On Tuesday you reported that 500,000 Greeks left Greece between 2010 and 2015 for more prosperous countries, and that the Greek government has introduced a €2,000 incentive to have more children. On Wednesday you reported that 74,000 asylum seekers reached Greece last year; 42,000 of them are trapped in accommodation designed for 5,400 people. Surely the answer is obvious.
Amanda Norrie
London
• Your report on Brexit language rules for Foreign Office staff (Brexit? Don’t mention it, 5 February) reminded me of a story from Mussolini’s Italy, when the fascist government declared that the malaria in southern Italy had been eradicated. Of course, it hadn’t been – but it was now forbidden to refer to it as malaria. It had to be called febbre intermittente (intermittent fever).
Bojan Bujic
Oxford
• The “men only” ethos at The Phil continued well into the 20th century (Beatles’ old pub now on a par with the palace, thanks to its gents, 7 February). In the mid-60s, my friend and I fought our way to the bar and ordered pints. We were politely told that if we wanted to drink from pint pots then we would have to get our boyfriends to buy them for us. We left.
Irene Fergie
Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Might the government’s refusal to let ministers appear on the Today programme be responsible for the rise in listeners (Report, 6 February)?
David Beake
Budock Water, Cornwall
• My dear husband, who at 80-plus makes delicious marmalade (Letters, 7 February), has just labelled this year’s batch “The Last Hurrah”. Oh dear.
Hazel Harrison
Norwich
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