” as anyone who has walked an autumn field could testify.
David Pollard
Hove
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